LogFAQs > #969143497

ssbm
Rating: B-

SLJ's Jules carries this really hard. Obviously the beginning scenes where he delivers his judgement is great and immensely quotable, but it's actually the ending that propels Jules to legendary character status. I think the religion angle is a fascinating angle to explore a gangster. I also love him talking down and, like Fonzie, remain cool. I think without Jules, this movie would be good, but not great.

I'm surprised how breezy the other scenes are, though. Vincent and Mia has a surprisingly likable set of scenes, despite me not liking either character. I love how serious they look while dancing. Butch's segment is pretty good all the way through. I think the rape scene is a little wild. I have no idea how Tarantino comes up with these ideas. And Butch killing Vincent is just super interesting and shows again that life is fragile in the gangster world and can come at any moment. No one's safe, not even the main character.

Vis
I honestly thought, based on the Kung-Fu and Western rankings, that I would rank this higher than I did. But after watching it (my second viewing), its still good, but it doesnt quite stand up to the best of Tarantinos work. I love various aspects of the movie, and its extremely quotable, but aside from the Butch storyline, it feels just a little too dialogue-heavy. Im not gonna criticize Tarantino for writing too much dialogue, but I just prefer a little bit more plot to move forward beyond just a handful of scenes devoted to demonstrating Tarantinos penchant for monologues.

That being said, the overall plot is still solid. Its telling the story of two days through the lenses of three people, shifting through time a little bit as the film progresses. We start with a scene in a coffee shop where Tim Roth is talking about the benefits of robbing the restaurant before actually doing so, and then we cut to Vincent Vegas story, leaving the coffee shop on a cliff hanger until the movie is bookended with a final scene there. We also get a scene of Jules and Vincent working as enforcers for Marsellus Wallace, entering an apartment to rough up some deadbeats. Again, this is left on a cliffhanger until everything is tied up later with Jules storyline.

Anyway, the Vincent and Mia story is okay. Its a BIT too pop culture-heavy, and if Im being honest, Vincent is the weakest character of the trio of protagonists in the film. But Butchs story is great, and hes where this film largely gets its organized crime moniker. Watching what is essentially the hero of the film start out his story by murdering someone in a boxing match (that he was supposed to throw) is a great establishing scene for his character. The ass watch monologue is hilarious in just how deadpan Christopher Walken plays it. But really, watching Butch deal with the aftermath of his decision, particularly with regards to some pissed off gangsters, was really interesting, well-paced, and well-written in general.

Finishing the movie with Jules is also great, because he comes across as cool, and it feels almost interesting to hear him talk about leaving the life, because we know by this point that maybe he made the right choice. Vincent winds up nearly killing Mia and then getting shot and killed in a bathroom (which Ive noticed he spends a lot of time in, during the movieseriously, every time some major shit goes down, hes in the bathroomto his detriment). Its a solid two thirds overall, even the Vincent plot is decent for what it is.