Pulp Fiction is an Oscar-winning 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino who also co-wrote the screenplay with Roger Avary. The film's idiosyncratic characteristics include fragmented storyline, eclectic dialogue, ironic and campy influences, unorthodox camerawork, and numerous pop culture references. Tarantino and Avary won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and the film was nominated for seven Oscars in total, including Best Picture.[1][2]The plot, in keeping with most other Tarantino works, runs in nonlinear order. The unconventional structure of the movie is an example of a so-called postmodernist film. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines popular during the mid–20th century, known for their strongly graphic nature. The film had an impact on the careers of its cast members. It provided a breakthough role for Samuel L. Jackson, previously a supporting actor who became an international star in a part Tarantino wrote especially for him.[citation needed] It revived the fortunes of John Travolta who was going through something of a career slump at the time, and allowed Bruce Willis to move away from the action hero reputation he had gained through films such as Die Hard. It raised the profile of Uma Thurman and led to greater recognition for character actors such as Ving Rhames and Harvey Keitel. Eric Stoltz was also acclaimed for his role as Lance. Using many elements of a black comedy with many stylistic and pop culture touches, Pulp Fiction weaves through the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles gangsters, fringe characters, petty thieves and a mysterious attaché case. In keeping with Quentin Tarantino's directorial trademark of non-chronological story telling, Pulp Fiction is written out of sequence, i.e., it was not written in chronological order then rearranged out of sequence.[3]There are three main storylines in Pulp Fiction: Vincent and Jules; Vincent and Mia Wallace; Butch Coolidge. All three are intertwined. Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) discuss robbing restaurants instead of l1quor stores, their normal target, due to lack of awareness in restaurants. They decide to rob the one they are currently in and pull out revolvers. Pumpkin jumps up and screams"Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!" Honey Bunny grabs a revolver and screams"Any of you fcking prcks move, and I'll execute every motherf*ckin' last one of you!"The title credits play. Hitmen Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) head to a Los Angeles apartment to retrieve a briefcase that was involved in a failed deal for their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). They also have to kill Brett (Frank Whaley), the one who was supposed to have set up the deal, and his cohorts. The briefcase is a classic MacGuffin, whose contents are never revealed except indirectly as a glowing, gold light. Also, it should be noted that the code to the lock on the briefcase is 666, number of the beast. Jules shoots Brett's cohort (whom he had referred to as"Flock of Seagulls" for his hairstyle) and then, after a long and bizarre conversation led by the scripture-spouting Jules (a variation on Ezekiel 25:17, 'The path of the righteous man'), Vincent and Jules execute Brett in a hail of gunfire. They spare their informant, Marvin (Phil LaMarr), who happened to be there with the gang. Throughout the entire scene there is an ongoing conversation about McDonalds restaurants in foreign countries. Vega notes that since in Paris the metric system of measurement is used, a Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a"royale with cheese." This is brought up earlier while Jules and Vincent are driving to Brett's apartment.[edit] Mia Wallace and Vincent Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace. Enlarge Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace. Vincent and Jules arrive at a bar owned by Marsellus Wallace just as Butch Coolidge is concluding a meeting with Wallace himself. As Butch leaves, he has a minor altercation with Vincent. At Marsellus's request, Vincent Vega shows his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) a good time while Marsellus is out of town. Vincent shows up at Mia's house and while waiting for her to get ready, she plays"Son of a Preacher Man", by Dusty Springfield on the sound system. They head to the fictional restaurant Jack Rabbit Slim's, a slick 1950s-themed restaurant with lookalikes of the decade's top pop culture icons as staff (e.g., television impresario Ed Sullivan as the maître d', and servers such as singer Buddy Holly (Steve Buscemi) and actresses Marilyn Monroe and Mamie Van Doren), an option for patrons to eat at a booth or a classic car refitted as a booth, and the famous"Five-Dollar Milkshake". Vincent and Mia make small talk, wherein she recounts her experience as an actress in a failed television pilot,"Fox Force Five" (which could also be a play on the 666 phenomenon as"F" is the 6th letter of the English alphabet.) The show followed the exploits of an all-female team of secret agents, each having a particular specialty. Mia's character, Raven McCoy, was raised by circus performers and, according to the show, was"...the deadliest woman in the world with a knife." She also knew a zillion old jokes her grandfather, an old vaudevillian, taught her, though she initially refuses to share with Vincent the joke Raven tells in the pilot out of fear of being embarrassed. In Mia's words, the rest of the troupe had other formidable abilities:"Fox, as in we're a bunch of foxy chicks. Force, as in we're a force to be reckoned with. Five, as in there's one... two... three... four... five of us. There was a blonde one, Sommerset O'Neal from that show"Baton Rouge", she was the leader. A Japanese one, a black one, a French one and a brunette one, me. We all had special skills. Sommerset had a photographic memory, the Japanese fox was a kung fu master, the black girl was a demolition expert, the French fox's specialty was sex..."(Tarantino has acknowledged the similarity between Fox Force Five and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) in Kill Bill) Mia then demands that Vincent dance with her in the Jack Rabbit Slim's twist contest and they dance to Chuck Berry's"You Never Can Tell". When they return to the Wallace house, she is seen carrying the trophy. While listening to Urge Overkill's version of Neil Diamond's"Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon", Mia finds Vincent's stash of heroin in the pocket of his coat, then proceeds to cut and snort a line of it, mistaking it for cocaine. She overdoses and a fearful Vincent rushes her over to small-time drug dealer Lance (Eric Stoltz), who had previously sold him the heroin. Lance helps Vincent ready the adrenaline shot and Lance's dysfunctional wife Jody (Rosanna Arquette) watches. Vincent stabs Mia with the syringe full of adrenaline. She wakes up with a howl and when asked to say something, says"something". Jody remarks,"That was f*cking trippy". Upon arriving back at the Wallace residence, Mia finally reveals her corny joke:"So there's Papa Tomato, Momma Tomato and Baby Tomato walking along the street. Baby Tomato starts lagging behind, and Papa Tomato starts getting really angry. So, he turns around and squishes Baby Tomato and says, 'Ketchup.'"In their last conversation, they agree not to tell Marsellus of the overdosing incident, both fearing what he might do to either of them.[edit] The Gold Watch Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) in the pawnshop. Enlarge Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) in the pawnshop. Aging prizefighter Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) accepts a large sum of money from Marsellus, agreeing to"take a dive" (deliberately lose a fight) by allowing himself to be knocked out in the fifth round of his upcoming match. However, Butch double-crosses Marsellus, instead betting the money he received from Marsellus on himself (with, due to the fight's being fixed, very favorable odds) and winning the bout, accidentally killing his opponent in the process. Although now flush with cash, Butch must quickly leave town, as a vengeful Marsellus is hot on his trail. There is a flashback at the beginning of the"The Gold Watch" storyline (Butch's story), in which the child Butch Coolidge (Chandler Lindauer) receives his watch from a war buddy of his father's (Christopher Walken), who kept the watch in his rectum for two years to hide it from the Vietcong due to his father's death in a Vietnam War POW camp. This gold watch, which has been passed down from father to son since his great-grandfather fought in World War I, is of great sentimental value to Butch. Butch is compelled to return to his apartment to retrieve the wristwatch after he discovers his girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) has forgotten to pack it. He is worried that most likely Marsellus is there looking for him. When Butch enters, the coast is clear. Butch quickly gets the watch and is ready to leave. Satisfied no-one awaits to kill him, Butch grabs a sack of toaster pastries in his kitchen and puts them in the toaster on the counter. While waiting for the pastries to pop out, Butch notices a silenced MAC-10 submachine gun on the kitchen counter. Butch is shocked and picks up the gun. Upon hearing his toilet flush in the bathroom next to the kitchen, he readies himself in time to encounter Vincent Vega coming out of the bathroom. They both freeze in shock. Butch concentrates intensely on Vincent, and when the toaster pastries pop up, the shock causes Butch to fire the gun at Vincent, who falls back into the bathroom dead. While driving back to the motel from the apartment complex, Butch sees Marsellus crossing the street in front of him. They recognize each other, and Butch accelerates into Marsellus. He then collides with another car and rolls into a small parking lot. A group of ladies help Marsellus back to his feet. In his POV, he sees Butch running away from the scene. He takes out his gun; the ladies run away. Butch runs down the sidewalk with an injured leg, while Marsellus limps on his tra |
