Pulp Fiction is widely regarded by many to be one of the greatest screenplays ever to grace mankind (and for good reason). Every minute of this crime movie is excellent, nothing is filler and every detail is carefully thought out.

Being created by Quentin Tarantino, who previously brought us cinematic heavyweights like Reservoir Dogs and Django: Unchained, you would expect Pulp Fiction to also be quite similar in style, and it is. In fact, like Reservoir Dogs, it is told non-chronologically which adds much to the experience of the film. The film comprises of three main acts and stories, Vincent and Mia’s date, The Gold Watch and the Bonnie Situation, each of which are very different in tone.

Much of the film’s success is attributed to it’s entertaining dialogue, interesting characters and memorable scenes. None of this movie is forgettable, and it’s characters are relatable and diverse right until the very end.

I will go into much depth about this movie, because to be quite blunt, it deserves it. That means SPOILERS AHEAD. 

Act 1: Vincent and Mia

The movie starts off with two hitmen, Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) taking a briefcase from a crew of guys in an apartment. Here we are told the reasons why they are there, who they are working for and who they are. The briefcase is opened by Vincent, but we never get to catch a glimpse of it’s contents, and this has been the root of many explanations and confusion (more on that later).

The scene is very iconic for Jules and his intimidation of Brett and his crew. It is given a second part later in The Bonnie Situation (read further down for that). Lines like “English Motherfucker, do you speak it?” and “I’m sorry, did I break your concentration?” leave the audience knowing Jules is, in his own words, a “bad motherfucker”, thus giving the audience a clear view of Jules.

Even seemingly pointless dialogue such as the notorious “royale with cheese” and “Antoine’s foot massage” are significant in the scenes prior to this one. They tell us that Marcellus values loyalty, and thus is testing Vincent’s loyalty after Vincent returns from Amsterdam. Vincent keeps this in mind later on in the act, which ironically he fails to maintain 100% loyalty with Marcellus accidentally letting Mia (Uma Therman) overdose with his heroin while he’s in the bathroom planning to call it a day, go home and “jerk off”. He tells Mia to not reveal that she nearly died to Marcellus, which gets him assigned to watching Butch’s old apartment later in the film.

The tone of the this part in the movie differs a lot from The Gold Watch story and The Bonnie Situation. While both of the other acts tend to depict more violent and tense shootouts and Mexican standoffs, this one is much more lighthearted and calm, at least until Vincent discovers an unconscious Mia, which is where the tone completely reverses to have the audience on the edge of their seats, likely to express the anxiety Vincent is going through at the though of his boss’s wife dying because of him. It is a very well orchestrated scene being the first time Vincent walks out of the bathroom to be greeted with a tense moment.

To reinforce the idea that this is all a test of loyalty for Vincent, every clue hints towards Mia attempting to seduce him. From the dialogue to the music to the subtle clues, everything points towards it.

Defining scene:



Act 2: The Gold Watch

This is the second act in the film introducing Butch (Bruce Willis) as a washed up boxer paid by Marcellus to take a fall. After an earlier scene where Vincent insults Butch, he decides to take bets on himself after realising Marcellus views him as no more than an idiot. 

This earlier scene is perhaps one of the best in the entire movie, given that it is the reason for the entire Gold Watch act and has one of the most memorable quotes in the entire movie, “pride fucking with you”, which would foreshadow Marcellus’ fate with the rapists later in the Gold Watch act. It’s worthy to pay attention to the music and the background of the scene too. Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” is playing, representing Marcellus and Butch’s deal with each other. The background is all red, which is the complete opposite of the bright creams and golds of the Gold Watch story, possibly representing Butch’s anger and rage.

The first scene of the entire act shows a young Butch being given his deceased father’s gold watch by Captain Koons (Christopher Walken). The Captain tells Butch it was bought in Knoxville and hidden anally by Koombs and his father in a P.O.W camp. This one scene goes to foreshadow entirely the Gold Watch act, making it the most significant scene in the act itself, and bear in mind, it’s only the introduction/flashback scene. That’s pretty fucking good storytelling.

The tense moments of this act such as Butch finding a machine gun and killing Vincent with it, Marcellus chasing Butch shooting at him, Butch walking through bushy terrain with dogs barking in the background and finally being captured by the rapists and having to steal a katana to kill them and save Marcellus all are symbolic of Butch’s forefather’s sacrifices and brotherhood, and it is Butch continuing on his father’s legacy just as the watch is. The gun store’s basement is representative of a P.O.W camp, with katanas and the two being tied up.

The scenery in this story is amazing, filled with golds and creams to represent the watch and Butch’s obsession with it and it’s significance. It has a very different feel from the other two acts, yet holds the same style running in Pulp Fiction.

And to top it all off, Butch rides back to Fabienne, telling her it’s a chopper instead of a motorcycle, yet another parallel to the battles of his forefathers. The famous line “Zed’s Dead, baby” is spoken by Butch before riding off into the sunset finally ending the story of Pulp Fiction, or at least the Gold Watch story itself.

Defining Scene:



Act 3: The Bonnie Situation

This is probably the most notable part of the film, being the most badass part where we can see why paths were crossed in the way they did. The moral of the story is revealed and Pulp Fiction is revealed to be a redemption story of Jules surviving and Vincent dying after being a little too loyal for his own good during the Gold Watch story, but this act reveals everything and changes our perception of the film, hence why it is better non-chronologically and why Tarantino decided to show it this way.

The first scene is of course, what I’m mentioning. The most iconic scene in Tarantino’s filmography where Jules recites a false Ezekiel 25: 17 and the crazed gunman shooting (and missing) all his shots on Jules and Vincent before being killed himself was a great stroke of luck for the two or divine intervention. Jules decides he wants to quit living the life of a hitman, whereas Vincent continues it until his demise.

The final scene and Jules’ Monologue explains that he is trying at redemption, to show mercy, a character trait not depicted at all in the movie by himself or other characters, whether it be Jules killing Brett and not allowing him to reason or Marcellus throwing Antoine off a building. Being as he is not wearing his hitman suit as it is stained in blood, it gives him freedom to not live to an expectation to have a hitman attitude, thus giving him license to start his life off anew. 

Vincent is also given this privilege, but denies it and continues his life of drugs, death and crime, soon to die at the hands of Butch. Butch also takes the chance to become a shepherd like Jules by saving Marcellus (the weak during the scene) from the tyranny of evil men (the rapists). Thus he survives too.

The ending scene and the first scene of this act are arguably some of the best and most remembered movie scenes of all time.

Defining Scene:


Pulp Fiction is undisputably Quentin Tarantino's Magnum Opus. The scenes are ripe with rich and delicate dialogue and they coin fascinating characters to engage the audience in the well-written narrative it contains.

Pulp Fiction may or may not be perfect, but it is definitely worth your time, thus I give Pulp Fiction a 10/10 with sugar on top.

@Cruz011 Yeah those are some amazing movies. Big fan of them as well. 
Is pulp fiction the perfect film? Probably not. But before you jump down my throat claiming I should be burned at the stake, hear me out. Its an amazing movie. Fantastic acting, great scenes and stories. And I have no problem putting into anyones top movies to watch before you die. However, I just dont think its perfect. Its closer than a lot of films but still has flaws here and there. Nothing that would ruin the movie, but they are there.

Great review Corvo. I'm a big fan of Quinton Tarantino and his work. You craft a great plot out in your review. Was a great read. One of my favorite movies besides Reservoir Dogs and The Hateful 8