“Pulp Fiction” (1994) / Z-View

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Pulp Fiction (1994)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avery

Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Phil LaMarr, Frank Whaley, Ving Rhames, Paul Calderon, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Julia Sweeney, Peter Greene, Kathy Griffin and Quentin Tarantino.

Tagline: You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.

The Plot…

Pulp Fiction is the tale of…

  • Vincent Vega (Travolta) an enforcer for Marcellus Wallace
  • Jules Winnfield (Jackson) an enforcer for Marcellus Wallace
  • Marcellus Wallace (Rhames) a mobster
  • Mia Wallace (Thurman) Marcellus Wallace’s wife
  • Butch Coolidge (Willis) a boxer paid to take a dive for Marcellus Wallace
  • Pumpkin (Roth) a small time crook
  • Honey Bunny (Plummer) Pumpkin’s partner and lover
  • Mr. Wolf (Keitel) a cleaner

Pulp Fiction unfolds jumping back and forth in time as the characters interact.  There are seven sequences.  Each section focuses on a different main character(s) with the others either not appearing or taking a secondary role.  While this sounds confusing, it’s not.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pulp Fiction was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Jackson), Supporting Actress (Thurman), Film Editing and won for Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino & Avery).

Pulp Fiction was the film that made Quentin Tarantino a household name and reinvigorated John Travolta’s career.

A lot of credit for Pulp Fiction‘s popularity is given to its unique structure.  While that does have a lot to do with the movie’s success, we shouldn’t short the story or cast.  Tarantino and Avery came up with great characters. They then beautifully cast each role. The stories at first glance seemed to be traditional tropes for crime/gangster films, but each veered into strange new territory.  Pulp Fiction  became and remains a touchstone for crime films.

Pulp Fiction (1994) rates 5 of 5 stars.