It has been long awaited: one of the best gangster films of all time, hailed by a Palme d’Or, is finally available for streaming on Netflix.
In the pantheon of gangster films, there are some very great works of cinema. The trilogy of Godfather or the numerous attempts by Martin Scorsese are among the must-sees, without any hesitation. But a gangster film surprised everyone almost 30 years ago by reinventing the genre and cinematic storytelling. It has since become one of the best films of all time for many moviegoers.
If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t panic: pulp Fiction is available on Netflix from this Friday, December 15, 2023. Released on October 26, 1994, the film is Quentin Tarantino’s second directorial effort after Reservoir Dogs and before Kill Bill. It’s difficult to summarize in a few words the plot of this ensemble film which depicts several Los Angeles gangsters, in a completely fragmented narrative from a chronological point of view.
Remember that this is a film by Quentin Tarantino, who is not known for the gentleness of his feature films. pulp Fiction is often violent and sometimes bloody. However, it does not lack humor and, like many of the director’s other feature films, it is recognized for its very stylized and colorful dialogues.
In the casting, big names from Hollywood star and embody the small underworld of Los Angeles. John Travolta’s stalled career was revived by pulp Fiction, while several moments of bravery feature Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Rosanna Arquette and Tim Roth round out the cast in more supporting roles.
pulp Fiction won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival the year it was released. For the record, during its screening on the Croisette, the film was far from unanimous and Quentin Tarantino owes his prize to the leadership of Clint Eastwood, then president of the jury. But the controversy among the public and the press will be such that Tarantino will respond to the boos with a middle finger while going to receive the Palme. The film would also win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay the following year.
Since then, the public has sung his praises and pulp Fiction is considered a cult film. The American Film Institute considers it the 7th best gangster film. Many movie fans also put it much higher in their personal rankings. It is thus in 8th place among the best films of all time according to the ranking of users of the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). You can now (re)see pulp Fiction on Netflix.