Amanda Plummer as Honey Bunny in diner in Pulp Fiction.Image via Miramax Films
By
André Joseph
Published 20 minutes ago
André Joseph is a movie features writer at Collider. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor's Degree in Film. He freelances as an independent filmmaker, teacher, and blogger of all things pop culture. His interests include Marvel, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Robocop, wrestling, and many other movies and TV shows.
His accomplishments as a filmmaker include directing the indie movie Vendetta Games now playing on Tubi, the G.I. Joe fan film "The Rise of Cobra" on YouTube, and receiving numerous accolades for his dramatic short film Dismissal Time. More information can be found about André on his official website.
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Quentin Tarantino had already ushered in a new type of crime genre cinema when he made his initial impact on the independent film scene with 1992’s Reservoir Dogs. But it was the release of Pulp Fiction two years later that skyrocketed the former Los Angeles video store employee into a pop culture icon. Now, audiences in the US can spend their holidays with Jules, Vincent, and the rest of the gang, as Pulp Fiction is available to stream on Netflix this month. Making its debut at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or before hitting cinemas that fall, Pulp Fiction surprised both critics and audiences for its subversive storytelling as well as John Travolta’s magnetic performance as heroin addict hitman Vincent Vega. It grossed $213 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $8 million and holds a certified 92% critics' score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Tarantino’s monumental success, which earned him the Oscar for Best Screenplay, would pave the way for some unforgettable gems, including Kill Bill and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece, filled with its interconnected storylines and memorable quotes, remains his greatest contribution to cinema.
'Pulp Fiction' Breathed New Life Into John Travolta's Career
In its seven vignettes, Pulp Fiction features different leading characters for each storyline within the LA setting. Anchoring the majority of the narrative are black suit-wearing professional killers Vincent (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), who are tasked by crime boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) to retrieve a mysterious briefcase, only to run into a series of mishaps along the way. Additionally, Vincent is given a separate job taking Wallace’s aspiring actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), for a night on the town. Lastly, there’s veteran boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), who goes on the run after defying Wallace’s orders to throw his latest fight. Where Reservoir Dogs’ ensemble primarily consisted of Harvey Keitel and a group of working character actors that became A-list stars later in their careers, Pulp Fiction saw Tarantino cast established stars like Travolta, Thurman, and Willis as offbeat characters vastly different from their established movie star personas. Travolta, in particular, was singled out the most due to his box office slump after his early career high points in the late ‘70s with Saturday Night Fever and Grease were far in the past. As Vincent, the legendary New Jersey-born actor, successfully transitioned into the ‘90s by retaining his enduring charm within the context of a cold-blooded killer. To go from a throwaway conversation about foot massages to gunning down Wallace’s business partners over the briefcase made Vincent real in the eyes of moviegoers, paving the way for Travolta’s wave of grounded but charismatic performances in Get Shorty, Michael, and Phenomenon.
Samuel L. Jackson Was the Revelation of ‘Pulp Fiction'
If Travolta was the comeback kid of Pulp Fiction, Jackson was the movie’s revelation. Prior to being cast as the Bible-touting Jules, the star of the upcoming Tulsa King spinoff, NOLA King, had primarily made his mark as a supporting player in such classics as Coming to America, Do the Right Thing, and Jungle Fever. While Jackson was earning the respect of his fellow actors and directors, he never truly electrified the scenery as he did in Pulp Fiction. As evidenced by his later Tarantino collaborations in Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, Jackson can take the filmmaker’s signature style of rhythmic dialogue and deliver it into captivating poetry. The very moment that made Jackson into a pop culture staple comes early in Pulp Fiction when Jules and Vincent go to retrieve the briefcase from Brett (Frank Whaley). Initially playing it cool by eating Brett’s lunch, Jules dials up the volume to furious anger by quoting from the Book of Ezekiel before he and Vincent gun down Brett and his associates for double-crossing Wallace. Within the course of one entire sequence, Jackson could make the audience laugh, gasp, and cheer all at once. Had it not been for Pulp Fiction, the world may not have seen Jackson play the 2000 version of Shaft or Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Many quirky crime dramas, such as 2 Days in the Valley and 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag, have tried to imitate Pulp Fiction in terms of colorful ensemble casts and slick dialogue. None of these films, however, managed to break new ground the way Tarantino’s inherently fresh picture did for the ‘90s and beyond.
Don't miss your chance to revisit—or experience for the first time—the groundbreaking Pulp Fiction.
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Pulp Fiction
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Quentin Tarantino
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