Pulp Fiction [Blu-Ray]

Honestly, what can I say about Pulp Fiction that hasn’t already been said? Is it the perfect film? Well, actually, yes, it is. Pulp Fiction is the best movie Quentin Tarantino has ever or will ever make. Some may say Inglourious Basterds was the work of a more professional director, or that Jackie Brown was a more focused and enlightened Tarantino picture. But if you think about it (and I think about it often), what both of those wildly different, aforementioned films have in common is that they both have the spirit of Pulp Fiction in them. One may be revisionist comeuppance cinema, and the other might be a sterling and respectable homage to Blaxploitation. But both of them have the essence, coolness, style, and chaos-caught-in-amber moments that only Tarantino could bring to the table, which is best displayed in Pulp Fiction, one of the best movies of the '90s. Hell, the essence of Pulp Fiction can even be seen in Reservoir Dogs, and that’s funny, because Reservoir Dogs came first. That's just the power of Pulp Fiction.

Discussing Pulp Fiction's story would be pointless, as its overall storyline isn’t that important. Pulp Fiction, in essence, is a movie of perfectly glued-together scenes that just happens to work. I don’t know how, but it does. There are hit men, an adrenaline shot to the heart, a gimp porking a black man, Bruce Willis on the run, Christopher Walken telling a story about sticking a watch up his ass, and so much else. There isn’t a single moment in the film that’s wasted, and every frame is worthy of discussion. From the startling opening scene in the diner, to the startling ending scene in the diner, it’s perfect, absolutely perfect. You couldn’t get a better film, even if you tried.

It’s certainly aged well, too, but that’s mainly because it’s never left our cultural consciousness. It’s just too great a film. Almost 18 years later, the movie still holds up, and that's in part because of the crackling script. Tarantino, in his prime, believed in the picture so much that he didn’t worry that the Rashomon approach might not work. Pulp Fiction is over two hours long, but you feel like if any one scene were taken out, it would ruin the whole movie.

I’ve pretty much worn out my DVD copy of Pulp Fiction, but it was nowhere near as crisp and as clear as this beauty of a Blu-ray. With most Blu-ray discs, I really can’t see the difference between Blu-ray and DVD. But since I’ve seen this movie so many times on DVD, I can notice the difference right away. It’s a cleaner look and probably how it looked in the theater when it first came out (I was not allowed to see it back then).

Pulp Fiction was one of the best films ever when it came out, and it’s still one of the best films today. It's a modern masterpiece if there ever was one. Pick this up now. It’s worth it. You know it is. Pulp Fiction is probably the only disc I’ve ever reviewed that I can say is actually daunting to get through. There’s just so much material on this disc it’s staggering. Four hours' worth. Now that's what I call some special features. Most of it is just acclaim for the film. “Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat” features the actors, such as John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, opening up about getting their parts and the mesmerizing quality of the film. “Here Are Some Facts on the Fiction” is a bunch of people just sitting around and talking about the film. “Pulp Fiction: The Facts Documentary” is a long look into the making of the movie and how hard it was for Tarantino to actually get noticed as a writer and director.

The deleted scenes are pretty much the same from the DVD. “Behind-the-scenes montages” show areas like the Jack Rabbit and when Butch hits Marsellus. There’s a production design featurette. Old footage of Siskel and Ebert talking about Tarantino as a director. Tarantino at the Independent Spirit awards, being interviewed by Michael Moore. Tarantino’s acceptance speech for the Palme d’Or, a Charlie Rose interview, still galleries, and man, so much material. If you love the film, it’s all worth it, every last special feature. This is honestly one of the best discs I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Get it. Right now. It’s 2011 and I’m calling it: best film of the year.