Pulp (1972) Directed by Mike Hodges

This movie is a bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad but simply because it starts off so well but starts to run out of steam, before the movie reaches its halfway point.

I was totally with this movie at first. The humor was great, the characters intriguing, the story interesting and even somewhat mysterious but it's like the movie makes a 180 degree turn, the moment the Mickey Rooney character makes his entrance.

Nothing against Mickey Rooney of course but once his character shows up, the movie changes and not for the good unfortunately. The comedy becomes different and the movie its story slows down, while before that point it was really having a very pleasant and fast pace to it. It's funny but the moment the Mickey Rooney character makes his entrance, the movie absolutely becomes a less fun and funny one to watch. It's funny because Mickey Rooney is actually the only true comedy actor in this movie but he's the one who's actually brining the movie and its comedy down. Not his fault really, he simply does his own thing and he does it well but it just doesn't really tie in too well with the rest of the movie.

Reason why I really liked the movie at first was because it had a sort of classic screwball comedy quality to it. The comedy was goofy but everything about it felt 'real'. It didn't feel like the movie was exaggerating or was pushing things too far. Besides, I liked where the story was going. It had a great mystery- and adventure like vibe to it, when the main character, played by Michael Caine, who is a writer, starts his travels and attempts to get in contact with his next subject. I honestly think I would have preferred this movie if it was entirely set aboard the coach bus he uses to travel with and the direct vicinity of it.

As the movie heads toward its end, it does not become a less fun one to watch but also definitely a less interesting one. The story has some developments in it that don't really work out all that interesting and it actually causes the movie to slow down and even drag a bit. It definitely feels like the final 30 minutes could have been trimmed down a bit, also especially since nothing good or interesting is really happening in it. It's not like this movie is building up to a spectacular or all revealing climax, so the movie definitely fizzles out, toward its end.

Well, it's still watchable enough all I guess. After all, it has Michael Caine as its main character, who never really disappointed in any '70's movie, when he really was at the top of the game. The movie is also definitely fun to watch, at least for its first half.

6/10

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