Movie Description
Writer-director Quentin Tarantino revisits the seedier side of Los Angeles--following 1992's RESERVOIR DOGS--with this funny, violent, tongue-in-cheek tribute to the less "classic" side of filmmaking--the potboilers and capers, the Blaxploitation flicks and gangster movies. The film interweaves three tales, told in a circular, fractured manner, which only fully connect by the time the final credits roll. The first story focuses on Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), two hit men on duty for "the big boss," Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), whose gorgeous wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), takes a liking to Vincent. In the second, a down-and-out pugilist (Bruce Willis), who is ordered to take a fall, decides that there's more money in doing the opposite. The final chapter follows a pair of lovers (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth) as they prepare to hold up a diner.
Tarantino wears his cinematic influences proudly, bringing them to life in the ironically hip, self-referential 1990s. The result is a work that changed the face of independent cinema forever, making it a legitimate player in the Hollywood mainstream. The all-star cast steps into their roles with obvious glee, and Tarantino once again uses his soundtrack to up the "cool" ante yet another notch, making for a motion picture event that has worked its way into our national vernacular.
| Credits | | Producer: | Lawrence Bender | | Cast: | Alexis Arquette, Angela Jones, Duane Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Frank Whaley, John Travolta, Julia Sweeney, Peter Greene, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Buscemi |
| Details | | Edition: | Special Collector's Edition | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound |
Notes
Featuring director's commentary and never-before-seen additional footage, including an entire scene with Travolta and mob moll Thurman., PULP FICTION is number 95 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies.
PULP FICTION grossed $9.3 million the first weekend it opened. It took $8 million to produce.
The film shoot took approximately 500 days.
Jack Rabbit Slim's took 75 people, nine weeks and $75,000 to build. The restaurant was based on diners in the movies SPEEDWAY, RED LINE 7000, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, and GREASE.
Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace) is the daughter of the first American to be ordained a Buddhist monk. She was named after the Hindu bestower of blessings.
Editorial Reviews
Ranked #4 in Entertainment Weekly's "10 Favorite Films of the '90s" - "...Mod and merry....[An] achievement..."
Entertainment Weekly - p.160 - Owen Gleiberman (04/01/2000)
"...PULP FICTION is ferocious fun....154 deliciously lurid minutes..."
Rolling Stone - p.79-81 - Peter Travers (10/06/1994)
"...A remarkable achievement...Stylishly shot in neo-cartoon style, with massive, distorting close-ups offset by attractively angled shots..."
Sight and Sound - p.50-1 - Amanda Lipman (11/01/1994)
"...[Tarantino] has come up with a work of such depth, wit and blazing originality that it places him in the front ranks of American film makers..."
New York Times - p.C1 - Janet Maslin (09/23/1994)
"A spectacularly entertaining piece of pop culture....[The] performances are sensational..."
Variety - Todd McCarthy (05/23/1994)
"...In stunning fashion, Tarantino fulfills the promise of RESERVOIR DOGS. The film looks great and moves at a gallop..."
Film Comment - p.3-11 - Mary Corliss (07/01/1994)
"...Jackson gives a strong performance..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (10/14/1994)
"...If the situations are inventive and original, so is the dialogue..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (10/14/1994)
"Quentin Tarantino's ode to the gangster life hit Hollywood like a bullet to the underbelly....[T]he movie forever altered the aesthetic of cool..."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (12/01/2003)
"[A] self-reflexive postmodern black comedy of thugs and lugs, kingpins and common criminals, rampage and redemption."
Wall Street Journal - Joanne Kaufman (08/21/2009)
Awards
1994Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayQuentin Tarantino, 1994Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayRoger Avary, 1994CannesPalme d'Or
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Just plain spectacular
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