Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time: #2

Pulp Fiction is a film like no other. The dark comedy and extreme violence were brought to light by the immortal Quentin Tarantino, his style enduring since his 1994 breakout movie.

American Beauty and Star Wars made this list in part to do with their original screenplays. But make no mistake, there is no better original screenplay than Pulp Fiction, and it was recognized with that award at the 1995 Academy Awards. If you watch movies purely for story line and originality, Pulp Fiction is second to none.

Screenplay aside, Tarantino’s masterpiece is filled with great acting across the board. John Travolta was nominated for best Actor, Samuel L. Jackson for Best Supporting Actor and Uma Thurman for Best Supporting Actress. These nominations don’t include the memorable performances of Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth and Christopher Walken in the best cameo ever. Without one dry performance even from background characters I guarantee you will be entertained for the film’s entirety.

Tarantino was nominated for Best Director and Pulp Fiction also drew in nominations for Best Editing and Best Picture but ultimately lost to Forrest Gump in most categories As with many films on my list, Pulp Fiction is now recognized to be better than originally thought and has cemented itself definitively among cinema’s classic movies.

It was initially criticized for being over the top and eccentric. Pulp Fiction was brushed off as a well made cult film with no real staying power among the public. That assertion could not be farther from the truth. It has become arguably the most quoted movie ever, with more pop culture references in media and popular outlets than any movie since its initial release. Pulp Fiction has been parodied and imitated for over two decades now, particularly Tarantino’s non-linear story telling style that has spiked since the release of this classic.

Watch-ability plays huge for Pulp Fiction as well. There are only two movies that I’ll stop everything I’m doing if I see them on TV: Jaws and Pulp Fiction. It’s polarizing and evokes emotions from discomfort all the way to intense laughter.

Being perfectly honest, there’s nothing really wrong with Pulp Fiction. Every time I watch it I get something new out of it. The only mistake that Pulp Fiction makes is that one other movie in history is just a little bit better. Make sure to check in next Friday to find out the identity of the Greatest Film of All Time!