Pulp Fiction, former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino?s second directorial venture, was released in 1994. It boasted of a huge star cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Cristopher Walken, Harvey Kietel, Tim Roth, Rosanna Arquette, Quentin Tarantino, etc. With a star cast like that, any movie is guaranteed to draw people to the theaters. But this wasn?t the reason people came to see Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction surprised and thrilled the public and critics worldwide with it?s unique narrative structure, something they hadn?t seen before.
Pulp Fiction is divided into sub-plots, the linear sequence of which is jumbled up. As a result, the beginning and end of the movie take place during the middle of the movie and the middle of the movie takes place in the beginning and end of the movie.
The plot:
Opening (Pre-Titles).
In a coffee shop, two crooks, Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer), discuss the advantages of robbing a restaurant over a liquor store or a bank. They decide to rob the coffee shop and stage a holdup.
Opening (Post-Titles).
Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), Marsellus Wallace?s (Ving Rhames) hitmen are driving to Brett?s apartment to settle scores because Brett tried to rip off Marsellus Wallace in a business deal.
Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace?s Wife.
Vincent picks up from his friend, the drug-dealer Lance (Eric Stoltz), a powerful narcotic nicknamed madman before heading out to pick up Marsellus Wallace?s wife, Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) for dinner, on Marsellus? request. After dinner, things get out of control when Mia sniffs in a huge quantity of madman and starts OD?ing.
The Gold Watch.
Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) is an aging fighter who has been paid by Marsellus Wallace to lose a match. His pride prevents him from losing and he ends up killing his opponent in the ring. Butch is now on the run. His girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) who is waiting at a motel has forgotten to get Butch?s ancestral gold wrist-watch, his most prized possession, from their apartment. He gets into trouble with Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace when he goes back to his apartment to retrieve his watch.
The Bonnie Situation.
Jules Winnfield has just experienced a divine intervention. They are driving off after the Brett episode with Marvin, one of Brett?s gang, when Vincent accidentally shoots Marvin in the face. The result: the inside of the car is sprayed with blood. They quickly go to Jules? friend Jimmie Dimmick?s (Quentin Tarantino) house. They have very less time to clean up the mess and be back on the road because Jimmie?s wife Bonnie is back in an hour and a half after her graveyard shift duty at the hospital she works in. Marsellus sends The Wolf (Harvey Kietel) to help Jules and Vincent with the cleanup. This leads to the opening scene at the coffee shop, where Pumpkin and Honey Bunny are planning a robbery.
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Pulp Fiction is a movie that is all pros and no cons. It excels in all aspects, be it the direction, the screenplay, the camerawork, the dialogues, the soundtrack, the absolutely bizarre narration or the acting by the entire cast (especially Samuel L. Jackson in an explosive performance as Jules, the Bible-spewing mobster). The only actor who looked like he needed a lot of improvement was Quentin Tarantino.
The excessive indulgence in colorful language might put off some people. But believe me, the movie wouldn?t be half as funny if the dialogues were a little tamer.
The violence is very casual. There are scenes where people get shot by mistake (Vincent, after he shoots Marvin in the face: I think the car went over a bump or something.). I don?t know how others would feel about such violence but I found myself laughing throughout.
And the characterization. What do I say about the characterization! Each character leaves an impression that lingers around for a long time. You end up remembering these characters for their mannerisms/dialogues. Whether it?s Vincent who very sophisticatedly says ?Royale with cheese?, Jules who mouths the Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17 during an execution, Butch who utters ?Zed?s dead, baby. Zed?s dead.? or even Esmarelda Villalobos who pronounces Mister as ?Meeyster?, all the characters are unforgettable.
Unfortunately, Pulp Fiction lost out on a lot of awards because of Forrest Gump, which was released the same year. The awards Pulp Fiction won were:
Golden Palm (Palme d?Or), Cannes Film Festival
Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary) ? Academy Awards
Best Screenplay ? Golden Globe Awards
Best Picture (Quentin Tarantino) ? MTV Movie Awards
Best Actor (John Travolta) ? L.A. Film Critics Association
Best Director (Quentin Tarantino) ? L.A. Film Critics Association
Best Picture ? L.A. Film Critics Association
Best Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary) - L.A. Film Critics Association
Best Director (Quentin Tarantino) ? National Board of Review
Best Picture ? National Board of Review
Best Director (Quentin Tarantino) ? New York Film Critics Circle
Best Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary) - New York Film Critics Circle
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To sum it all up, Pulp Fiction is a winner. The non-linear narration style and the overall content of this movie make it a cult classic worth watching many times without getting bored. Watch with friends.
