Pulp Fiction

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer

So good I wish I'd made it. Wild, outrageous, extremely funny and very dark, with a knockout visual style and unflagging energy. Tarantino plays fast and loose with structure, but he pulls it off brilliantly, never losing us on the ride. Every single actor is great, but you gotta stand up for Travolta, who, playing an oily, bloated junkie hit man, shows astonishing presence and charisma. Tarantino's gift for dialogue is intact; the words just crackle, at once profound and profane. I have to admit it: next to this picture, even “Natural Born Killers” looks dated and contrived. Tarantino pushes the envelope here, and is, by all measures, a howling success. (10/24/94)