Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Now playing at: Village Theatre Complex and various cinemas
Rating: ***
THERE IS no doubt about it, Tarantino is an extremely clever filmmaker and Pulp Fiction, which won Best Film at Cannes this year, is a perfect illustration of his talent. Which is: the ability to make a fascinating, brilliantly shot and perfectly paced film that says nothing whatsoever but leaves the viewer completely satisfied as if a five-course gourmet meal has been served by invisible waiters and the tab paid by somebody else.
Pulp Fiction is actually three films in one, weaving a number of characters in Los Angeles's underworld in and out of one another's lives with an ease that belies its complicated plotlines and numerous timewarps. Suffice to say the plots thicken at every turn, but the mix of the humorous and the horrible is spellbinding enough to keep the viewer's attention riveted to the action, and not a nuance is missed.
Tarantino has pulled the best from his actors, and of these, John Travolta and Samuel L. Johnson shine the brightest as duelling philosophers/hitmen who go from discussing the finer points of social etiquette to blasting holes in their intended's torsos without blinking an eye. Bruce Willis, as a boxer whose scheme to cross the crime boss who employs Travolta and Johnson, is also given a great role and makes the best of it - in spite of the horrific turn his storyline takes, he manages to make the impossible seem utterly believable by giving his character a weighty and bemused determination that supports Tarantino's flair for the macabre.
Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel provide notable supporting performances; their roles are just a few of the nuggets that crop up frequently in Pulp Fiction. Unfortunately, Uma Thurman looks good but acts badly as the mobster's girlfriend who accidentally ODs in Travolta's care, but her wooden performance fails to do the film any harm, as the net Tarantino spreads can easily withstand the odd dead weight, and then some.