Pulp

A seedy writer of sleazy pulp novels (Michael Caine) is recruited by a quirky, reclusive ex-actor (Mickey Rooney) to help him write his biography at his house in Malta.

This is Mike Hodges' follow-up to "Get Carter" (1971) and takes a bit of a different turn. Though there does remain that seedy element, only this time transported to Malta. Fans of Italian exploitation and Z-grade science fiction are sure to recognize Nadia Cassini ("Starcrash", 1978).

Hodges spent a long time coaxing noir veteran Lizabeth Scott out of retirement to fly to Malta for the shooting. Scott said that while she enjoyed the beauty of Malta, she was not pleased that most of her footage was cut out — eight scenes in all. Hodges for his part reported that Scott was challenging to work with while shooting. Scott "hadn't make a picture in 15 years and I had to really coax her into coming back." But Scott overcame her stage fright and Hodges was pleased with Scott's performance.

Great film that doesn't take itself too seriously. For me, the parts played by Dennis Price and Lionel Stander kind of steal the show. Narrated in the first person throughout, if I remember rightly, I guess it could also have been called "An Innocent Abroad" or something similar, as Micheal Caine finds himself "up against it" and completely out of his depth in comfortable surroundings he feels uncomfortable in as violence hovers just beneath the surface. So, for those reasons it's a bit like "Get Carter", only this time around there's no personal crusade he's on; he's just a writer of pulp fiction out for what he can get from an ageing Hollywood actor (played by Mickey Rooney) who wants him to ghost-write his autobiography. I suppose this film is a bit like "Chinatown" in some respects as it deals with the futility of attempting to tackle corruption on a grand scale - only unlike the Polanski movie, it never won any awards because it never really took itself too seriously. How can one take Caine as a tough, gritty Londoner, when he swans around Malta in a white suite and sunglasses - smoking through a cigarette holder like a Cockney Noel Coward?

One reviewer suggested that "Pulp" never became a box-office hit because it can't be easily classified into a genre. That's certainly a legitimate way of explaining it. Another explanation could be that it's just not a very good movie. It wants to be a mystery, but the plot never grips you like it should; it wants to be a comedy, but the laughs are not as frequent as they should be (one great line, though: after trying to watch a film that is projected upside down, a guy says "This would be a big hit in Australia!"); it wants to "say something" about the thin line separating reality from fiction, but that "something" doesn't come through very clearly. Michael Caine gives a sly performance, full of his typical cool bemusement, and he just about manages to get you through the film (with some help from the pleasant Malta locations and Nadia Cassini's long legs). Near the end, there is a scene on a deserted beach that may remind you of the finale of "Get Carter". That's not a good thing, however, as you may find yourself wishing you were (re-)watching that film instead of this one. (**)

PULP re-teamed Actor Michael Caine and Director Mike Hodges just a year after their Box-Office hit and Modern Classic GET CARTER (1971)

Anyone hoping for a Film that is up there with GET CARTER will be sorely disappointed as PULP fails to match the success and quality of the former.

PULP has Michael Caine playing Mickey King a rather seedy Author of trashy Pulp Fiction who is hired by a reclusive and quirky former Actor Preston Gilbert (played with huge enthusiasm by Mickey Rooney) to ghostwrite his Autobiography.

PULP was a big flop on its original release back in '72 and to a large extent I can understand why, very little actually happens in the Film and Caine's sarcastically witty narration - although funny - has to carry the entire Film - and it ends very suddenly which makes you think 'Oh, that's it then?' which is never a good sign.

Filmed on the beautiful surroundings of Malta and Co-starring Lionel Stander and 40/50's star Lizabeth Scott with a rather pointless role played by Dennis Price (in one of his last roles) - PULP is worth watching, but it's never as good as it probably should have been and isn't a patch on GET CARTER.

This starts of with quite a few good laughs some visual, some slapstick and a few situation based but gets a little more serious as it progresses.

The acting is good with Rooney as the slightly mad client being especially good and Caine is his usual self in the lead.

The one liners are delivered well and the occasional difference between what is narrated and what is acted out is amusing.

The plot is a little thin and when it gets serious it doesn't do it too well.

It's a watchable film with no bad bits and a few good ones but it's nothing special.