Most major motion pictures that we know today have
one significant commonality, sequential order of events within the plot. The
genre of the film is irrelevant, from action, to comedy, to fiction, or anywhere
else in-between, most films that come to your mind share this trait. But once
in a blue moon, a film is created where the sequence of events might not add up
immediately, but in the end, it makes all the difference in the creation of a
masterpiece. Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantio, tells the stories of
multiple characters simultaneously from an individualized perspective.
As the film starts, a suspicious couple is having a
conversation in a diner. This conversation eventually leads to a mutual
agreement that the diner is a great business to rob. They both unleash their
weapons, and the scene changes. This unorthodox method of switching scenes
right before the climax leaves the viewer in suspense, keeping them interested.
As the film continues, we are introduced to Samuel L. Jackson’s character as
well as John Travolta’s. We come to find out they are affiliated with some mob
boss in their city as they murder one of their perpetrators. Next thing we
know, Bruce Willis is listening to this mob boss speak, and accept a bribe to
purposely lose his boxing match later that night. All of these first scenes don’t
appear to be related in any significant sense, but it keeps us interested,
eager to discover how it will all tie together. As it continues, Travolta is
buying top-grade heroine from his friendly neighborhood drug dealer. He shoots
up in his house, and goes on his way to accompany his boss’s wife for a night
on the town. After the night spirals downward to Travolta reviving this woman
from a drug overdose and being terrified of the consequences, the scene changes
again.
The first hour of this lengthy film alone
exemplifies that showing events unfold out of order may initially confuse the audience,
but more importantly, it intrigues them. Given the critical acclaim of this
film, it provides evidence that viewers like to stray from the normal path on
occasion. The content is not simply handed to them on a silver plate in an
easily digestible fashion. We as viewers need to pay attention to detail and
make some inferences of our own. As the different sections of plot development
continue to unfold, we learn more and more that starts to add up and fill the
story with excitement. For example, we learn that Bruce Willis, the boxer that
is attempting to flee town, is the owner of the important gold watch. His pursuit
of the watch ultimately leads to his savior from the mob boss in a cruel and
unfortunate way.
After Willis breaks free from LA, we are rejoined by
the dynamic duo of Travolta and Jackson in the scene they were left off in.
Once the “divine intervention of God” as Jackson describes it occurs and they
make their escape from the crime scene, an accident only furthers their
troubles. Once the situation at hand is resolved, they decide to go for
breakfast which leads them right to the scene the film began with. When placed
in that situation, Jackson finalizes his epiphany, handles it accordingly, and
the film goes to the credit roll.
The sequence of events within this film played a
massive role in turning it into the success it is today. If the plot followed a
traditional format, I believe it would not have been nearly as successful. The
idea that the viewers had to think on their own to help make the events line up
makes it deserving of the A+ reviews it received from critics worldwide.
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