This video essay is an analysis of what makes Pulp Fiction so great. / jackmoviereview www.jacksmoviereviews.com/ Pulp Fiction. Tarantino. Miramax Films, 1994.
Mia Wallace is all about the song she dances to in her house : the journey from girl to woman. By her last scene, it’s clear she at least realizes she isn’t immortal. Her attitude prior was pretty close to being invincible.
The essential nobility of Butch is evident when he goes back into the pawn shop to rescue Marcellus even though Marcellus has previously tried to kill him and there is a chance he may try again.
And the essential amorality of Marcellus is evident after he tell him to “be gone and stay gone” despite the fact he risked both their lives to stop him being raped and didn’t had to. But in the meantime Marcellus cannot show he is friend with Butch again because he would be going down. It’s a movie about the endless cycle of American violence and how you cannot get out of it once you’re in. Jules never really had any redemption; he doesn’t put his gun down on the table along with the case and leave his whole life behind. Instead, he puts the gun back in his pants, get the case back to Marcellus - and thus decide to perpetuate is older way of life. Chances are he gonna get right back at it despite his religious conviction because *he is a profesionnal* (same thing for Vincent, might be oppposite in the how it shows but it is essentially the same). Butch is both one of the most noble and one of the most evil character. He doesn’t feel bad about killing someone he didn’t had to kill at all; Also, when he kills Vincent, it’s completely unnecessary. He could’ve off walked out with the watch. In fact any non-psychopath in this situation would run, get the watch, and get out without stopping for pop-tarts (seriously...). Marvellus try himself to stop killing : after all, he decide to engage Butch knowing what he can do, but rig the fight. However, Marcellus isn’t able to get out of the violence cycle, since Buth is touched in his ego and decide to kill the other boxer himself, or at least decide to win the fight no matter the consequences. While Vincent is a character who accept his destiny, Butch do not give a fuck. He take the risk to kill a whole bunch o people when he encouters Marcellus in his car. Vincent, on the other hand, is the more cool character. He’s a nihilist, someone who knows what’s going on but pretend they don’t really know it. Marcellus likes him because he doesn’t give a fuck about anything in life, accept Marcellus and his wife. Marcellus knows that Vincent care for his wife and also knows that he would never cross certain boundaries, and this is why he send him to look after her. It isn’t Vincent’s fault when Mia overdose. It’s her own damn fault. But Marcellus knew that was a risk and knew Vincent would have really helped her, while Jules would’ve have probably just pray God or something. Marcellus like Jules because he instills fear in his ennemies. Marcellus likes Vincent because he is just like him yet doesn’t care about being in his place. Butch doesn’t like anyone but his wife. He is the only who kills for personal reasons only - even Marcellus had to do something to Tony after he touched his wife for obvious crime business reasons, and overreacted on purpose. The only character that isn’t playing a role is Butch. And Butch wins. He fly with his wife / gf away from it all at the end of the movie. Yet he is truly the only one succeeding because he, and only himself, decide when and how to be violent. The rest of the characters all play a role. Jules mostly didn’t wanted to kill Pumpkin and Honey bunny because he got fed-up of cleaning the car, and decided to put an entire *act* to justify this to himself and Vincent, and to them. He couldn’t give less of a fuck about the money. For him, not killing an ennemy is disrespecting that enemy as someone who isn’t even worthy of his redemption. In the end, both the mysterious characters with the least screen time - Marcellus and Butch - are the ones who decided to live their own fucking lives. Even Wolf - one of THE most important characters btw - is playing a role. The classiest gentleman in town - specialized in corps recovery. Damn. In the end, the only respect they have in common isn’t for authority, God, the elders, or any of thay shit they make up in their minds. The only respect they have, all of them, for anything at all... is violence. They all respect violence. Except Butch, who just doesn’t care. Think about it.
@@jas_bataille I thought about it. No. The main point of the film is that Jules gives up his violent life. You're saying that because he didn't give the thieves his gun that he's lying to himself and going to go back to being violent. That's Shaq levels of reach. Jules even shows up in another Tarentino movie as a nonviolent drifter. I get it though. You don't like theists.
@@xoreign Oh wait did I come across as Passive Aggressive? XD sorry about that. I try to make my comments mostly friendly, and only raise the heat when needed. ANd even then its not by much. Sorry it came across that way, no hard feelings.
Nice. One interpretation I like is the morality-centric one. Marcellus Wallace is a cold hearted gangster and is the only source of moral authority in the world and its characters. By the opening conversation on the foot massage, it's clear Vince will defend amoral actions from his boss but Jules is sceptical of his boss' moral authority. There isn't a single policeman in the whole film. Everyone's lives are run by a criminal boss. Jules turns to God as his moral authority and survives. Butch initially looks to no moral authority at all (he feels no emotion about killing a fellow boxer) until he chooses to pick up a samurai sword, symbolising the honour of his soldier ancestors. He survives too. The one law enforcement character Zed is a security guard who rapes Marcellus. Butch saves Marcellus and Marcellus reconciles with him. They all transcend their selfish, brutal lives and find morality. The one time Vince is happy is when he's overstepping his boundaries with Mia. However he fails to transcend his place in the world and is the only main character to get killed.
Dude youre ficking brilliant! Yaaaaaas. Message me about your perceptions if you have more. Ive been eating this shit up recently. About to start watching the movie for the 100,000th time
Pulp Fictions brilliance is you can watch it without sound and it is visually stunning. You can also listen only to the dialogue with no image and it is still brilliant.
For me, I understood it from the first time because I knew what to expect, but Jack has an amazing ability to make me like films more. I still think it's a bit overrated(I never thought it was a bad movie, just that it's not the best ever), but I do appreciate it more with Jack's comments on it.
A key aspect of the plot's sequence that I only just now thought of is that it's a good way of introducing every character in the first act. In consecutive order, Butch would only appear 50 minutes into the movie, and so slipping him in a flash-forward within the first 10 minutes was a brilliant way of having Butch, a late-coming character, firmly established in the story from the get-go without forsaking continuity. Same goes, to a lesser degree, for Mia Wallace.
Pulp Fiction was the movie that made me really appreciate dialogue. At the time it came out I was mostly into action, sci-fi, comedy and some horror. But aside from comedy films my other favorites at that point weren't dialogue-centric. They were about what was happening in the story, or the visuals, or the tone. But Pulp Fiction is so dialogue-driven it brought my attention to how much you can develop characters just by giving them real-life conversations to have with each other. Instead of just talking about the plot, Vincent, Jules, Mia and Butch talk like real people and we learn about who they are through their dialogue. Thus we care about what happens to them despite for example Vincent and Jules being cold-blooded hitmen. Tarantino's masterpiece for me defined 90s cinema and to a certain extent 90s pop culture: the era of the anti-hero.
We were going to do a black mask movie and it kind of went in a different direction - also QT Thats why i hate this movie. He didnt have a plan when he started.
@@blaisemacpherson7637 Just because he did not exactly have the movie planned out in his mind from the start does not make it lesser of a film. When an author is constructing their piece, there are two forms of in which they achieve its completion. One could be where the artist carefully and meticulously plan out the plot of the story, what each point and chapter of it will be, allowing them to have a firm grasp of how the story would be paced and projected on the reader. The other method is the contrary, the writer would just write without regard about hitting certain points or chapters, and just see where the words take them. I phrased it as just being two forms of writing before, but in reality it really is a spectrum, all writers, to various extents, plan out what parts they want their story to have and simply just let the pen flow and see where the ink takes them, with each of these own methods having their own pros and cons. Yet, to get to my point, not having an exact plan when creating a piece of media, as to what that exact piece of media will be, does not invalidate the quality (or lack thereof) of the media in question. I am not trying to say there isn't a reason for you to dislike the film, I'm sure you have your arguments for that, but what I am trying to say is: You cannot hate you birthday present off of only how the box was made, but better instead, what are the contents inside upon being opened.
In the scene where Butch escapes and is going through different weapons.... First he gets a hammer ( A hammer is used in Django unchained by Calvin Candy) Then he picks up a Baseball bat ( A bat was also used by Donny Donowitz in Inglorious basterds ) Then finally picks up a Sword ( Which was the main weapon of Beatrix kiddo in Kill bill vol- 1 and 2 ) Easter eggs anyone ?
I guess "Easter eggs" was bad terminology on my part ... More like little things Tarantino incorporated into his future films. Or maybe I'm just Fanboying
The "sword" is actually a Hatori Hanso Katana. I love that easter egg. There is an other easter egg, which can be found in every Tarantino movie, the "Red Apple" cigarettes.
I love the redemption theme in this movie. With Butch, his redemption is earning the right to own the gold watch. His forefathers had to go through a lot for him to have that watch but not so for him. When his girlfriend forgets to pack it, its his opportunity to show that he is worthy of the watch. That he is willing to do whatever it takes to not lose it and pass it on to his own son one day. With Marcellous willing to go to the ends of the earth to catch him, his decision to go back for the watch may have saved his life in the end and that is the legacy of the watch. Its about honour, family and staying true to yourself.
I’ve always interpreted it as being that cold shapeless meaningless form of matter that’s shown in the definition at the beginning. All the twists seems so random and chaotic, showing us that nothing is in our control and that at a moments notice anything can drastically change almost beyond recognition. This is probably best displayed in the rape dungeon scene imo, but showcases itself in other places throughout the movie as well. Like when Mia by chance finds the heroin in Vincent’s pocket or when Vincent’s gun goes off accidentally in the car, or when the robbers seem to have the situation under control in the restaurant and Jules completely flips the dynamic, or in the apartment scene where Jules and Vincent, who also seemingly have the situation under control, could have been killed by the shooter in the bathroom. And even more so the act of god conversation that follows adds to the idea that none of this is in our hands. I think Tarantino has used this theme in some of his other films before as well, the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs comes to mind. But I think he goes all out with it in this one, even the little details, like the setting are obscured through dialogue. The first time I watched it I thought it took place in the south because of butch mentioning Tennessee in the phone booth, and later the confederate flag (as well as southern license plates) in the pawn shop. I think the only time LA is explicitly mentioned is when Marcellus tells butch he’s lost his LA privileges. Just an observation I’ve made.
You are totally wrong about Butch. He won the fight because people knew the fix was in and the odds went far into his favor betting on himself. The payphone conversation after the fight explains it all. He had someone put money down on him with 9 bookies at great odds. Butch is selfish and not a man of his word. Secondly when asked how he feels knowing that he killed a man, he shows he does not show empathy or value human life. He does find redemption when going back I tot he basement to save marsellus Wallace after he escapes. So his character does have an arc, and he redeems himself, but he was no more noble than any other character in the movie. Poorly done.
I never looked at it like Butch breaking his word. He was forced to take a dive by a mob boss but he never had any intention on losing, he was to proud. He just told Marcellus Wallace what he wanted to hear so he wouldn’t kill him. He won the fight, got his big pay day and was going to split town. I never saw him as a bad person, he was being harassed by bad people. As far as the fighter he killed, it’s part of the game, I also think that him acting the way he did was more of self defense mechanism, deep down he didn’t want the man to die but at the same time he wasn’t going to let it eat him alive. Butch saving Marcellus also showed what kinda person he was.
@@paolobogli458 he wanted to kill trim for his benefit too. He thought killing two birds with one stone. Killing the ones who tried to rape him and clearing his debt with Marcellus
I just saw this movie 2 days ago, and its the 1st movie in a long time that I actually want to rewatch since Inception. I love the foreshadowing in Pulp Fiction.
Good summation, better than most others I've heard, the other day I was disappointed by anthoer review where literally all they talked about was "Marcellus' Soul fan-theory is BS" and "all the Tarantino movies are interconnected" without actually diving into Pulp Fiction on its own context. Glad to see your review avoided such blunders but rather shed light onto the movie itself. The point about the Dialogue being key to keeping the audience invested in otherwise unsympathetic characters is something I've genuinely never thought of before.
I'm glad to hear it! It's kind of tough to talk about movies that EVERYBODY and their dog has talked about this movie. I didn't want to focus on fan theories but instead try to look at why it has held up so well and why it is such a great movie.
Mia's job was to see if Vincent would break. If he did, he'd be the next guy Marcellus "threw out a window". If he passed, Marcellus can trust him even more. Mia wasn't exactly flirting with Vincent because she liked him at first, but she definitely liked him after he saved her from her overdose.
Nah I think Mia did fuck Tony Rocky Horror. I think she was completely prepared to deny that story. That’s why the foot massage story caught her off guard and then she reveled in denying that. Marcellus assigned Vincent to take her out to make sure that she wouldn’t be with anyone else. He trusted Vincent with his life. Mia didn’t know that. She thought he was just another one of Marcellus’s guys she would screw. She was eccentric and bored. The whole night was just a game to her to get Vincent to bed.
Тhis mоvie is nоoооw аvаilablе to watch here => twitter.com/da4fdfee3410d8ad8/status/795841364185333760 Lеееet s Еxplоre Рulp Fiction Film Disseeеeсccсtiоn 30
I want a Tarrintino horror movie , yes I know he did death proof , I mean like a slasher/halloween/ Friday the 13th / elm street movie in the style of Pulp Fiction mixed with all the rest of his movies rolled into a 2 hour slasher.
I mean Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as close as you're gonna get since it's technically about the Manson murders. I love slashers, but one written by Tarantino? Nah he likes to make the killers cool guys. Tarantino works best when he's making homoerotic action flicks lmao
Great layout/blueprint to understand the various story lines! Pulp Fiction works on so many levels. I think "redemption" is always a good term for most character arcs in screenwriting. The best and most relatable characters are mostly troubled and flawed - seeking some kind of resolution. Love the scene when Butch decides not to walk out, but to go back and free Marsellus (whom he betrayed to save his own honor) from the sick pervs. This was his chance for redemption and he took it (not to mention the many homages and Easter eggs!). I agree: the dialog is ace as usual with Tarantino: mostly non-functional, apparently casual, but conveying a lot of crucial information about the characters themselves and even the plot. Just this one line by Jules: "OK. let's get in-character!". Says a lot about the entire movie. Spot-on description of the various characters and a very insightful dissection - as always!
This movie is really something special, the original plan for the video was to have it focus more on the cultural impact, but this movie is so much fun to talk about, I didn't want to spend time talking about what isn't part of the actual movie.
solid video. I've got one point for you though, that despite the fact the dialogue doesn't seem to aim to progress the story, it nonetheless DOES- every single word is absolutely essential. The necessity of every word is always the mark of a fantastic screenplay or story. Additionally, the fact that the dialogue is so effortlessly presented to us as unnecessary in spite of its ability to characterize AND progress the plot is absolutely groundbreaking. I'd argue, essentially agreeing with you, that the dialogue is what makes this film one of the best of all time.
Just finished my third viewing of this masterpiece. Such a subversive film. I love how the film is chopped up out of order but you somehow can understand the story easily. It's actually astonishingly well done
My dad took me to a dollar theater when I was like 12 to see this movie. I remember that I didn't understand exactly the story structure and some of the things happening since I was jsut a young tike at the time, but I remember walking out completely changed on how I looked at movies. I didn't really understand the plot but remember that I still loved it. It was on my mind the rest of the week and was kind of the spark to the flame that would burn later in my love of films now to the point I recently moved to LA to pursue my life long dream of being a screenwriter. And I always credit my dad with letting me go see a rated R movie at that age. Changed my life in a weird way. Still my favorite movie to this day, especially the script and dialouge.
I was a kid when I first saw a scene from this movie , my dad was watching it in the living room and after a while near the end of the movie I snuck out to sneak a peak .that was also the first time I saw a gimp and man rape.. 😐 that was face as a kid I didnt know wtf I was seeing
Thanks for this. What helped me a lot with Pulp Fiction, was viewing it as a Roman/Neoclassical 5-Act play, set in America. Act I sets the stage for us, Act II rises in action, it climaxes - and effectively ends on Act III - as Butch redeems himself. However, we retrack for Act IV as Vincent the Heathen collects his thoughts and fails to resolve his life by the end of the movie. The beauty of it is that you have the meditation which ends a Tragedy, while it purports to end as a Comedy of life. Vincent Vega and Rupert Pupkin are comparable because they both practice submission, or 'Islam', in a Dante-esque Comedy. It's like we're seeing Italian directors outgrow or reject Dante on film! It's oddly thrilling in its allusions and the historicity of its structure.
It's really hard to leave an interesting comment after your analyses. Great work. After seeing Pulp Fiction many times and refining my taste in movies over the years I realize that I really enjoy movies in which the characters are well constructed and written. I prefer great dialogues and a good story to photography or anything visual. This is weird because cinema is mostly a visual art ( I guess). Thank you.
Thank you, I guess I prefer a happy medium between visual and literal storytelling. Someone like Steve McQueen always has actors tell you so much based just off of facial expressions, that is always so impressive to see throughout all three of his movies.
Great video there is much more to be said here. You didn't touch on the symbols. The symbols being the brief case, the katana, and of course a few of the characters.
You also forgot to mention about the character of Marsellus; some people believe he has the bandaid on his neck/head because that's the spot where his soul was removed to gain power as a mob boss. He regrets it though and spends the movie trying to gain back his soul that's in the briefcase...
@wonder mike heart of gold that emotionally mistreats his girlfriend, murders a man, and illegally bets a load of money on himself, based on a lie to a crime boss
@wonder mike Eh, accident or not, he didn't seem to feel any remorse after killing Floyd in the boxing match. Butch's downfall with his character is his pride and ego. But other than thats, he's alright I guess. Personally, I liked Vincent and Jules better, despite whether I was supposed to root for them or not. Thing is, I don't think Pulp Fiction really had a "hero" in the story. But if you really wanna break it down, It goes as such... Vince was the protagonist on "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's wife" Butch was the protagonist in "The Gold Watch" And lastly, Jules was the protagonist in "The Bonnie Situation"
Saw it in the theater when if came out in 1994. Walked out thinking that is the greatest movie I've ever seen. 25 years later my opinion hasn't changed
I know im a biased famboy idiot about this movie. Only other movie i can watch 2 or 3 times in a row is scarface or the star wars series. Maybe lotr. But pulp fiction just hits every note my brain has to play. Complexity, relatability, sorrow, joy, empathy, justice, death, love, taboo, life, spirituality. Man idgaf what anybody can come up with to shit on this movie. Its an absolute experience. I realize something about myself, the world, or the movie itself every time i watch it. Quentin tarantino, the actors, and all the people who made that movie possoble; i thank you from the bottom of my heart. An absolute masterpeice. I wish there was a longer version just so it lasts longer. Reaching the end credits is so bittersweet. I want more but i couldnt cap it off any better. Absolutely beautiful.
I have watched this movie 3 times and 5 explinations of this movie. Still dont understand why people enjoy this movie so much i can see why its a great movie just cant wrap my head around how people can call this movie their favorite movie of all time. Btw i love tarantino and his movies
in the scene where Jules claims divine intervention, the curtain hanger resembles a cross in the background which could be a neat little nod to that statement...
It's interesting how you said Butch is always driven to be his best. When he and Marcellus are tied up in the pawn shop, he could have just left, but, driven to be the best he can be, he does what is "right" and saves Marcellus, consequences be damned.
How about a video on a Terrance Malick movie like Badlands, Days of Heaven, or maybe even The Thin Red Line? The Tree of Life could also work, I suppose.
Butch didn’t win the fight out of sense of nobility, he won because he knew the odds would be so stacked against him considering the rumor was out there that he would throw the fight. That’s shown during the phone call scene when he asks about the bookies
Butch is a THE most noble character IMO he refuses to leave Marsellus to his grim fate in spite of the fact of not knowing if Marsellus will forgive him out of gratitude. Butch couldve escaped from the pawn shop free and clear with the certainty that Marsellus would be killed but instead returns just because its the right thing to do. Butch shows throughout that he is decisive quick thinking and calculating in his thinking process not all like the proverbial punch drunk palooka people may think he is
Thats why my favorite scene in this movie is when christopher walken explains to young butch thw significance of the family watch cause when he was explaining it about the up inside the ass thing, young butch doesnt seem to understand a single word walken was saying but look at how he values it as an adult and at least he didnt shove it up his ass
