Pulp Fiction – 1994
It has been a very long time since I have seen this movie, and I had forgotten just how incredible it is. The great cast, the wonderful and intense acting, the perfect music selections, the awesomely smart and intricate script, the spot-on editing, the slick and stylized costumes and set design, the attention to detail, the interesting interlocking stories, and the witty dialogue all made for a masterpiece of filmmaking. Director Quinten Tarantino really cemented himself as a powerhouse Hollywood artist. He really hit a home run with this one.
I’ll start with the cast. When the movie is mentioned, the first names that most people think of are John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, and Harvey Keitel all have prominent parts, but we can’t forget the fantastic performances of Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, and Maria de Medeiros. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Christopher Walken’s small but wildly memorable performance. How he delivered his hilarious monologue with a straight face, I’ll never know.
The story structure was one of the key elements that made Pulp Fiction such a masterpiece. It is a perfect example of what is called circular story telling. The film starts out in a diner as Roth and Plummer, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, pull out guns and begin a robbery. The scene freezes as Honey Bunny shouts, “Any of you f—ing pricks move, and I’ll execute every motherf—ing last one of ya!” The scene freezes and we don’t return to their story until the end of the film, 2 and a half hours later.
First off, that is a brilliant way of telling a story. By the time we get back to it, we have nearly forgotten about the diner robbery. But as it happens, the characters of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, played by Travolta and Jackson, who’s stories we have been following, just happened to be eating breakfast in that diner. You see the story is told impossibly out of sequence. But somehow, it works. There are really 3 stories being told with characters floating in and out of the different narratives, each carrying more of less weight, depending on which story is being told.
The first follows Vincent. He and Jules are hit men for mob boss Marsellus Wallace, played by Rhames. After the two kill their target, they miraculously avoid being killed by one of his friends. The miracle is lost on Vincent, but not on Jules, who takes it as a sign from heaven that he needs to leave the business. Afterword, Vincent has been assigned to take Marsellus’ wife Mia, played by Thurman out and show her a good time. The famous and iconic dance sequence was a lot of fun to watch. But the evening goes awry as Mia overdoses on Vincent’s drugs and he has to give her an adrenalin shot to the heart to revive her.
The second story follows prize fighter Butch Coolidge, played by Willis, as he is instructed by Marsellus to throw a fight. In the background we see Vincent and Jules appear, inexplicably dressed in different clothes. But butch betrays the mob boss and wins the fight. He goes on the run as a price is put on his head. Through a strange set of coincidences, Marsellus and Butch are abducted by inner-city hillbillies and the gimp is brought out. Butch redeems himself as he saves Marsellus while he is being raped. The scene was so perfect. I loved the moment when Butch is searching for a weapon and finally lays his eyes on a samurai sword! And I have to give special props to Duane Whittaker and Peter Green as the two rapists, Maynard and Zed. Creepy! It is also important to note that during this section of the movie, we see Butch shoot and kill Vincent.
The third story is about how Vincent and Jules, after having survived their encounter with the hidden gunman through divine intervention, accidentally shoot a man in the face inside a car. Blood and brains get all over them and the car’s interior. The two quickly go to the home of Jule’s ex-partner, Jimmie, played by Tarantino, himself. It becomes necessary to call for The Wolf, played by Keitel. He is a man who cleans up these kinds of messes, but the clock is ticking. It all has to be done before Jimmy’s wife Bonnie gets home from work. As part of this clean-up, Vincent and Jules are given different clothes to wear. This section of the film ends with the two hit men going to a diner to get some breakfast.
The jumbled structure of the film’s storyline was pure genius. Not only does it keep your interest, it also makes you want to watch the movie multiple times to try to pick up clues and details in the overlapping storylines. And then there is the big question that has everybody stumped. What is in the briefcase that Vincent and Jules retrieve. It is never shown except by its gold glow. The popular theory is that it is Marsellus’ soul, though Tarantino has never confirmed it. It is also theorized that the bandage on the back of Marsellus’ head was there to cover the soul’s extraction point. But true or not, it has gained the status of an urban legend. Either way, awesome movie! Violent and bloody, like many of Tarantino’s movies, but awesome!