Pulp Fiction: 30 Years On

Still Quentin Tarantino’s greatest film

Credit: Miramax

Warning: Contains spoilers

In October 1994, I looked forward to Pulp Fiction with bated breath. Having been blown away by Quentin Tarantino’s riveting Reservoir Dogs (1992), I couldn’t wait for another rigorously cinematic explosion of non-linear narrative, foul-mouthed banter, shocking violence, dizzying twists, and all-round outrageous entertainment set to well-chosen pop hits of yesteryear. Could Tarantino possibly equal or top his groundbreaking debut?

At the time, I was a nineteen-year-old student immersing myself in film history, whilst excitedly embracing what proved something of a renaissance year for American cinema (and indeed cinema in general). The UK’s cinema release schedule in 1994 was an embarrassment of riches that had already included Carlito’s Way, Farewell My Concubine, A Bronx Tale, Fearless, The Remains of the Day, In the Name of the Father, The Age of Innocence, Short Cuts, Schindler’s List, Shadowlands, The Paper, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Three Colours: White, Three Colours: Red, True Lies, Speed, Forrest Gump, and The Lion King. Yet arguably, Quentin Tarantino was the most important part of the cinematic zeitgeist at that time. My fellow film students and I had been looking forward to his movie more than any other, and suffice it to say, we were not disappointed.