Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino (stories) &
Roger Avary (stories) ...

Release Date:

14 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Girls like me don't make invitations like this to just anyone!

Plot:

The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Plot Keywords:

Homage | Surreal | Crime Boss | Restroom | Fantasy Sequence

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 40 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Vincent Vega
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Jules Winnfield
Tim Roth	...	Pumpkin - Ringo
Amanda Plummer	...	Honey Bunny - Yolanda
Eric Stoltz	...	Lance
Bruce Willis	...	Butch Coolidge
Ving Rhames	...	Marsellus Wallace
Phil LaMarr	...	Marvin
Maria de Medeiros	...	Fabienne
Rosanna Arquette	...	Jody
Peter Greene	...	Zed
Uma Thurman	...	Mia Wallace
Duane Whitaker	...	Maynard
Paul Calderon	...	Paul
Frank Whaley	...	Brett

Also Known As:

Black Mask (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

154 min | USA:168 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Mexico:C | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (uncut) | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Hungary:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating after appeal) (1997) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1995) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) (1995) (uncut) | Australia:M (TV rating) (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | India:A | South Africa:18 | USA:R | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Portugal:M/18 (Qualidade) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1995) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Hawthorne Grill - 13763 S. Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne, California, USA

Company:

A Band Apart

Trivia:

The set for Jack Rabbit Slims was inspired by the Elvis Presley film Speedway (1968) and by Red Line 7000 (1965).

Goofs:

Continuity: While Butch is pointing the gun at Marsellus and is about to shot him inside Maynard's store, his right hand changes in a quick cutaway with the fingers pointing in the opposite direction.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pumpkin: Forget it. Too risky. I'm through doing that shit.
Yolanda: You always say that. That same thing every time, "I'm through, never again, too dangerous".
Pumpkin: I know that's what I always say. I'm always right, too.
Yolanda: But you forget about it in a day or two.
Pumpkin: Yeah, well the days of me forgetting are over, and the days of me remembering have just begun.

Movie Connections:

References "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1950)

Soundtrack:

Rumble

Great director. Great story. Great characters. A masterpiece

Tarantino is without a doubt one of the best directors of all time and maybe the best of the 90's. His first film, Reservoir Dogs was amazing and claustrophobic, his segment in Four Rooms was by far the greatest (even though Rodriguez's was excellent too)and Jackie Brown is a wonderful homage to the Blaxploitation films of the 70's. However, Pulp Fiction remains my favourite.

It was nominated for so many Oscars that I still find it hard to believe that it only got one: Best original script. I'm not complaining because Forrest Gump got best picture, since that film was also Oscar-worthy, but come on, movies like Tarantino's or the Shawshank Redemption deserved much more.

Anyway, going back to the movie, I particularly liked the first and second chapters, and that's really a contradiction because one of the movie's finest characters, Mr. Wolf, appears on the third. Bruce Willis also does a great job, and as far as I'm concerned he fell in love with the movie right after having read the script. I like the way his character gives a "tough guy" image at the beginning and then we discover he's so affectionate and tender to his wife. Travolta is obviously the star of the movie and his second encounter with Bruce Willis in the kitchen along with the scene where he dances with Uma Thurman is when the movie reaches it's highest point.

The other star is Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a wise assassin that obviously knows how to handle situations. "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger..." is my favourite quote.

Summarizing, Pulp Fiction is a modern classic and a must-see for anyone who is at least aware of what a movie is. I give it a 9 out of 10.