Make no mistake: John Travolta used to be the King of Cool. With roles in movies such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever, there was a time when everybody wanted a piece. Then his career floundered in the late '80s, and it wasn't until Tarantino cast him as gangster Vincent Vega in 1994's Pulp Fiction that he had something of a career resurgence. Soon enough, though, through a series of ill-judged movie choices, his career was back on the backburner. And then there was all that stuff with Scientology, and the persistent rumours that he was gay. It was too much, and Travolta found himself suddenly poised as one of Hollywood's weirdo actors - a position he still pretty much occupies today. That would all be enough to create a sense of the polarisation, of course, but people have often questioned the merits of Travolta: The Actor. He's very much somebody who - paired with the right script - can produce great work, and - as a result - he has his fans. But it's hard to know where on the talent scale to place a man who has been nominated for countless Razzies, and continually makes what are arguably the worst filmic decisions in Hollywood. Battlefield Earth? No, John - that was an unforgivable move.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
