Pulp Fiction

PULP FICTION
1994 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 154 Minutes

"Whether or not what we experienced was an 'according to Hoyle' miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved."


A gangster is tasked with entertaining his employer's wife for an evening and the already-awkward situation takes a wildly unexpected turn. A boxer on the run from the crime boss he double-crossed makes a dangerous detour to retrieve a precious family heirloom. A cold-blooded killer receives an unlikely wake-up call inspiring him to change his ways but he must endure a set of precarious trials before he can formally resign.

Funnier than the standard crime drama and gorier than the average comedy, Pulp Fiction presents a set of stories that feature charismatic scoundrels in bizarre situations set in a world that feels ever-so-slightly warped. The interconnected vignettes are an ode to the trashy stories found in cheap magazines and paperbacks, though the prominent themes of honor, pride, and redemption that run through each segment elevates the film above its often disreputable and disposable inspirations.

As each tale unfolds, an off-beat form of karma is visited upon the lead characters. The universe seemingly solves Vincent's dilemma in dealing with his inconvenient attraction to Mia by literally stopping her heart. Butch's pride leads him to betray Marsellus but also unexpectedly set him on a collision course with the crime boss under highly unlikely circumstances, and he is only afforded a new lease on life after he consciously decides to rescue Marsellus from a ghastly fate. Jules's newfound enlightenment comes at a cost, as if the universe demands retribution for his past misdeeds, forcing him to personally clean up the bloody aftermath of a truly random act of violence before presenting him with the option to spare a life in exchange for his chance to restart his own life on his on terms.

Filmed and edited with a manic energy that's often imitated but seldom matched, Pulp Fiction is perfectly paced and visually gratifying. Jules reciting his favorite Bible passage before unloading on the terrified Brett, Mia and Vincent dancing at the kitschy old Hollywood theme restaurant, Vincent plunging a syringe full of adrenaline into Mia's chest, and a bloodied Butch brandishing a katana to literally save Marsellus's ass are just a handful of the film's memorable sequences, each one rich with style and character, successful in eliciting a plethora of different emotions by perfectly striking wildly varying tones without devolving into dissonant noise.

John Travolta plays Vincent with the prefect blend of obnoxious arrogance thinly layered over authentic vulnerability, sharing remarkably natural camaraderie with Samuel L. Jackson's Jules, and a playful infectious chemistry with Uma Thurman's Mia. Jules is hands down Samuel L. Jackson's most iconic role, so wonderful as the intimidating force to be reckoned with striving to be a better man at the end. As free spirit Mia, Thurman is sharp, alluring, and frank, exuding a sort of relentless honesty. Bruce Willis does what he does best as the prideful Butch, maintaining tough guy bravado even as he's beaten down. The film also features memorable performances from Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer as a pair of robbers, Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace, Eric Stoltz as disheveled drug dealer Lance, Christopher Walken as Captain Koons, Maria de Medeiros as the adorable Fabienne, Harvey Keitel as hyper-efficient fixer Winston Wolfe, and Phil LaMarr as the shockingly unlucky Marvin.

Gruesome, hilarious, suspenseful, and absolutely engaging, Pulp Fiction is immensely entertaining through and through. Featuring a brilliant script that's tonally eclectic but never jarring, endlessly quotable dialogue, and a sensational cast delivering some of their very best work, Quentin Tarantino's second film is cinematic lightning in a bottle.


THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
From 1896 to the late 1950s, magazines printed on cheap paper made from wood pulp featured often poorly written, typically schlockly short stories collectively referred to as "pulp fiction."


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- Jimmie, Jules's irate friend whose suburban home temporary becomes a corpse disposal workshop


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- The brand of choice for the restaurant robbers, Mia, and Butch


FOOT STUFF
- Jules and Vincent have a lengthy discussion over the intimate quality or lack thereof in giving a woman a foot massage due to a rumor that Marsellus crippled a man in a jealous rage for touching his wife's feet, a rumor that Mia quickly dispels

- Esmarelda the cab driver does not wear shoes


CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- Marsellus blows away Zed's junk with a decisive shotgun blast


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- Dick Dale's rendition of "Miserlou" featured in the opening title sequence has since become synonymous with Pulp Fiction

- Mia and Vincent dancing the twist to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" is simply delightful

- Urge Overkill's rocking cover of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" effectively adds an extra layer of intensity as Mia overdoses on Vincent's heroin in her living room while he unpacks his moral dilemma with his bathroom mirror reflection

- The Stalter Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall" is the perfect ironic earworm for Butch's moment of short-lived relief before his fateful encounter with Marsellus, a scene in which levity turns into sheer panic within a matter of seconds

- The Centurions' "Bullwinkle Part II" featured in the sequence of Vincent shooting up and getting high before meeting Mia, and The Lively Ones' "Surf Rider" that closes out the film go a long way in grounding the film in its Los Angeles setting


FRAGMENTS
- According to Tarantino, Vincent Vega and Mr. Blonde (Vic Vega) from Reservoir Dogs are brothers

- The contents of the briefcase Marsellus sent Jules and Vincent to retrieve is one of the most on-the-nose textbook examples of a MacGuffin, an item in a fictional story that only serves as plot device

- The Ezekiel 25:17 Bible quote as it is recited in the film is mostly made up

- The team in failed television pilot Fox Force Five as described by Mia bears a striking resemblance to The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad from Kill Bill

- The Clutch Cargo cartoon that little Butch watches on TV looks terrible


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
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