Pulp Fiction (1994)
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Four intertwining tales of crime and violence unfold in Los Angeles.
The story
Pulp Fiction tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in Los Angeles. The narrative follows various characters, including hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, who are tasked with retrieving a briefcase from a dishonest business partner. The film's plot is presented out of chronological order, featuring a mix of self-referential elements, monologues, and casual conversations with eclectic dialogue. The story explores a world of graphic violence and punchy dialogue, influenced by the style of mid-twentieth-century pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows several interconnected stories. Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, two hitmen, retrieve a briefcase from a man named Brett; during the exchange, they kill Brett and an informant, leading to a bloody situation they must clean up. Meanwhile, a boxer named Butch Coolidge is being bribed by a gangster to lose a match. After a series of events involving a drug overdose involving Vincent's date, Mia, and a confrontation at a diner with two thieves, the stories converge. Butch eventually kills Vincent after a misunderstanding involving a gold watch. The narrative concludes with Butch and the gangster Marsellus Wallace being captured in a pawnshop, where they are subjected to a violent encounter with the shop owner, Maynard, and his accomplice, Zed. Butch eventually escapes on a motorcycle with his girlfriend, Fabienne.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 154
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Quentin Tarantino
- Writers
- Quentin Tarantino · writer; Roger Avary · story
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · not specified; Samuel L. Jackson · not specified; Uma Thurman · not specified; Harvey Keitel · not specified; Tim Roth · not specified; Ving Rhames · not specified; Eric Stoltz · not specified; Rosanna Arquette · not specified
- Genres
- crime
- Themes
- violence; fate
- Tone and mood
- ironic; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- non-linear narrative; crime; postmodern
- Source material / true-story basis
- story he conceived with Roger Avary
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- A major critical and commercial success, it was hailed as a cultural watershed and a touchstone of postmodern film, influencing many other works.
- Production trivia
- The film was initially turned down by TriStar Pictures as 'too demented'.; The title refers to mid-twentieth-century pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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