Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American neo-noir black comedy crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avary. Directed in a highly stylized manner, Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.
The screenplay of Pulp Fiction was written in 1992 and 1993, and incorporated some scenes originally written by Avary for True Romance. Its plot, as in many of Tarantino's other works, is presented out of chronological order. The film is also self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a title card that gives two dictionary definitions of "pulp". Considerable screen time is devoted to monologues and casual conversations with eclectic dialogue revealing each character's perspectives on several subjects, and the film features an ironic combination of humor and strong violence. Its script was reportedly turned down by Columbia TriStar as "too demented". Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein was instantly enthralled with it, however, and the film became the first that Miramax fully financed.
Pulp Fiction won the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and was a major critical and commercial success upon its U.S. release. It revitalized the careers of John Travolta (who received an Academy Award nomination), Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. It was also nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture; Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution – and its consequent profitability – had a sweeping effect on the field of independent cinema.
Pulp Fiction has since been widely regarded as Tarantino's masterpiece, being praised particularly for its writing. The film's self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive use of homage and pastiche have led critics to describe it as a touchstone of postmodern film. It is often considered a cultural watershed, with a strong influence felt not only in later movies that adopted various elements of its style, but in several other media as well. A 2008 Entertainment Weekly poll named it the best film since 1983, and the work has appeared on many critics' lists of the greatest films ever made. In 2013, Pulp Fiction was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
"Prologue—The Diner"
A couple, Ringo, aka "Pumpkin", and Yolanda, aka "Honey Bunny", decide to rob a diner.Prelude to "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
Hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are on their way to retrieve a briefcase from Brett, who has transgressed against their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace. Vincent says Marsellus has asked him to escort his wife while Marsellus is out of town. They arrive at Brett's place, where they confront him and two of his associates over the briefcase. Vincent finds the briefcase and Jules shoots one of Brett's associates, then delivers a passage from the Bible before he and Vincent kill Brett."Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
The "famous dance scene": Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) do the twist at Jack Rabbit Slim's. Champion boxer Butch Coolidge accepts a large sum of money from Marsellus after agreeing to take a dive in his upcoming match. Vincent and Jules arrive to deliver the briefcase. The next day, Vincent purchases heroin from his drug dealer Lance. He shoots up to pass the day, then drives to meet Mrs. Mia Wallace. Vincent and Mia head to a 1950s-themed restaurant and participate in a twist contest, then return to the Wallace house with the trophy. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Mia finds his heroin, mistakes it for cocaine, snorts it and overdoses. Vincent rushes her to Lance's house, where they revive her with an adrenaline shot to her heart.Prelude to "The Gold Watch"
Butch recalls a visit from Vietnam veteran Captain Koons in his youth. Koons brought a gold watch passed down through three generations of Coolidge men since World War I; at the dying request of Coolidge's father, Koons hid the watch in his rectum for two years to deliver it to Butch."The Gold Watch"
Butch flees the arena, having double-crossed Marsellus and won the bout. The next morning, at the motel where he and his girlfriend Fabienne are lying low, Butch discovers she has forgotten to pack his father's watch and flies into a rage. He returns to his apartment, retrieves the watch, and notices a gun on the kitchen counter. Hearing the toilet flush, Butch shoots Vincent dead after he exits the bathroom. As Butch waits at a traffic light in his car, Marsellus walks by and recognizes him. Marsellus chases him into a pawnshop. The owner, Maynard, captures them at gunpoint and ties them up in a basement. Maynard is joined by Zed, a security guard; they take Marsellus to another room to rape him, leaving a silent figure in a bondage suit, "the gimp", to watch Butch. Butch breaks loose and knocks out the gimp. He is about to flee, but decides to save Marsellus. As Zed is raping Marsellus, Butch kills Maynard with a katana retrieved from the pawnshop. Marsellus retrieves Maynard's shotgun and shoots Zed. Marsellus informs Butch that they are even, so long as he never tells anyone about the rape and departs Los Angeles forever. Butch returns to pick up Fabienne on Zed's chopper."The Bonnie Situation"
After Vincent and Jules execute Brett, another man bursts out of the bathroom and shoots wildly, missing every time; Jules and Vincent shoot him. Jules decides their lucky escape was a miracle, which Vincent disputes. As Jules drives, Vincent accidentally shoots Marvin, the second of Brett's associates, in the face. They hide the car at the home of their associate Jimmie, who insists they deal with the problem before his wife Bonnie comes home. Marsellus sends his cleaner, Winston Wolfe, who orders Jules and Vincent to clean the car, hide the body in the trunk, and dispose of their bloody clothes. They drive the car to a junk yard and Jules and Vincent decide to get breakfast."Epilogue—The Diner"
In the diner, Jules tells Vincent he plans to retire from his life of crime, taking their "miraculous" survival as a sign. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny hold up the restaurant. When Jules holds Pumpkin at gunpoint, Honey Bunny becomes hysterical and trains her gun on him; Vincent returns with his gun trained on her – a Mexican standoff. Jules recites the biblical passage, expresses ambivalence about his life of crime, and allows the robbers to take his own cash and leave. Jules and Vincent leave the diner with the briefcase.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction