Pulp Fiction

This article is about the film. For the genre, see pulp magazine.

Pulp Fiction
File:Pulp Fiction cover.jpg IMDB 8.7/10 (190,703 votes) top 250: #8
Directed by	Quentin Tarantino
Written by	Quentin Tarantino Roger Avary
Produced by	Lawrence Bender
Starring	John Travolta Samuel L. Jackson Uma Thurman Harvey Keitel Tim Roth Amanda Plummer Maria de Medeiros Ving Rhames Eric Stoltz Rosanna Arquette Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis
Cinematography	Andrzej Sekula
Edited by	Sally Menke
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release dates	May, 1994 (première at Cannes) October 14th, 1994 October 21, 1994 November 24th, 1994 February 18th, 1995
Running time	154 min. (168 min. deluxe edition)
Language	English
Budget	$8 million

Pulp Fiction is an Oscar-winning 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino who co-wrote the screenplay with Roger Avary. The film's idiosyncratic characteristics include fragmented storyline, eclectic dialogue, ironic and campy influences, unorthodox camerawork, and numerous pop culture references. Tarantino and Avary won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and the film was nominated for seven Oscars in total, including Best Picture.

The plot, in keeping with most other Tarantino works, runs in nonlinear order. The unconventional structure of the movie is an example of a so-called postmodernist film. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines popular during the mid–20th century, known for their strongly graphic nature. The film's dialogue and the majority of its scenes were a collage of other works of "pulp" fiction, that is to say bits of other, less acclaimed, works.

The film had an impact on the careers of its cast members. It provided a breakthrough role for Samuel L. Jackson, previously a supporting actor who became an international star in a part Tarantino wrote especially for him. It revived the fortunes of John Travolta who was going through something of a career slump at the time, and allowed Bruce Willis to move away from the action hero reputation he had gained through films such as Die Hard. It raised the profile of Uma Thurman and led to greater recognition for character actors such as Ving Rhames and Harvey Keitel. Eric Stoltz was also acclaimed for his role as Lance, the bathrobe clad heroin dealer.

Structure

Pulp Fiction is divided into six individual and yet interrelated stories. As is common in Tarantino films, they are not arranged in chronological order.

Cinematic order:

• The Diner (first part)
• Vincent & Jules
• Vincent Vega And Marsellus Wallace's Wife
• The Gold Watch
• The Bonnie Situation
• The Diner (second part)

Chronological order:

• Vincent & Jules
• The Bonnie Situation
• The Diner (first part)
• The Diner (second part)
• Vincent Vega And Marsellus Wallace's Wife
• The Gold Watch

Plot

Using many elements of a black comedy with many stylistic and pop culture touches, Pulp Fiction weaves through the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles gangsters, fringe characters, petty thieves and a mysterious attaché case. In keeping with Quentin Tarantino's directorial trademark of non-linear story telling, Pulp Fiction is written out of sequence, telling several stories concurrently that intersect as the film progresses. Characters are introduced and killed and later returned as the film's narrative jumps back and forth.

Dialogue is typically not paramount in action films, however the film is strongly character driven, using minutes upon minutes of screen time and pages of dialogue to reveal these characters' humour, philosophy, eloquence, and poignancy. There are only a few main storylines in Pulp Fiction identifiable through introductory cut-scenes and by the characters involved and their interaction. The film starts out with a hold-up in a restaurant with armed entrepreneurs "Pumpkin" and "Honey Bunny," then picks up the stories of mob hitmen Vincent (brother of Vic Vega from Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs) and Jules, Mia and Marcellus Wallus, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and finally returns to where it began, in the restaurant, where Vincent and Jules stop for a bite, foil the hold-up, and set the robbers on a more righteous path.

The Diner (first part)

Over breakfast in a diner, "Pumpkin" and "Honey Bunny" (as they lovingly refer to themselves) discuss robbing restaurants instead of their usual liquor stores. "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) recalls from their last robbery how they could retrieve more money from customers than the store alone. For this and other reasons, including a diminished "hero factor," they decide to rob the diner. The two jump up, brandishing firearms and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer) famously screams, "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every motherfuckin' last one of you!"

Vincent & Jules

File:Pulp Fiction Vincent and Jules.jpg

John Travolta (left) and Samuel L. Jackson as Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, respectively. Here, they are depicted in Tarantino's signature trunk shot.

Hitmen Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) head to a Los Angeles apartment to retrieve a briefcase for their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), involved in a failed deal with Brett (Frank Whaley) and his cohorts. The briefcase is used as a classic MacGuffin throughout the movie, the contents of which are never revealed except indirectly via a glowing, gold light. In getting to the apartment, Vince and Jules discuss Vincent's upcoming date with Marsellus Wallace's wife and his recent trip to Europe. Vega famously notes that since Paris uses the metric system, a Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a "Royale with cheese." Their jovial and philosophical conversation is a stark contrast to the serious and graphic nature of the apartment scene following their arrival. After a stern lecture on loyalty by Jules, they gun down the men.

Vincent Vega And Marsellus Wallace's Wife

File:Pulp Fiction Mia.jpg

Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace.

At Marsellus's request, Vincent Vega takes his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) on a date while Marsellus is out of town. They head to Jackrabbit Slim's, a slick 1950s-themed restaurant. Patrons can eat in a classic car refitted as a booth while look-alikes of the decade's top pop culture icons serve as staff: television impresario Ed Sullivan is the maître d', and servers include singer Buddy Holly (Steve Buscemi) and actresses Marilyn Monroe and Mamie Van Doren.

Vincent and Mia make small talk, recounting her experience as an actress in a failed television pilot, "Fox Force Five." She explains that the show would follow the exploits of an all-female team of secret agents, each having a particular specialty (Tarantino has acknowledged the similarity between Fox Force Five and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) in Kill Bill). Mia's character, Raven McCoy, was to be a knife expert raised by circus performers. In each episode, the character would retell one of a zillion old jokes learned from her vaudevillian grandfather. Mia refuses to tell Vincent the joke from the pilot for fear of embarrassment.

After winning the twist contest, they return to the Wallace house where Mia finds Vincent's stash of heroin in the pocket of his coat. While Vincent is in the restroom, she snorts it, mistaking it for cocaine. Having already done multiple lines of coke throughout the evening she overdoses, and a fearful Vincent rushes her over to his small-time drug dealer Lance (Eric Stoltz) for help. Together, they administer an adrenaline shot to Mia's heart, waking her with a howl. Mia and Vincent agree not to tell Marsellus of the overdosing incident, both fearing what he might do to either of them. Before they part ways, Mia finally reveals her corny joke: "So there's Papa Tomato, Momma Tomato and Baby Tomato walking along the street. Baby Tomato starts lagging behind, and Papa Tomato starts getting really angry. So, he turns around and squishes Baby Tomato and says, 'Ketchup.'"

The Gold Watch

File:Pulp Fiction Butch.jpg

Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) in the pawnshop.

Aging prizefighter Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) accepts a large sum of money from Marsellus, agreeing to "take a dive" in the fifth round of his upcoming match. Butch double-crosses Marsellus, instead betting the money he received from Marsellus on himself (with favorable odds). Butch wins the bout, accidentally killing his opponent in the process, and flees.

There is a flashback in which a young Butch Coolidge (Chandler Lindauer) receives his father's watch from Vietnam veteran Captain Koons (Christopher Walken). Koons explains that Butch's father died in a Vietnam War POW camp and, at his dying request, Walken's character hid the watch in his rectum for two years from the Vietcong to give to his son, Butch. This gold watch, which has been passed down from father to son since his great-grandfather fought in World War I, is of great sentimental value to Butch.

Butch is compelled to return to his apartment to retrieve the wristwatch after he discovers his girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros), forgot to pack it. He is worried that Marsellus's men are most likely there looking for him. Butch quickly enters, gets the watch and is ready to leave. Satisfied no one awaits to kill him, Butch grabs toaster pastries in his kitchen and puts them in the toaster. While waiting for the pastries to cook, Butch notices a silenced MAC-10 submachine gun on the kitchen counter. Shocked, he picks up the gun. Hearing the toilet flush in the bathroom next to the kitchen, he readies himself in time to encounter Vincent Vega exiting the bathroom. They both freeze. The toaster pastries pop up, and Butch shoots Vincent.

While driving back to the motel from the apartment complex, Butch sees Marsellus crossing the street in front of him. They recognize each other, and Butch accelerates into Marsellus, hitting him and then crashing. Marsellus recovers and limps after an injured Butch, firing stray bullets. They grapple and fight in a pawn shop, and Butch is about to shoot Marsellus, when the pawnshop owner Maynard captures them at gunpoint. With the help of his accomplice, Zed, Maynard ties the two with red ball gags strapped in their mouths. Maynard and Zed turn out to be sexual predators. They take Marsellus into the back room and rape him, leaving a gimp to watch after the other prisoner. Butch breaks free from his bonds and knocks out The Gimp, and is prepared to flee when he hesitates, deciding to save Marsellus.

In what is likely a reference to a similar scene in the film The Last House on the Left, Butch looks around the shop, picks up and tries out a variety of weapons, finally settling on a katana. He goes downstairs, sees Zed raping Marsellus on a small wooden pommel horse, while Maynard watches. Butch slashes Maynard, killing him. As Zed retreats, Marsellus retrieves Maynard's fallen shotgun, saying "Step aside Butch" before he shoots Zed in the groin. After promising to "get medieval on [Zed's] ass," with "a couple pipe-hittin' niggers, who'll go to work...with a pair of pliers and a blow torch," Marsellus tells Butch that they are even with respect to the money and botched fight-fix, so long as he never tells anyone about the rape, leaves Los Angeles and never returns. Butch agrees, leaving town on Zed's chopper with Fabienne. From a chronological perspective, this is the last scene of the movie.

The Bonnie Situation

The story now flashes back to Vincent and Jules in the car leaving Brett's apartment. After Vincent and Jules shot Brett, a man wielding a "handcannon" burst out of the bathroom and shot wildly at them missing every time before an astonished Jules and Vincent fatally shoot him. Jules argues that it was a miracle that they did not get shot, and decides to retire from his job as a hit man for Marsellus despite Vincent's protest. They leave, taking their informant, Marvin (Phil LaMarr).

As Vincent asks Marvin in the backseat for his opinion, he accidentally shoots Marvin while carelessly pointing a gun towards his head. Jules calls his friend Jimmy (Quentin Tarantino), and they are allowed to use his house temporarily to remove their bloodied car from the road. Jimmy objects to the situation, saying his wife, Bonnie, will be returning soon from work. At Jules's request, Marsellus arranges the help of Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel). Wolfe takes control of the situation, ordering Jules and Vincent to clean the car, hide the body in the trunk, dispose of their bloody clothes, and change into "dorky" T-shirts provided by Jimmy. He also pays Jimmy for his linens, used to cover the bloody seats while they take the car to Monster Joe's Truck & Tow, a junkyard run by Wolfe's girlfriend, Raquel (Julia Sweeney). When Wolfe and Raquel leave to have breakfast, Jules and Vincent decide to do the same, meeting "Pumpkin" and "Honey Bunny."

The Diner (second part)

File:Pulp Fiction Pumpkin and Honey Bunny.jpg

"Honey Bunny" (left) and "Pumpkin" hold up the diner.

While Jules and Vincent eat, the discussion returns to Jules's decision to retire. While Vincent is in the bathroom, the pair of thieves from the first scene hold up the diner. "Honey Bunny" screams "Any one of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every one of you motherfuckers!" (which is slightly different from the earlier scene). They demand all of the patrons' wallets, money, and valuables. "Pumpkin" demands that Jules hand over the mysterious case, but Jules grabs his wrist, calling him "Ringo" (due to his British accent) holding him at gunpoint. "Honey Bunny" becomes hysterical, and trains her gun on Jules screaming for him to let "Ringo" go. Jules convinces "Yolanda" to be quiet just as Vincent emerges from the restroom with his gun trained on her in a Mexican standoff. Jules explains his ambivalence toward his life of crime, takes his wallet back from "Ringo," and convinces the two robbers to take his cash and all of the patrons' valuables in exchange for the case and their departure so he won't have to kill them and begin his retirement. Vincent suggests that they leave, which they do, placing their guns in their shorts.

Production

Origins

Homage as style

Like Tarantino's other works, Pulp Fiction makes extenstive use of the homage to other past films, film genres, television with specific attention to the gangster film genre and to "popular culture since 1950."

The film has a feeling of a naturalistic universe common to classic Hollywood gangster films. This feeling is heightened by the circular, nonlinear plot construction which at once confuses and underlines the relationship between cause and effect. Because Jules believes his life was spared miraculously, in a way that does not conform with a naturalistic universe, he feels compelled to break out of the gangster lifestyle, thus making a conscious decision not to resign himself to fate. Another major theme is that of self preservation within a naturalistic universe "where the long view is the short run." This seems to be the driving force for Vincent. There is also a nod toward the importance of one's own family history in defining who a person is in the story of Butch and the gold watch. New York University film and television professor Ken Dancyger argues that "identity crises are the shaping device in Pulp Fiction."

"The Gold Watch" sequence was heavily based on a script entitled Pandemonium Reigns, which Tarantino purchased from his friend Roger Avary.

The mysterious briefcase

The only indisputable observations about the stolen attaché case recovered by Jules and Vincent are that its latch lock combination is "666", the "Number of the Beast" as given in the Biblical Book of Revelation, and that the contents of the case either glow orange or are highly reflective. "Fox Force Five" may also be a play on the 666 phenomenon as "F" is the 6th letter of the English alphabet. The only acknowledgments of its contents include the captivated stare of Vincent and later the character called "Ringo", his reaction, "Is that what I think it is?", and his response (to Jules saying "Uh-huh"), "It's beautiful." Whenever asked, director Tarantino has replied that there is no explanation for the case's contents: it is simply a MacGuffin. Originally, the Pulp Fiction case was to contain diamonds (stolen in the film Reservoir Dogs), but this was seen as too mundane. For filming purposes, the briefcase contained an orange light bulb, silver foil, and a battery. Despite Tarantino's explanation, many theories have been proposed for the contents of the briefcase, such as it containing Marsellus's soul.

The glowing briefcase is an accidental reference to the film Kiss Me Deadly, where a briefcase glowed from its nuclear contents. When Tarantino learned of the similarity, he said it was purely accidental but that he liked the idea.

Jules' Bible passage

File:Pulp Fiction-Bible.jpg

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers."

As explained by Jules in the final scene in the diner, he recites a passage from the Bible — Ezekiel 25:17 — each time he kills someone. The passage reads as follows:

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

In the last scene of the movie, Jules repeats the passage to Pumpkin (who he refers to as Ringo), but phrases it slightly differently.

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.

This is, in fact, not an actual passage from the Bible, but a collage of several passages. Ezekiel 25:17 in the King James Version reads:

And I will execute great vengeance upon thee with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

This is actually a typically obscure reference to Karate Kiba / Chiba the Bodyguard, a 1976 film starring Sonny Chiba (whom Tarantino has hailed as "the greatest actor to ever work in martial arts films" and has worked with in the making of Kill Bill), which opens with a nearly identical misquote, likewise attributed to Ezekiel 25:17:

The path of the righteous man and defender is beset on all sides by the iniquity of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper, and the finder of lost children. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious anger, who poison and destroy my brothers; and they shall know that I am Chiba the Bodyguard when I lay my love upon them! (Ezekiel 25:17)

Also in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith videogame, Samuel L. Jackson's character Mace Windu says the catchphrase, "I will strike you down with great vengeance." Whether this was a nod to Jackson's former role isn't known.

Other production details

• The shot where Vincent injects the adrenaline into Mia was filmed backwards.
• Pulp Fiction was originally titled Black Mask.
• Mia Wallace's house is located at 1541 Summitridge Drive in Beverly Hills; most of the art shown in the film is the homeowner's. Most of the house where the scenes were shot can be seen from the road.
• Jules uses a STAR model B pistol, and Vincent uses an Auto-Ordnance Colt 1911A1 model pistol. Both are 9mm caliber, chrome plated, and have custom "mother of pearl" grips, and are actually owned by Tarantino.
• Jules was originally scripted with an Afro, but due to a mix-up in wardrobe, had Jheri Curls.
• The name "Winston Wolf" was borrowed from a regular customer named "Winston Wolff" who frequented the video store where Quentin Tarantino worked. Later on, Wolff gained real world notice as a video game programmer at LucasArts, working on Dark Forces and Jedi Knight.
• John Travolta is not a real-life smoker, but learned how to expertly roll Drum-brand tobacco into cigarettes for his part. Uma's character rolls her own before she overdoses in her home, and it is significantly "fatter" and less-expertly rolled than a seasoned pro would accomplish, because she usually smokes store-bought "Red Apples".
• Big Kahuna Burgers and Red Apple Cigarettes are trademarks of Quentin Tarantino films which he invented to avoid product placement. Big Kahuna Burger is featured in the Pulp Fiction apartment scene, From Dusk Till Dawn, and in Reservoir Dogs, when Michael Madsen walks in drinking a soda, and Red Apple, as well as being the cigarettes Butch buys inside Marsellus's bar, are advertised in the Tokyo airport in Kill Bill, Volume 1, in the LA airport in the beginning sequence of "Jackie Brown", and also appear in Four Rooms. However, in Pulp Fiction Vincent Vega rolls his own cigarettes using Drum, a real brand of tobacco. There is also a billboard ad for Red Apple Cigarettes in the background of a scene in Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion . Tarantino was dating the star of the film Mira Sorvino at the time.

Cast

Out of the $8 million it cost to make the movie, $5 million went to the star-studded cast. The film is known for revitalizing the career of John Travolta and launching Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman into stardom, however Thurman's came more with Kill Bill. The characters of Pumpkin, Honey Bunny, and Winston Wolfe were written specifically for Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, and Harvey Keitel, respectively.

Other actors considered for the film included Daniel Day-Lewis as Vincent; Paul Calderon as Jules; Mickey Rourke, Matt Dillon and Sylvester Stallone as Butch; Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Joan Cusack, Isabella Rossellini and Daryl Hannah (later cast in Kill Bill) as Mia; Johnny Depp and Christian Slater (previously cast in True Romance) as Pumpkin; and Pam Grier as Lance's wife Jody, who was later cast in the lead of Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Tarantino has also said that he originally wanted to cast Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love as Lance and Jody, respectively.

• John Travolta as Vincent Vega. Tarantino only cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction because Michael Madsen chose to appear in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp instead. He was paid only $140,000 USD for his services but because of the success of Pulp Fiction Travolta's career was revitalized. After the film Travolta was cast in several hits including Get Shorty, which cast him as a similar character, and the John Woo blockbuster Face/Off.

• Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield. The role of Jules was written with Jackson in mind by Tarantino as a payback for casting others in place of Jackson in previous films. However Jackson nearly lost the part after the initial audition. Paul Calderon, Jackson's friend, managed to argue for a second chance. Jackson flew to Los Angeles and re-auditioned, making the part his own, and won over Tarantino. For his efforts he was given an oscar nod along with co-star John Travolta.

• Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge. In Tarantino's original script the character of Butch is a fighter in his twenties. The character was aged to a washed up boxer to accommodate Bruce Willis in the role.

• Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace

• Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace

• Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe, or simply "The Wolf"

• Tim Roth as "Pumpkin" or "Ringo."

• Amanda Plummer as "Honey Bunny" or "Yolanda."

• Maria de Medeiros as Fabienne, the naïve girlfriend of Butch.

• Eric Stoltz as Lance.

• Rosanna Arquette as Jody, Lance's wife, who's into body piercing.

• Christopher Walken as Captain Koons, the Vietnam War veteran.

• Quentin Tarantino as Jimmie Dimmick.

• Phil LaMarr as Marvin.

• Peter Greene as Zed.

• Stephen Hibbert as The Gimp.

Reception

Made on a budget of $8 million, the film made $107,928,762 domestically and $213,928,762, making the film a box office success.

When the film was initially released in the United Arab Emirates, local distributors thought they'd received a "mixed-up" copy of the film, so they recut the entire film, placing it in chronological order.

Film critic Roger Ebert named Pulp Fiction as his 2nd favorite film of the 1990s.

Awards

Pulp Fiction has both won, and been nominated for, many awards.

It has won the following accolades:

Year	Award	Category — Recipient(s)
1994	Academy Award	Best Original Screenplay — Quentin Tarantino
1994	BAFTA	Best Supporting Actor — Samuel L. Jackson
1994	Palme d'Or	Quentin Tarantino
1994	Edgar Award	Best Motion Picture Screenplay — Quentin Tarantino

It was nominated for the following Academy Awards:

• Best Actor (John Travolta)
• Best Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson)
• Best Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman)
• Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)
• Best Film Editing (Sally Menke)
• Best Picture (Lawrence Bender, producer)

Soundtrack

File:PulpFictionSoundtrack.jpg

The soundtrack album cover.

Main article: Pulp Fiction (soundtrack)

No film score was composed for Pulp Fiction, with Quentin Tarantino instead using an eclectic assortment of surf music, rock and roll, soul and pop songs. Notable songs include Dick Dale's rendition of "Misirlou", which is played during the opening credits.

The soundtrack album, Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction, was released along with the film in 1994. In addition to songs from the film, it contains excerpts of dialogue, such as Jules' "Ezekiel 25:17" and "Royale with Cheese". The album peaked on the Billboard 200 at No. 21. The single, Urge Overkill's cover of the Neil Diamond song, "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", peaked at No. 59.

A two-disc collector's edition of the album was issued in 2002, which had five additional music tracks, including Link Wray's "Rumble" and a spoken-word interview with Tarantino.

Trivia

• Harvey Keitel plays Larry Dimmick in Reservoir Dogs, the cousin of Jimmy Dimmick in this film.
• Mia Wallace's suit reappears in two of Tarantino's later films, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill, Volume 2.
• The majority of clocks in the movie are set to 4:20, specifically in the pawnshop. It is a widely asserted misconception that all of the clocks are set to this time.
• When Vincent enters Lance's house with the overdosed Mia, the games Life and Operation can be seen amongst the books and clutter.
• Despite Steve Prince's claims, injecting adrenaline into someone's heart will not save them from a heroin overdose. The proper antidote is Narcan, an opioid antagonist, injected intravenously, intramuscularly, or sprayed intranasally.
• As the sole example of "real" pulp fiction in Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction, the character of Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is seen in several scenes reading the first Modesty Blaise novel while sitting on the toilet. The edition Vincent reads has a mock-up cover that Tarantino had his prop department make, based upon the cover of an early edition of the novel.
• Samuel L. Jackson has a cameo role in Kill Bill as Rufus, an organist in the El Paso Chapel. Jackson's character was also rumored to be Jules, because of that character's desire to "walk the earth like Caine in Kung Fu". The fact that he works at a church and is very well traveled supports this theory, and Rufus is killed (along with the rest of the people in the chapel) on the orders of Bill (David Carradine). Carradine portrayed Caine in the Kung Fu television series.
• The cereal that Lance is eating when Vincent comes to his house with Mia is called Fruit Brute and it was discontinued in 1983. Quentin Tarantino tries to get the same cereal box in each of his movies, which has shown up in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, although the cereal through which Vernita fires a gun is called "Kaboom!".
• In the flashback to Butch's childhood, young Butch watches a TV show featuring static cartoon images with superimposed moving human lips. The show is Clutch Cargo, perhaps the best-known of the programs and commercials that used this "Syncro-Vox" technique.
• When Mia Wallace first meets Vincent Vega and is interviewing him with her camcorder, she asks him, "Can you dig it?" to which Vincent responds, "I can dig it." Mia responds, "I knew that you could!" in a nod to John Travolta's repeated phrase in Saturday Night Fever as Tony Manero.

See also

• Pulp Fiction in Popular Culture

External links

• Pulp Fiction at IMDb
• Pulp Fiction at Rotten Tomatoes
• Roger Ebert's review of Pulp Fiction
• Timeline of the movie