Pulp Fiction

Tarantino's breakthrough picture, Pulp Fiction, remains the greatest milestone in his career for valid reasons. Tarantino, in many ways, refines and builds upon the brilliance shown in his debut work, Reservoir Dogs. You still have criminals in black-and-white suits, shooting bullets on their way to commit crimes. However, Jules (by Samuel L. Jackson, which should have gained him an Oscar) and Vincent (by John Travolta) have more intensity and nuance than any of Tarantino's first film's crooks.

A second feature film should not be as brazen and arrogant as Pulp Fiction, yet Tarantino is unafraid to experiment with his technique. It's a film that continuously surprises the viewers, which is sort of the goal. Each main character in this film believes they have everything figured out and understand how the system works. They are utterly certain about their lifestyles and actions, until Tarantino arrives to upend everything and reveal what these individuals are really about.

Release year: 1994

Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. .Jackson

IMDB score: 8.9/10