It looks like two of the most popular and critically acclaimed movies of all time are slated to leave Netflix in just about a week. Each one brings something different to the table; the first is an iconic, thrilling cult classic, and the second is a drama with dark comedy elements woven throughout—and each boasts an absolutely stacked cast who absolutely nail their larger-than-life performances.
Pulp Fiction, the classic from Quentin Tarantino, and The Wolf of Wall Street from Martin Scorsese, are both leaving Netflix as of March 1st. The Wolf of Wall Street is set in 1987 and centers around a young man named Jordan Belfort who takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. As the 90s rolled around, Belfort eventually founded his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. The mission of Stratton Oakmont? To make a huge fortune by defrauding wealthy investors out of millions of dollars. But while Belfort and his merry band of cronies partake in a hedonistic brew of sex and drugs, the SEC and the FBI are well on their way to tearing down everything he’s built. Pulp Fiction, on the other hands, centers around two hitmen prone to philosophical conversation as their work, and their lives, become intertwined with their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace, his actress wife, a struggling boxer, a master fixer, and a nervous pair of armed robbers.
Each Film Absolutely Deserves Its Icon Status
Pulp Fiction holds an impressive 92% critics’ rating and is probably Tarantino’s best film to date, with critics and audiences alike lauding it as violently audacious. M.N Miller of FandomWire rated the film 10 out of 10, saying, “Super cool, totally thrilling, and a startling blend of homage and originality that has not been matched since—once you see it, you’ll never view cinema the same way again.” It’s a film that sticks in your head long after you’ve watched it for the first time, both insanely quotable and impossible to forget for its iconic performances and interesting cinematography.
The Wolf of Wall Street rates slightly lower, earning a 79% with critics and an 83% with audiences. It’s an incredibly dynamic and wildly performed story—DiCaprio at his finest, and a perfect breakout role for Margot Robbie. “Scorsese depicts an intriguing and marvelously loathsome human beast in its natural setting, where the verdict on its judgment lies in the hands of its audience,” says Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review, who rates the film 4 out of 4 stars. It’s epic and insane, a story embodying the fatal flaw of excess by embodying that excess itself.
Do you have a favorite moment from either film? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.