PULP

DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS:   95 minutes, no extras

VIDEO:  1.78:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

AUDIO:  English Mono, English Stereo, Spanish mono

Subtitles:  English, French

STUDIO:  MGM/ 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE:  4-17-2007

made on location in Malta, PULP was during the period where many great Michael Caine films were made (GET CARTER, THE ITALIAN JOB, THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN).

PULP follows Mickey King (Michael Caine), a writer of various pulp novels under various names like Guy Strange, Susan B. Eager, Paul Strong,  Gary Rough, and a few side splitting names. While living in Europe and just finishing his novel The Organ Grinder, he is contacted to be the ghost writer for an auto-biography of a former gangster star Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney). Soon King finds himself in a murder plot as someone tries to kill him and King must find out why.

PULP is the type of film that is crazy and yet funny. It shows King as the typical pulp hero fighting against the odds as [people more powerful than him want to shut him and Gilbert up for good. This film was shot entirely in Malta. The locations lend to the onscreen gags and Michael Caine is front and center with various other actors adding to the colorful cocktail known as PULP. This film is wall to wall as the story keeps playing out during the end credits. The characters are a mix of gangster and European folks. Preston's third ex-wife is a princess (married to a guy who is running for office) while his current girl has the hots for King. Preston's bodyguard can't shoot worth a damn.  Caine narrates the movie as King fills in extras details like any writer does as if PULP was actually a novel.   In a way, PULP is a parody of old hard boiled films like THE BIG SLEEP and THE MALTESE FALCON.  Watch for the FBI agent who looks like Humphrey Bogart.  It is a gem indeed.

this review is (c)4-23-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link to the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com