Review of Pulp

Introduction

The crime noir genre of the forties and fifties is something that I`m woefully unfamiliar with. I`ve seen the Maltese Falcon (let`s face it, who hasn`t) but most of my exposure to the genre has been secondary, through spoofs, send-ups and homage. The image of the lonely gumshoe sat at his desk in his office, with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other, with the silhouette of a femme fatale imminent in the frosted glass of his office door, is iconic. Add to that a world-weary narration and a dead partner and you have the beginnings of nearly every parody that I have seen. I think I`ve been spoiled for the real thing. In 1972, director Mike Hodges and star Michael Caine, who worked together previously on the classic Get Carter, reunited for Pulp, the tale of a crime fiction author who gets pulled into a web of intrigue as life gets confused with art. It`s another spoof too.

Chester Thomas King known to his friends as Mickey is a writer of Pulp. Having left his family as well as a career as an undertaker, he has moved to the Mediterranean to pursue a writing career having earned his stripes writing stories for adult magazines. While visiting his publisher, he meets Ben Dinucchio who offers him the opportunity of a lifetime, to write the biography of a mysterious recluse. Initially reluctant he`s persuaded by a generous infusion of cash, though he has to endure a package tour to meet an anonymous contact, someone to facilitate the meeting with the subject of the biography. The bus ride turns lethal when one of the passengers, the one he assumed to be the contact winds up dead in a hotel bathroom. When he finally gets to the destination, he finds that the mysterious recluse is Preston Gilbert, a retired actor who made his career in gangster movies. Preston is soon relating his life story to Mickey, but the trouble is that ancient history doesn`t want to stay dead and buried and Mickey had better learn to duck.

Video

Pulp is presented on this single layer disc in an approximate 1.66:1 letterbox ratio. It`s a little odd as the lower black bar is significantly thicker than upper, although it certainly isn`t detrimental to viewing. The picture is certainly acceptable given the vintage of the film. The image is generally clear, and the colours are strong. There is a bit of print damage and occasional grain, but the only flaw really striking visually is some occasional moiré playing havoc with some early seventies fashions.

Audio

In true European flavour, the sound comes in DD 2.0 English, German, Italian and Spanish, with English, German, French, Dutch, Danish and Greek subtitles. The dialogue is clear throughout.

Features

One day, I`m going to see an MGM back catalogue disc with some extras in, and I`m going to have a heart attack.

Conclusion

This is an odd little film, not least for the narration that should be spoken by Humphrey Bogart, but comes in the unmistakeable tones of Michael Caine. The story is interesting enough, with the writer of sordid crime fiction caught up in a mystery that belongs in the pages of one of his books, yet finding himself completely out of his depth. The central characters of Mickey and Preston Gilbert are certainly interesting; with Michael Caine his usual assured self as the crime writer, but a spirited performance from Mickey Rooney as the faded actor almost stealing the film.

The humour for the most part hits the spot, and there are some wonderful touches, like an American law enforcement agent looking uncannily like Bogart and a brief glimpse of a Peter Lorre look-alike. It certainly pays homage in all the right ways to the crime movies of the past, yet it doesn`t raise too many chuckles, rather the occasional knowing smile. I found myself drifting at times, not least because of the narration, which while funny at times, did become ponderous.

It`s just that while the story and characters have some promise of excitement, the script and pacing do much to belie that promise, and the film drags with slow pacing and an absence of spark to pull the audience into the experience. The narration serves as an impediment between the action and the viewer and I felt like I was looking in through a window rather than immersed in the tale. While Pulp promises much, it fails to deliver and it remains little more than a curiosity. Worth a rent if your curiosity gets the better of you.