Pulp Fiction: Does it Hold to its Cult Following?

by Manushri Bapat

edited by Inchara J & Hans Yang; Layout by Nivi Chozhan; Artwork by Sanjna Mootakoduru

The air of mystery that surrounds Quentin Tarantino and his cultinspiring films is not one to be questioned. His style of portraying the more violent aspects of life as we know it is often described as hit-ormiss: critics don’t hold back from bashing Tarantino’s excessive gore, while impassioned fans harp on the necessity of his storylines to the otherwise jaded industry.

For aspiring filmmakers and those with a penchant for the big screen, Pulp Fiction does indeed live up to the hype provided by its crazed fanbase.

The movie opens in a seemingly mundane setting -- a Los Angeles diner. Viewers glimpse into a conversation between “Honey Bunny,” also known as Yolanda (Amanda Plummer) and “Pumpkin,” aka Ringo (Tim Roth), who discuss how robbing a liquor store could potentially be more lucrative than other typical spots. The two decide to rob the diner right there, but the opening credits play before the entire robbery can take place. Already with the opening scene and electric theme song, audiences are drawn into the captivating world of “pulp fiction.”

The magic of the movie is in its cleverly crafted storyline. After the pause of the opening scene and past the end of the credits, audiences are drawn into a plot web. Namely, multiple stories that fall in place under the same, witty, timeline. It’s divided into three ‘episodes’: “Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife,” “The Gold Watch,” and “The Bonnie Situation.” The out of order scenes allow audiences to grasp a new bit of information in every plot line -- from a different perspective.

Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman)

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Watching the movie with the point of view of someone creatively oriented and interested in seeing how Tarantino conveyed the story (and if it deserved the attention and aesthetic attributed to it), I felt that Pulp Fiction was deserving of its unique place in American cinema. The concept of mashing seemingly different stories into a well-meshed sequence proved effective with the particular themes Tarantino wanted to convey.

The film angles and clever setting choices -- chock full of imaginative and out-of-ordinary as well as realistic elements -- add to the lure of the movie. The dialogue eases tension and adds notes of light humor at otherwise bloody scenes (such as the repeated exchange between Jules and Vincent about how burgers are called different things in Europe). The uniquely individualistic characters (such as Marsellus Wallace and his actress wife Mia) help to further draw audience a attraction into the rest of the movie and give them a desire to continue watching the full 2 hours and 34 minutes.

In a combined effort with the actual order of the plot events, Pulp Fiction merges witty dialogue and cinematically pleasing scenes to fully pack an impactful punch that very clearly marks its significance.

Yet while the revered film does demonstrate intricate skill, the ‘cult’- like aspects of its fan base are at times much less than putting the movie and Tarantino on a pedestal. I found the movie to be captivating, interesting, enlightening. But that did not mean the movie’s creator necessarily was deserving of the role of a hero. At times the fanatics of this movie and many others forget -- in their occasionally crazed wonder -- that films and filmmakers can only provide a window into a different world.

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson)

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Some of the film's witty dialogue

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