King Pulp The Wild World of Quentin Tarantino

by Paul A. Woods

Examines the personal life and the professional work and success of the director of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.

Genres: Film, Biography

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was fascinating; even though it only covered the tarantino eras from reservoir dogs to from dusk till dawn, it had a lot of pretty cool information and movie stills, but several of its facts were blatantly wrong--mixing up which roles actors played within from dusk till dawn, and also confusing scenes from some of the original screenplays with material that didn't make it into the finished movies. i never thought i would be enough of a tarantino film fan to catch these errors, but here we are!

[Rich Guins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exegetic

[David Klompas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A roaring romp through the early-to-mid career of Hollywood's 'geek' wonder-boy.

King Pulp provides an ultimately satisfying, insiders look behind the scenes of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, and everything in-between.

Paul A. Woods brings us right into the chair next to Tarantibo's director's chair; giving insider insight into one of Hollywood's fairytale 'overnight' success stories. From the financial woes which robbed Tarantino of True Romance, to the breathtaking success of Reservoir Dogs, through Pulp Fiction, and beyond, Woods keeps his astute finger right on the pulse of this master director's work. We are essentially given a theoretical masterclass in the influences behind Tarantino's work.

The book does feel a bit drawn out towards the middle, which is unfortunate because of the high note that it starts on. And the lack of intertextual referencing leaves a lot of question marks around Woods' credibility. Furthermore, the missing index means that this book is an all but useless reference once read cover-to-cover.

But reading this book cover-to-cover is essential for any serious modern film fanatic, and for this alone King Pulp gains my stamp of approval.

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself talking to this book, as the filmbuf I am. Reading a bit, mumbling, agreeing or disagreeing, adding further comparisons and points of my own, reading a bit more. This is a book that marvels in direct quotations from Tarantino and the people he has worked with, and it has an easy tone, much like a conversation with a fellow movie lover. Maybe it doesn't add very much to the things one might already know, but somehow it's a nice read all the same. I would be happy if this book was to be extended to include the rest of Tarantino's career as well, sometime.