Once again, Quentin Tarantino outdoes himself. The movie True Romance was excellent. It presented real issues that some people are forced to deal with in their lives. The title of the movie is misleading. You would think this was going to be a love story. Actually it is, but unlike any love story I've ever seen. It's filled with violence, action, blood, guts and gore. Like most other Tarantino movies it revolves around the violence we rarely see or experience in our lives. He also incorporates drugs and racism, hate and love and his usual corny way of portraying them.
In Tarantino films, violence is presented in a totally different approach than movies like Rambo or Die Hard. Although you have the same amount of people dying, Tarantino seems to have this perverted and gruesome way of presenting it to his audiences.
He always takes violence to the extreme. In the scene with the pimp he doesn't just shoot the pimp in the back or chest. He goes right for the gusto...his balls! Another example of this is when Dennis Hopper was killed. We all knew what happened to him, but Tarantino makes sure he shows us the oozing bullet wound to his head. Some people think this is taking violence too far; however, acts of this nature happen in the real world every day. I guess this is his way of giving us a "reality check." Shit like this happens to people. We are so sheltered in our comfortable little worlds we don't even realize this kind of stuff goes on. Variety. Isn't it supposed to be the "spice of life?" Well, Tarantino gets so damn spicy it can make you sweat bullets.
What is it about violence that is so attractive to the general public? There are so many people who would rather see a violent movie than a movie filled with romance or adventure. If you were to compare the revenues from box office earnings I'm almost positive the movies filled with blood and guts earn much more than other movies. Naturally, if a person in the movie industry knows this will make them mega bucks , they will continue to make movies like this to make more money.
Tarantino tends to slide in a little racism in his flicks. It's pretty obvious it's not the main topic, but it is apparent. Hopper was unique when he told the Sicilian guy his great, great, great, great grandmother had slept with a nigger and that's why he had dark skin and brown eyes.
2. According to Sobchack, contemporary screen violence greatly differs than portrayals of violence in years past. Today, violent scenes are careless and lack significance because we as audiences have become calloused and desensitized to any acts of violence. She states that there is “no grace or benediction attached to violence. Indeed, its very intensity seems diminished” (Sobchack 432). Senseless violence, gruesome acts, and profound amounts of gore are prevalent in movies today, and because even this is not enough, it must be accompanied by loud blasts and noise, constantly moving scenes to keep audiences stimulated and large quantities of violence for viewers to enjoy what they are watching. Decades ago, it was the story that was engaging to audiences and filmmaking was an art.
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is one of the most daring, puzzling, and ultimately exciting pieces of cinema to hit the screen in years. As wholly original as it is a copy of hundreds of films before it about tales of hit-men and criminals, it dares you to step out of the dull and enter a colorful, exhilarating world that could only be Los Angeles. The intensity level of the movie is off the scale. People are laughing like crazy in the theater to the intelligent dialog and other scenes that have the audience gasping for air in shock over what just happened. Although one might say that Pulp Fiction is overly violent and disturbing, it is in fact, one of the greatest movies ever produced. Quentin Tarantino’s incredible screenplay, the intensity of the actors, and music to set the mood, created movie worthy five stars.
If a person were to go and turn on their television, most likely to be playing would be a movie or show filled with violence, weapons, and blood. A popular show in recent years has been Dexter. Dexter is about a serial killer, named Dexter, who murders other serial killers and those who have escaped the justice system. Although he is breaking the law, he is in his own way “good”, because he lives by a moral code; he does not hurt the innocent and he tends to follow the social norms. Before its final season, the series was presented on Showtime, which for the most part is an uncensored channel, so there was quite a bit of goriness. In each of the episodes, the killing is quite explicit, Dexter’s preferred method of dealing with his victims is to surgically cut them into sections while they are still alive and dump their bodies into the waters near his Miami home. There is constantly blood everywhere: splattered on the walls, covering parking lots, or even flowing out of bathtubs. For some reason, people seem to be attracted to the darkness that this show is based on, this is due to the fact that we get to see Dexter act on his impulses and deepest desires without any consequences or being looked down on by those around him; whatever the reason we cannot officially conclude that Dexter or any media similar to it, have any influence over the violence in our modern day society as a whole.
True Quentin Tarantino style is blood spurting, violent, and deep, Pulp Fiction is as encompassing as they come. The series of iconic events that formulate Pulp Fiction include a restaurant heist, murder, drug use, and a scene that implicates highly violent S&M style rape. Through its star persona, genre and film theory (specifically formalism) Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction glorifies guns and violence, thereby mitigating the effects of violence, and ultimately, condoning its use.
Although the scenery of isolated towns, mystic rivers, and endless forests is consistent with the western genre, the philosophical tone of the movie is not. The philosophy of a true western film deals a character fighting with guns to maintain honor (and of course order and justice). He kills because he has to and that is the end of it. In Dead Man, William Blake appears to be doing the same thing. He begins to use his gun for survival, but it is different. The gun actually stands for something in the film. Blake becomes a poet by the use of his gun, which mirrors the legendary American poet whose name he shares. The guns show how disgusting it is in American society to kill and Jarmusch doesn’t glamorize it in the way that Hollywood blockbusters about violence do.
Sapolsky, Barry S., and Fred Molitor. Sex and Violence in Slasher Films. Mass Media and
In the works of Tarantino, a predominant concept is the distinction between destruction and creation. The
When we think of violence, we automatically picture guns and knives being used to kill people. Although this is a part of violence, it’s not the only way a violent situation can arise. Violence can be any harm done to a person through physical contact. Along with guns and knives, this can include one’s own bare hands or any object within proximity. On television, we see every type of violence carried out, whether it be a simple punch or a serial killer who finds pleasure in the violence he causes. Any form of a violent situation that you can think of has most likely been acted out on a television series or movie. TV is written to blow scenarios out of proportion and create unrealistic versions of different scenarios. Instead of a decent conversation to solve a problem, a punch is thrown or a gun is pulled. By portraying these types of solutions, television is promoting violent behavior. The characters in the action, crime or horror shows are actively encouraging these types of behavior. Although these scenes are needed to produce a captivating plot, there needs to be awareness as to the fact that these scenes are being idolized to the wrong audience.
Before we get into the movie specifically, we should first talk about representation and how race is represented in the media in general. Representation is defined as the assigning of meaning through language and in culture. (CITE) Representation isn't reality, but rather a mere construction of reality and the meaning behind it. (CITE) Through representation we are able to shape how people are seen by others. Race is an aspect of people which is often represented in the media in different ways. Race itself is not a category of nature, but rather...
Director David Cronenberg’s movie “A History of Violence” brings a little-known graphic novel to life. The protagonist, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), seems to be living the ideal life when it suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Two robbers attempt to hold up his diner in a little Indiana town, until Tom stops them by slamming a hot glass coffee pot into the face of one and shooting three gunshots into the chest of the other. The scene’s carnage is heightened as bits of flesh dangle off the shattered bone of one robber while he chokes on the blood from his own body. The corpse of the other robber is shown lying in the mist of shattered glass with blood pouring from each gun wound. Tom’s heroic reactions seem like something he does to save the day, however, we only excuse his extreme reactions because of our overall exposure to violence and desensitized conscience. This type of brutal and unplanned violence becomes the protagonist’s way of making peace throughout the movie.
The theme of violence can be seen throughout the book and is a very important part of the story. The theme of violence can be see when Lennie said, “You jus’ let’em try to get the rabbits. I’ll break their God damn necks” (94). Another example of the theme violence can be seen from this quote in the book “He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again” (106). Most of the characters in this book show some sort of violence. All of these examples of violence from the book can be analyzed deeper
Western genre is recognized for the place it gives to violence as one of the central points of the Western stories. In Western, violence is considered as a usual part of the life. Shooting and hanging are kind of violence commonly met in Western stories. For example, Rooster explains in a casual way that “[he] shots [Lucky Ned Pepper] in the lip last August down in the Winding Stair Mountains. He was plenty lucky that day"(p.63). He doesn’t describe this event with agony or guilt but rather as if it was happening regularly. Violence is also represented brutally: “With that, Quincy brought the bowie knife down on moons cuffed hand and chopped off four fingers which flew up before my eyes like chips from a log” (148). The particularity in this quote is in the way Mattie is illustrating this scene without emotions and in a casual manner. In this novel, violence is shown as casual and brutal. Hence, in the western stories, violence is significantly present.
During that time, he began writing and collaborating on screenplays and scripts including the films Natural Born Killers and True Romance. He acts in some of his own films and had a part impersonating Elvis in the sitcom The Golden Girls. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol. I and II, Inglorious Bastards and Django Unchained are several of his better known movies. (Quentin Tarantino Biography, n.d.). “His films are characterized by non-linear storylines, satirical subject matter, an aestheticization of violence, references to pop culture, their soundtracks, and features of neo-noir film” (Quentin Tarantino,
All throughout the film appears masterfully crafted flowing from each scene to the next smoothly. The quality of the film itself runs counter to the scenes shot by the thugs in which awful makeup, shoddy special effects, and over the top costumes are used. The subjects state that they were influenced by American crime movies such as Scarface and The Godfather. They would watch these films and then try to emulate the characters they saw on screen recreating hellish murder scenes with whatever unfortunate “Communist” was given over to them by the government. Although they cite Scarface and The Godfather as direct influences on both their tactics and their swanky fashion sense. It's also clear that their madness stems from something deeper in the country's fabric. They were not driven mad by the movies they saw but rather through the country’s systemic fanaticism and brutality, which is celebrated by both the politicians and the media who merrily praise the men's noble "extermination"
The idea that Fuqua ( the director) employed violence just for attention never crossed my mind, as the film was compelling enough already. Surely he knew he didn't need it as a gimmick. He included it because it works. There was nothing different from this movie compared to many others, Fuqua didn’t use any special camera techniques, that really made you say “WOW,” but the movie was really, well written, and directed, Fuqua captured the true essence of the streets of Los Angeles, to some this is just a movie, with a brilliant performance from Denzel Washington.