Written and directed by Brian De Palma, Blow Out is the story of a sound effects technician who discovers he had recorded a murder after seeing a car crash into a creek. Inspired by Michaelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up, the film is an exploration into a man trying to uncover something that could be drastic as he finds himself getting more than he bargains for. Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, and John Lithgow. Blow Out is a stylish yet entrancing film from Brian De Palma.
When a sound effects technician is at creek recording some sound for sound effects, he witnesses a car crashing into the lake as he saves a woman was in the car where he realizes that this wasn’t an accident. It’s a film that isn’t just about sight and sound but also what this sound technician would uncover as the victim who was killed in the crash is a presidential candidate as questions come into play. At the same time, the sound technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) realizes that there’s a cover up as there are those who want to say it’s an accident as he doesn’t think so while he believes he and the young woman he saved in Sally (Nancy Allen) are targets in this cover-up.
Brian De Palma’s screenplay explores Jack’s obsession with what he heard as he think what he hears at first is a tire blow-out but through the tape he’s listening to. He realizes that it was a gunshot that hit a tire as he knows something isn’t right as he asks what Sally was in the car for. Once the story progresses as Jack is trying to see what is going on as he becomes aware of a cover-up. Things start to unravel more as it relates to Sally’s involvement as well as the man who took the pictures of the chase in Manny Karp (Dennis Franz) who using the photos so he can get some big money. Another person that is involved in these events is a mysterious man named Burke (John Lithgow) as it is clear he’s involved in these cover-ups as he helps drive the story as well as Jack’s own investigation where Jack knows he can only rely on himself and Sally since he doesn’t trust the police due to a bad experience working as a surveillance man for them.
De Palma’s direction is very ravishing for the way he presents the film as it begins as a creepy slasher film where it’s really a film within a film as it establishes what kind of work Jack does. It is De Palma sort of making fun of the world of horror including himself as it showcases how the slasher genre was becoming parody while it would also lead to some key moments into what Jack’s boss wants. Shot on location in Philadelphia, the film does play into this event as it relates to the anniversary of the Liberty Bell as it adds to this sense of suspense and paranoia that looks over Jack as he would try to do the right thing as well as turn to the police but things become complicated. De Palma’s approach to compositions from the way would shoot things in the foreground and the background add to the drama as well as the use of split-screens.
The direction also has De Palma create some unique ideas of framing in the way he creates the element of mystery from the usage of high angles and other stylistic shots as well as his usage of close-ups and medium shots. Even in scenes that involve Jack and Sally as they both talk about what is happening as there’s an attraction between the two yet both of them see the bigger picture of what is going on. Once it become clear that there are forces behind this cover-up, the film does get darker as it showcases what kind of power some have as it would play into this very thrilling climax. A climax that is very stylish but also has a sense of power into the way things are in the world and what Jack is being asked to do in his job. Overall, De Palma crafts a very smart and riveting film about a sound technician witnessing a murder through his eyes and ears.
Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does brilliant work with the film‘s very low-key yet stylish photography from some of the exterior scenes set at night to the naturalistic look of the city locations in the day as well as the film‘s climax as it‘s awash with lots of colors as the film also features additional photography from Laszlo Kovacs for the film‘s climax. Editor Paul Hirsch does amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylized cuts to play into the suspense and chilling elements of the film as well as the cheesier cuts in the film within the film. Production designer Paul Sylbert and set decorator Bruce Weintraub do nice work with the look of the home apartment of Manny as well as the home and workplace of Jack that showcases their different lifestyles.
Costume designer Ann Roth does terrific work with the clothes that Sally wears to present her unique style as someone who becomes aware of the target she has on her back. Sound editor Dan Sable does excellent work with the sound with the sound is cut as well as the many textures in the sound effects and such as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. The film’s music by Pino Donaggio is fantastic for its orchestral bombast with its lush string arrangements and themes that play into the drama and suspense with elements of piano and low-key percussions as it helps drive the film as it is another of the film’s technical highlights.
The casting by Lyn Stalmaster is superb as it features some notable small performances from John Aquino as Detective McKay, John McMartin as the governor’s aide Lawrence Henry, John Hoffmeister as the governor who is running for president, Peter Boyden as Jack’s director Sam, and Curt May as the news reporter Frank Donahue. Dennis Franz is wonderful as Sally’s friend Manny who took the pictures of the crash as he realizes the kind of money would be astronomical unaware of the severity and lies he’s creating. John Lithgow is brilliant as Burke as a man who is hired to take care of things as he is good in creating chaos as well as spy on those whom he feels will unveil the truth.
Nancy Allen is fantastic as Sally as a young woman who was part of a conspiracy as she is unaware of the involvement as she tries to deal with the situations and help Jack reveal the truth. Finally, there’s John Travolta in an incredible performance as Jack Terry as this sound man who discovered that he had recorded an assassination as he realizes the danger of what is happening. It’s a performance where Travolta is quite restrained but also filled with a determination and humility that is engaging as he also has these amazing scenes with Allen as this film showcases Travolta in one of his finest performances of his career.
Blow Out is a phenomenal film from Brian De Palma that features a tremendous performance from John Travolta. Along with a great supporting cast, some amazing technical work, and Pino Donaggio’s mesmerizing score. It’s not just this smart and visually-stylish thriller but also an intriguing study into the world of conspiracy and what is seen and heard in an act of murder. In the end, Blow Out is an outstanding film from Brian De Palma.
Related: Blow-Up - The Conversation
Brian De Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Scarface - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel by Stephen King, Carrie is the story of a tormented high school student whose troubled life finally comes to ahead when she later becomes the victim of a prank led by a group of her classmates. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen, the film is an exploration into the world of bullying as well as the life of a young girl who is also abused at home by her very religious mother as the titular character is played by Sissy Spacek. Also starring Amy Irving, Nancy Alley, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles, Betty Buckley, and Piper Laurie. Carrie is a tremendously chilling and mesmerizing film from Brian de Palma.
After a young high school student is bullied and tormented prompting the school’s gym teacher to take action, the film revolves around a few students who decide to play a prank on this troubled young woman named Carrie White for the upcoming senior prom just as Carrie is discovering about her telekinetic powers. It’s a film that plays into this young woman who lives a very troubled life due to the fact that she is often abused by her very religious mother Margaret White (Piper Laurie) who believes that the world around Carrie is full of sin. Once Carrie’s classmates are forced to serve detention led by their gym teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), one of them in Chris (Nancy Allen) conspires a plan to humiliate Carrie at the senior prom. It would play into this event at the prom where Carrie is asked by the school’s quarterback who is unaware of the prank where all things go to hell.
The film’s screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen plays into not just Chris’ plan to humiliate Carrie with the aid of her boyfriend Billy Nolan (John Travolta) but also Carrie discovering about her own unique powers. Even as Carrie is someone who is very naïve about herself as the film begins with a shower scene where she notices blood is coming out of her genitals unaware of the concept of menstruation due to the fact that her mother would shield a lot of things from her. While one of her tormentors in Sue Snell (Amy Irving) would express remorse as she asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross (William Katt) to ask Carrie to the prom. It is Chris that wants to take action as she would eventually get the help from her friend Norma (P.J. Soles) who also despises Carrie. The sense of momentum which helps build the suspense would be key to the story as is some of Cohen’s dialogue. Especially the chilling words that Margaret would say to her daughter including some off-the-wall humor including a scene where Margaret looks at the dress Carrie wears and how she refers to Carrie’s breasts.
Brian de Palma’s direction is very stylish from the way he presents the film’s opening credits with this slow gazing tracking shot of young women at the girl’s locker room where some of them are naked. In fact, much of de Palma’s direction is stylish in his usage of close-ups and medium shots to the way he can create moments of suspense at an instance which relates to Carrie’s telekinetic powers. The usage of tracking shots and long takes also add to de Palma’s sense of style including the way he circles Carrie and Tommy’s dance on a low angle as it showcases something that can be innocent and fun though something bad will happen to Carrie.
While there are elements of suspense and terror that looms in the film, de Palma does balance that with humor such as the detention sequence where Sue, Norma, Chris, and the rest of the girls who made fun of Carrie are forced to do exercise activities. Yet, it would add to some of the terror in what Chris and Billy would do as the climatic prom scene where de Palma’s usage of split-screens and other compositions would play into full-on horror at its most visceral. Even in its aftermath which involves Carrie and her mother where it relates to the idea of good vs. evil. Overall, de Palma creates a powerful and terrifying film about a tormented and sheltered young girl who gets pushed to the edge.
Cinematographer Mario Tosi does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the naturalistic yet dream-like look of the daytime exterior scenes to the stylish usage of lighting for some of the scenes at night and the scenes set at the prom. Editor Paul Hirsch does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, split-screens, and other cutting styles to play into the film‘s humor and the element of suspense and terror. Art directors Jack Fisk and Bill Kenney, with set decorator Robert Gould, do excellent work with some of the set design from the school gym and the look of the prom to the home where Carrie and her mother lives in.
Costume designer Rosanna Norton does nice work with the costumes from the red cap that Norma wears as well as some the plain clothes that Carrie wears. Sound editors Dan Sable and Ron Kalish do superb work with the sound in creating sound textures to play into Carrie‘s own troubled state of mind as well as some scenes of terror that are key to the story. The film’s music by Pino Donaggio is phenomenal for its orchestral-based score that ranges from being somber and ethereal with its lush string arrangements to sounds of terror with screeching strings as well as some low-key pieces while music supervisor Michael Arciaga bring in a mixture of songs ranging from and pop music plus a couple of songs written by Donaggio.
The casting by Harriet B. Helberg is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Priscilla Pointer as Sue’s mother, Edie McClurg as the classmate Helen, Cameron de Palma as a young kid taunting Carrie early in the film, Sydney Lassick and Stefan Gierasch as a couple of faculty members, and Michael Talbott as a friend of Billy who would help be involved with the prank. P.J. Soles is terrific as Chris’ friend Norma as tomboy of sorts who always wears a red cap and braids in her hair as she too shares a hatred for Carrie. John Travolta is fantastic as Chris’ delinquent boyfriend Billy Nolan who is a troublemaker and master prankster that doesn’t like to be insulted though he is an idiot. William Katt is superb as Tommy Ross as the most popular guy in school who is asked to take Carrie to the prom by Sue as he befriends her as he becomes one of the few who are really genuine towards her.
Betty Buckley is excellent as Miss Collins as the school’s gym teacher who knows about Carrie’s sheltered life as she tries to help her as well as make the girls who tormented her show the error of their ways. Amy Irving is brilliant as Sue Snell as one of Carrie’s tormentors who would later express remorse for her actions as she tries to stop the prank from happening. Piper Laurie is remarkable as Carrie’s very religious mother Margaret as this very crazy woman who sees evil all over as she tries to make sure her daughter stays in the straight and narrow as it’s a very scary performance. Finally, there’s Sissy Spacek in an incredible performance as the titular role as this young high school student who is this oddball that has no clue about some of the ways of the world as she copes with her powers and the presence of her mother as it is just a performance for the ages.
Carrie is a spectacular film from Brian de Palma that features great performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Along with an amazing supporting cast, top-notch technical work, and a brilliant score by Pino Donaggio, the film is definitely one of the finest films in horrors. Even as it is told with such style and wit by de Palma as it is one of his essential films. In the end, Carrie is a magnificent film from Brian de Palma.
Brian De Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel Off Magazine Street by Ronald Everett Capps, A Love Song for Bobby Long is the story of an 18-year old high school dropout who travels to New Orleans following her mother’s death to reclaim her mother’s home as she is forced to deal with an alcoholic literary professor and his protégé as she reluctantly lives with them. Written for the screen and directed by Shainee Gabel, the film is an exploration of a young woman trying to know the mother she had never really knew as well as the two men who knew her. Starring John Travolta, Scarlett Johansson, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger, Clayne Crawford, and Dane Rhodes. A Love Song for Bobby Long is a compelling yet flawed film from Shainee Gabel.
The film plays into the life of a woman who had just died as her estranged 18-year old daughter travels from Panama City, Florida to New Orleans to get the house her mother lived in only to find out that two men are already living there. In the process, the three form a very dysfunctional yet unconventional family where the young woman Purslane (Scarlett Johansson) deals with Bobby Long (John Travolta) and his antics though she does befriend his protégé Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht) who is trying write a novel. Yet, Long would get Purslane to finish high school since he knows she has more to offer even though Long didn’t want Purslane to be at the house only to realize that he and Lawson do need her where the two attempt to sober up. In the process, Purslane would learn more about her mother through Long, Pines, and other friends but also about herself.
Shainee Gabel’s screenplay does create a story that is engaging in the way a young woman tries to find out who she is as well as her estranged mother that she never really knew. Even as she arrives to New Orleans days after her mother’s funeral because her inept boyfriend didn’t give her the mail where she isn’t sure about sharing the house with two alcoholics. While it’s a film that really revolves around Purslane, it’s told from the perspective of Lawson where it’s a device that has its moment but often rambles at time where it really lags the story down. Especially as some scenes tend to go on for too long where Gabel wants to reveal more about the characters but it ends being very expository. Though things do get interesting in the first two acts, it does fall apart in the third act due to a lot of dramatic scenarios and some revelations that end up being very obvious.
Gabel’s direction definitely has some very entrancing moments in the way it captures the city of New Orleans through its many locations and weather climates. There are some beautiful compositions in the way Gabel captures the city which is a character of the film while Gabel also creates some unique close-ups and medium shots that play into the dramatic aspects of the film. There are also some moments of humor in the film as Gabel tries to keep things moving but some scenes are overlong at times which definitely drag the film. Especially as it is clear that some scenes needed some trimming where Gabel really wants to broaden the story only for things to get a little excessive. Overall, Gabel creates a fine but very messy and uneven film about three people sharing a house in New Orleans.
Cinematographer Elliot Davis does amazing work with the film‘s gorgeous cinematography to capture the different climates of New Orleans from its hot and sunny days to its moments in the rain as well as the interior lighting set in the bars and in the house. Editors Lisa Fruchtman and Lee Percy do some excellent work in the editing in capturing some of the dramatic moments along with a few montages though some scenes end up being very long and drag the film at times. Production designer Sharon Lomofsky, with set decorator Leonard R. Spears and art director Adele Plauche, does fantastic work with the look of the house the three characters live in along with some of the look of the bars and other places in New Orleans.
Costume designer Jill M. Ohanneson does terrific work with the costumes from the ragged look of the men to the different array of clothes that Purslane would wear including some of the dresses. Sound editor Stephen Hunter Flick does superb work with the sound in some of the moments in the film‘s locations along with some scenes at the bar. The film’s music by Nathan Larson is brilliant for its low-key score filled with guitars and ambient textures while music supervisor Jim Black brings in an incredible soundtrack that features a diverse array of music from indie, shoegaze, blues, and jazz from artists like Nada Surf, Los Lobos, Trespasser William, Helen Humes, Giant Drag, Lonnie Pitchford, and Grayson Capps.
The casting by Sig de Miguel, Lisa Me Fincannon, Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich, and Wendy Weidman are wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Dave Jensen as a musician friend of Purslane’s mother, Clayne Crawford as Purslane’s idiotic redneck boyfriend who would show up in the third act to cause trouble, and Deborah Kara Unger in a decent but very underwritten role as Lawson’s girlfriend Georgianna. Dane Rhodes is fantastic as Cecil who knew Purslane’s mother very well as it’s a very sensitive and kind performance that could’ve been expanded more. Gabriel Macht is pretty good as Lawson Pines as a writer trying to make a book where Macht has his moments but never really enough to flesh his character out more.
John Travolta is alright as the once brilliant literary professor Bobby Long where Travolta does have some charisma into the role but it’s a performance where Travolta tries very hard to be serious in the way he quotes a lot of literature where he is trying to be Marlon Brando at times and it’s a very jarring performance to watch. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in a remarkable performance as Purslane Will as this young woman with no direction who arrives to New Orleans to get her inheritance as she tries to figure out what to do with the help of two alcoholic men as it’s a role that has Johansson be filled with a sense of torment and guilt over not knowing her mother as well as a restraint in the way she tries to hold her emotions as it’s one of her finest performances.
While it is a very flawed film that tends to be a bit too long and has some serious pacing issues, A Love Song for Bobby Long is still a worthwhile film from Shainee Gabel thanks in part to the mesmerizing performance of Scarlett Johansson. While it has some very beautiful images thanks to Elliot Davis’ cinematography and a brilliant soundtrack, it’s a film that has moments that are engaging as well as the way it captures pre-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. In the end, A Love Song for Bobby Long is a pretty good yet uneven film from Shainee Gabel.
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from an original story by Tarantino and Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction is a multi-layered story about intersecting events around Los Angeles involving a mysterious briefcase, a gold watch, and a crime boss’s wife. The film is an exploration into the world of crime, drugs, and other situations involving various people in the span of a few days in Los Angeles. Starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Eric Stolz, Christopher Walken, Rosanna Arquette, Maria de Medeiros, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, and Bruce Willis. Pulp Fiction is a thrilling and captivating film from Quentin Tarantino.
The film is essentially a multi-layered story revolving around various people in the course of a few days in Los Angeles. The first involves two gangsters named Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) retrieving a mysterious briefcase for their boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) where things eventually go wrong following as they‘re forced to call on a man known as the Wolf (Harvey Keitel). Another story involves Vincent Vega taking Wallace’s wife Mia (Uma Thurman) to dinner where things go wrong when she accidentally overdoses on heroin. Then there’s the story about a gold watch that belongs to a boxer named Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) who doesn’t throw a fight under Wallace’s orders where he eventually crosses paths with the man that leads to all sorts of trouble involving some seedy individuals.
It’s all part of this unique world that Quentin Tarantino sets up where it doesn’t play into the traditional schematics of a crime film. Instead, it’s about the lives of various people who are part of a world full of drugs and violence along with those who don’t want any part of it. Tarantino takes the approach of what legendary French filmmaker says about narrative structure where the film has a beginning, a middle, and an end but doesn’t necessarily have to follow in that order. Even as the film opens with a scene involving a couple named Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) eating a diner as they’re about to rob it as the film would later return to this couple towards its ending. Then the narrative cuts to the first half of Vincent and Jules story where they would get the mysterious briefcase and kill the young man who had it.
This would then go into the Vincent-Mia narrative that opens with a scene where Wallace tells Butch Coolidge to throw the fight and then goes directly to Vincent’s story. The narrative would then go into Butch’s story that opens with a prologue about this gold watch that belonged to his father as he would retrieve it only to encounter all sorts of trouble including Wallace himself. The narrative then goes back to Vincent and Jules’ story where it would reach its ending involving Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. It’s all part of the schematics Tarantino wants to set up to tell a story that doesn’t follow a traditional narrative but rather to help use this unconventional approach for its dramatic impact.
It’s not just the way Tarantino takes this unconventional approach to the narrative that makes the screenplay unique but the character themselves. Vincent Vega is a hitman who has just returned from Europe that has a love for heroin and having a good time though he is quite flawed about some of the things he does and the trouble he brings. Jules Winnfield is another hitman who would always have a biblical quote to say something before he kills someone where an incident would have him face some very deep questions about his own existence. Mia Wallace is a woman who loves to do cocaine as she was once an actress who starred in a failed pilot. Butch Coolidge is an aging prizefighter who loves his father’s gold watch as he has a French girlfriend named Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros). Marsellus Wallace is an intimidating crime boss with a big presence but also a man who will show a bit of mercy if necessary.
Tarantino’s direction is intoxicating for the way he presents the film with its sense of style and graphic depiction of violence. Particularly in the way he opens the film with this chat between Pumpkin and Honey Bunny at a diner where he maintains a sense of intimacy as well as stylized shots for this conversation. Tarantino would maintain this kind of intimacy in many group shot scenes while creating a world that is stylized. From the suits Jules and Vincent wears to the clothes that Mia wears at her dinner with Vincent. It’s all part of this very unique world that these characters live in where they live by their own rules and talk in their own language. Even in the places these characters go into such as the 50s/60s style restaurant that Vincent and Mia go into where waiters and waitresses dress up like icons of that time.
Another aspect of Tarantino’s direction is the way he depicts graphic violence where it is very stylized but also realistic in terms of its impact. Notably in some key scenes such as Vincent and Jules meeting with a young man or Butch’s encounter with Marsellus where they meet a couple of sick men who will do very awful things to them. Tarantino does find ways to create interesting framing devices to maintain an element of suspense in some scenes while knowing when not to show too much. There’s also the MacGuffins in both the gold watch and the mysterious brief case. While there is information known about the gold watch, there is nothing known about what’s inside the brief case as Tarantino maintains a sense of ambiguity throughout the film. Overall, Tarantino creates a truly engaging yet exciting film that explores the world of crime in Los Angeles.
Cinematographer Andrzej Sekula does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and vibrant cinematography from the look of the nighttime exteriors in Los Angeles to the daytime exteriors along with some very colorful shots of some of the locations such as Marsellus Wallace‘s bar and the restaurant that Vincent and Mia eat at. Editor Sally Menke does amazing work with the editing to help play out the film‘s unconventional narrative style along with some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s violent moments along with the rhythm to Vincent and Mia‘s dance scene. Production designer David Wasco, along with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Charles Collum, does wonderful work with the set pieces such as the home of Marsellus and Mia Wallace to the stylized look of the restaurant that Vincent and Mia go to.
Costume designer Betsy Heimann does nice work with the look of the suits Jules and Vincent wear along with the clothes that Mia Wallace wears as well as the Wolf‘s tuxedo. Sound editor Stephen Hunter Flick does terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the restaurant as well as the tense intimacy of the scene where Butch and Marsellus are inside a place run by two sick fucks. Music supervisor Karyn Rachtman does fantastic work with the film’s soundtrack that is a wide mix of soul, rock, rockabilly, country, surf music, and pop ranging from acts like Dusty Springfield, Dick Dale, Kool and the Gang, the Tornadoes, Ricky Nelson, Chuck Berry, the Centurions, Urge Overkill, Maria McKee, the Revels, the Statler Brothers, and the Lively Ones.
The casting by Ronnie Yeskel and Gary M. Zuckerbrod is incredible for the large ensemble that is created for the film as it features some notable small performances from Julia Sweeney as a junkyard owner’s daughter, Quentin Tarantino as Jules’ friend Jimmie, Frank Whaley as the man who had the briefcase named Brett, Phil LaMarr as Brett’s friend Marvin, Alexis Arquette as a man who tries to kill Jules and Vincent, Steve Buscemi as a waiter dressed up as Buddy Holly, Angela Jones as a death-obsessed cab driver, Kathy Griffin as a car crash witness, and the duo of Duane Whitaker and Peter Greene as the two sick fucks who try to torment Butch and Marsellus.
Christopher Walken is great in his small but unforgettable performance as Captain Koons who tells a young Butch about the significance of the gold watch that belongs to Butch’s father. Eric Stolz and Rosanna Arquette are excellent in their respective roles as the drug dealer Lance and his wife Jody where they would take part in one of the film’s most tense moments. Ving Rhames is wonderful as the very intimidating crime boss Marsellus Wallace while Maria de Medeiros is very good as Butch’s French girlfriend Fabienne. Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer are terrific as the diner-robbing couple Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. Harvey Keitel is superb as the professional Winston Wolf who makes sure Jules and Vincent clean up their mess in a short span of time.
Bruce Willis is marvelous as the aging prizefighter Butch Coolidge who deals with Marsellus wants him to do only to get himself into serious trouble as he tries to get back his father’s gold watch. Uma Thurman is brilliant as Marsellus’ wife Mia who has a love for cocaine and five-dollar milkshakes while proving herself to be an engaging person to hang out with as it’s definitely one of Thurman’s great roles. Samuel L. Jackson is amazing as the hitman Jules Winnfield who loves to do bible quotes before he kills as he maintains an air of intimidation while going into an existential frame of mind following a chilling moment. Finally, there’s John Travolta in an outstanding performance as the very cool Vincent Vega as a hitman who is truly a guy who lives by his own rules and has no qualms about killing anyone while doing whatever to not get himself into serious trouble.
Pulp Fiction is a magnificent film from Quentin Tarantino that features an amazing collective of actors that includes John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and many others. It’s a film that is still as vibrant and as engaging nearly 20 years since its release. Armed with amazing visuals, a fun soundtrack, and witty dialogue, it’s truly a film that is one for the ages. In the end, Pulp Fiction is a riveting yet mesmerizing film from Quentin Tarantino.
Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse: Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino
© thevoid99 2012
