In the Christian world, or “Christendom,” the collective Christian body desires to love God and keep his commandments. This is good. But, many Christians believe that in order to accomplish this, we must shield ourselves from the world and purge ourselves of secular culture.
In doing so, we have abstained from experiencing some truly brilliant things and, in the opinion of this humble narrator, this stance can have negative effects.
One of the most revolutionary films in the last 30 years was Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 “Pulp Fiction.” It is a great movie known for its complex storyline, non-linear plot, incredibly witty dialogue, outrageous nature and the misquoted Bible verse from Samuel L. Jackson.
However, it is also known for its many uses of the F-word, violent deaths, some drug use and a notorious gimp. However, all these things I would call surface values, both the good and the bad.
Looking beneath the surface
The film is not about any of the issues I mentioned. It’s not about the witty dialogue, the violent deaths or the rampant use of profanity. Those are merely elements that enhance the story. Granted, some elements are more weighty than others — but still, this great film is about something much deeper. People tend to get caught up on the “ungodly” aspects of the film, and then fail to look closer and miss the meaning altogether.
The plot of “Pulp Fiction” is hard to summarize, but essentially, it follows the events of two hit men working for a mob boss, his wife, a boxer and two robbers. There are separate stories, told out of order, but which flow perfectly in the progression of the mood and theme of the film.
Each of the stories involves one of the main characters and his or her encounter with death. Through the motif of death, Tarantino illustrates themes such as the fragility of life, the different paths of life, human morality, the risks of living dangerously and the uncertainty of death’s onset.
Plot encourages audience to ask deeper questions
It encourages the audience to form questions about these themes. In addition to that, the story is woven so intricately and deliberately to build on these themes, accompanied with such a complex storyline that it makes for something absolutely outstanding.
This film also raises some important questions about divine intervention and the existence of God. And it does this remarkably well. After a near-death encounter, the character Jules (Jackson) begins to ponder everything in his life: his job of killing, the power of God and why he was not killed.
He decides that it was a sign from God, quits his job as a hit man and “walks the Earth.” He means this literally. The extent of Jules’ transformation is also described by stories in which he is not even involved. It is remarkable how well the different stories interweave with each other, even though they are not told in chronological order.
Bible mentioned in the film
The scene that best sums up the power of the movie is found in an egregious misquotation of a Bible verse. The passage is from Ezekiel 25:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.”
Jules says this verse in cold blood right before killing a man. But, toward the end of the film, he really thinks about this and comes to a powerful realization about his life and also about what God wants from him, which he explains: “I’m thinking: maybe it means you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here… he’s the shepherd protecting [me] in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. And I’d like that. But [that] ain’t the truth. The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’, Ringo. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.” It’s so much more meaningful in the context of the film, trust me.
Christians leery despite underlying themes
The film is so complex and touches on many different themes in unique and interesting ways, such that it is impossible to even attempt to capture it all in one piece.
But unfortunately, this film in particular gets no love from Christians because of the content. We often mistake innocence for purity and let it be known that they are different. Innocence is useless. Purity is godly.
Purity is being able to sit down and watch this film, the pinnacle of secular art and take it for what it is–– both the bad and the good. We must acknowledge that despite it all, the filmmakers are doing a good job of portraying a bad thing. In the opinion of this humble reviewer, this film is a solid 10/10.
