View source for Pulp Fiction

{{Short description|1994 crime film by Quentin Tarantino}}
{{About|the film||Pulp fiction (disambiguation){{!}}Pulp fiction}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Pulp Fiction
| image          = Pulp Fiction (1994) poster.jpg
| alt            = A pulp-magazine themed poster shows with a woman in a bedroom lying on her stomach in a bed holding a cigarette. Her left hands lays over a novel that reads "Pulp Fiction" on it. An ash tray, pack of cigarettes, and a pistol is laid down near her. The top tagline reads "WINNER - BEST PICTURE - 1994 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL". A sticker below the title reads "10¢".
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Quentin Tarantino]]
| producer       = [[Lawrence Bender]]
| writer         = Quentin Tarantino<!-- Credits state "Written by" -->
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* Quentin Tarantino
* [[Roger Avary]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Travolta]]
* [[Samuel L. Jackson]]
* [[Uma Thurman]]
* [[Harvey Keitel]]
* [[Tim Roth]]
* [[Amanda Plummer]]
* [[Maria de Medeiros]]
* [[Ving Rhames]]
* [[Eric Stoltz]]
* [[Rosanna Arquette]]
* [[Christopher Walken]]
* [[Bruce Willis]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Andrzej Sekuła]]
| editing        = [[Sally Menke]]
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[A Band Apart]]
* [[Jersey Films]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Miramax Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|1994|5|21|[[1994 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|1994|10|14|United States}}
| runtime        = 154 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 154:22--><!-- Only for theatrical runtime --><ref>{{cite web |title=Pulp Fiction |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/BFF065215 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |access-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510235257/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/pulp-fiction-film-0 |archive-date=May 10, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $8–8.5 million<ref name="Mojo">{{cite web|access-date=May 13, 2012|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pulpfiction.htm|title=Pulp Fiction (1994)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430222745/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pulpfiction.htm|archive-date=April 30, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|name="8.5 Budget"|In {{harvtxt|Waxman|2005|p=67}}, {{harvtxt|Biskind|2004|p=170}}, {{harvtxt|Polan|2000|p=69}},
 {{harvtxt|Dawson|1995a|pp=147–148}}}}
| gross          = $213.9 million<ref name="Mojo" />
}}

'''''Pulp Fiction''''' is a 1994 American [[Independent film|independent]] [[crime film]] written and directed by [[Quentin Tarantino]] from a story he conceived with [[Roger Avary]].<ref name="washingtonpost.com">See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; {{cite news |last=Kempley |first=Rita |title=''Pulp Fiction'' (R) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pulpfictionrkempley_a01ac7.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=1994-10-14 |access-date=2007-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709034854/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pulpfictionrkempley_a01ac7.htm |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |last=LaSalle |first=Mike |title=''Pulp'' Grabs You Like a Novel |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Pulp-Grabs-You-Like-a-Novel-3024865.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=1995-09-15 |access-date=2007-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112023743/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1995%2F09%2F15%2FDD26653.DTL |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in [[Los Angeles]]. The film stars [[John Travolta]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Bruce Willis]], [[Tim Roth]], [[Ving Rhames]], and [[Uma Thurman]]. The title refers to the [[pulp magazine]]s and [[hardboiled]] crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.

Tarantino wrote ''Pulp Fiction'' in 1992 and 1993, incorporating scenes that Avary originally wrote for ''[[True Romance]]'' (1993). Its plot occurs [[Nonlinear narrative|out of chronological order]]. The film is also [[self-referential]] from its opening moments, beginning with a [[title card]] that gives two dictionary definitions of "pulp". Considerable screen time is devoted to monologues and casual conversations with eclectic dialogue revealing each character's perspectives on several subjects, and the film features an [[ironic]] combination of humor and strong violence. [[TriStar Pictures]] reportedly turned down the script as "too demented". [[Miramax Films]] co-chairman [[Harvey Weinstein]] was enthralled, however, and the film became the first that Miramax Films fully financed.

''Pulp Fiction'' won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[1994 Cannes Film Festival]] and was a major critical and commercial success. It was nominated for seven awards at the [[67th Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], and won [[Best Original Screenplay]]; Travolta, Jackson, and Thurman were nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]], [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]], and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] respectively. As a result of the film's success, Travolta's career was reinvigorated. The film's development, marketing, distribution, and profitability&nbsp;had a sweeping effect on independent cinema.

''Pulp Fiction'' is widely regarded as Tarantino's ''[[magnum opus]]'', with particular praise for its screenwriting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1807 |title=101 Greatest Screenplays |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America, West]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306065813/http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1807 |archive-date=March 6, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 29, 2015}}</ref> The self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive [[Homage (arts)|homage]] and [[pastiche]] have led critics to describe it as a touchstone of [[postmodern film]]. It is often considered a cultural watershed, influencing films and other media that adopted elements of its style. The cast was also widely praised, with Travolta, Thurman, and Jackson earning high acclaim. In 2008, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' named it the best film since 1983<ref name=EWClassic>{{cite magazine |url= https://ew.com/article/2007/06/18/new-classics-movies/ |title=The New Classics: Movies |date=2007-06-18 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=2013-09-29 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080828181342/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20207076_20207079_20207442_24,00.html |archive-date=2008-08-28 |url-status=live }}</ref> and it has appeared on many critics' lists of the greatest films ever made. In 2013, ''Pulp Fiction'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="2013Add2">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/library-of-congress-announces-2013-national-film-registry-selections/2013/12/17/eba98bce-6737-11e3-ae56-22de072140a2_story.html |title=Library of Congress announces 2013 National Film Registry selections |last=O'Sullivan |first=Michael |date=December 18, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218140500/http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/library-of-congress-announces-2013-national-film-registry-selections/2013/12/17/eba98bce-6737-11e3-ae56-22de072140a2_story.html |archive-date=December 18, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-08|archive-date=October 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031213743/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cinema with the Right Stuff Marks 2013 National Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-13-216/2013-national-film-registry/2013-12-18/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-08|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604221938/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-13-216/2013-national-film-registry/2013-12-18/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Plot ==

=== Narrative structure ===
''Pulp Fiction''{{'}}s narrative is told out of chronological order and follows three main interrelated stories that each have a different protagonist: Vincent Vega, a hitman; Butch Coolidge, a prizefighter; and Jules Winnfield, Vincent's partner in crime.<ref name="PF93">"Pulp Fiction: The Facts" (1993 location interview), ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref>

The film begins with a diner robbery staged by a couple, then begins to shift from one story line to another before returning to the diner for the conclusion. There are seven narrative sequences; the three primary story lines are preceded by intertitles:

# "Prologue – The Diner" (i)
# "Prelude to 'Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife{{'"}}
# "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
# "Prelude to 'The Gold Watch{{'"}} (a – flashback, b – present)
# "The Gold Watch"
# "The Bonnie Situation"
# "Epilogue – The Diner" (ii)

If the seven sequences were ordered chronologically, they would run: 4a, 2, 6, 1, 7, 3, 4b, 5. Sequences 1 and 7 partially overlap and are presented from different points of view, as do sequences 2 and 6. According to Philip Parker, the structural form is "an episodic narrative with circular events adding a beginning and end and allowing references to elements of each separate episode to be made throughout the narrative".{{sfn|Parker|2002|p=23}} Other analysts describe the structure as a "circular narrative".{{sfn|Dancyger|2002|p=235}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Villella |first=Fiona A. |title=Circular Narratives: Highlights of Popular Cinema in the '90s |url=http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/3/circular.html#b2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231115331/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/3/circular.html#b2 |archive-date=2006-12-31 |work=Senses of Cinema |date=January 2000 |access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref>

=== Summary ===
<!-- Plot length should be 400-700 words. See WP:FILMPLOT. -->

==== "Prologue – The Diner" ====
A pair of thieves, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, reminisce on their past robbery attempts as they eat breakfast in a diner. Pumpkin proposes they rob the diner at that moment because he believes the patrons and employees will be unprepared to stop them. Honey Bunny agrees, and they begin the robbery.

==== "Prelude to 'Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife" ====
Two hitmen, Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, arrive at an apartment to retrieve a briefcase for their boss, influential local gangster Marsellus Wallace, from a business partner, Brett, and his friends. On the way, Vincent mentions that he had been tasked by Marsellus to take his wife, [[Mia Wallace]], to dinner and asks Jules questions about Mia. After Vincent checks the contents of the briefcase, Jules shoots one of Brett's friends. Jules rebukes Brett over his attempt to double-cross Marsellus and recites what is portrayed as a passage from the [[Book of Ezekiel]], before he and Vincent kill Brett.

==== "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife" ====
Jules and Vincent give the briefcase to Marsellus, who bribes boxer Butch Coolidge to [[Match fixing|intentionally lose]] in his upcoming match. Vincent purchases heroin from his drug dealer, Lance. He shoots up and drives to meet Mia, having agreed to escort her while Marsellus is out of town for the night. They eat at a 1950s-themed restaurant and participate in a [[Twist (dance)|twist]] contest, then return home. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Mia finds his heroin, mistakes it for cocaine, and snorts it, resulting in an [[overdose]]. Vincent rushes her to Lance's house, where Lance helps revive her by getting adrenaline for Vincent to [[Intracardiac injection|inject into her heart]]. Vincent takes Mia home, and they agree never to tell Marsellus about the incident.

==== "The Gold Watch" ====
Butch double-crosses Marsellus by winning the bout, but accidentally kills his opponent in the process. He plans to flee with his girlfriend, Fabienne, but discovers she has forgotten to pack an heirloom: a gold watch which belonged to Butch's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Returning to his apartment to retrieve it, he notices a [[MAC-10|gun]] on the kitchen counter and hears the toilet flush. Vincent exits the bathroom to find Butch pointing the gun at him. Butch shoots Vincent dead and departs.

While Butch is stopped at a traffic light, he sees Marsellus crossing the road. Butch rams his car into him and knocks him over, but is himself injured when his vehicle collides with another. Marsellus recovers, shoots at Butch and chases him into a pawnshop. Maynard, the shop owner, captures them at gunpoint and binds and gags them in the basement. Maynard and his accomplice, Zed, task their [[Bondage suit|gimp]] [[sex slave]] with watching Butch while they take Marsellus into another room and begin to [[Rape of males|rape]] him. Butch breaks free and is about to escape, but decides to save Marsellus and arms himself with a [[katana]] from the pawnshop. He kills Maynard and frees Marsellus, who shoots Zed in the crotch with Maynard's shotgun. Marsellus tells Butch that he will call his crew to help him torture Zed to death. He further tells Butch that they are "cool" (even) and instructs him to tell no one about the incident and depart Los Angeles forever. Butch picks up Fabienne on Zed's [[Chopper (motorcycle)|chopper]] and they ride away.

==== "The Bonnie Situation" ====
In the apartment, after Jules and Vincent kill Brett, another man bursts out of the bathroom and fires at them. Every shot misses and they shoot him dead. Jules says that their survival was a [[miracle]], which Vincent disputes, believing the man was just a lousy shot. While driving away with another one of Brett's friends, Marvin (who was actually a plant from Marsellus's organization), Vincent accidentally shoots him in the head when Jules drives over a bump in the road, covering Vincent, Jules, and the car interior in blood. They hide the car at the home of Jules's old friend and former business partner Jimmie, who demands they deal with the problem before his wife Bonnie comes home. Marsellus sends a [[Cleaner (crime)|cleaner]], Winston Wolfe, who directs Jules and Vincent to hide the body in the trunk, clean the car, dispose of their bloody clothes and take the car to a junkyard.

==== "Epilogue – The Diner" ====
At the diner from the film's prologue, Jules tells Vincent that he plans to retire from his life of crime, convinced that their survival at the apartment was [[divine intervention]]. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny hold up the restaurant and demand Marsellus's briefcase. Pumpkin initially holds Jules at gunpoint, but Jules soon overpowers Pumpkin and holds him at gunpoint. Honey Bunny becomes hysterical and points her gun at Jules. Vincent returns with his gun aimed at her, but Jules defuses the situation. He recites the biblical passage, expresses ambivalence about his life of crime, and allows the robbers to take his cash and leave. Jules and Vincent leave the diner with the briefcase.

== Cast ==<!-- Other articles link here -->
<!-- Cast per opening credits order. -->
=== Main characters ===
* [[John Travolta]] as Vincent Vega:
:Jules' partner-in-crime, working for Marsellus Wallace. Tarantino cast Travolta in ''Pulp Fiction'' because [[Michael Madsen]], who had played Vic Vega in ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' (1992), chose to appear in [[Kevin Costner]]'s ''[[Wyatt Earp (film)|Wyatt Earp]]'' instead. Madsen expressed regret over his decision.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhattacharya |first=Sanjiv |title=Mr Blonde's Ambition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/apr/18/features.magazine |work=The Guardian |date=2004-04-18 |access-date=2006-12-27 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709093114/http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,1194170,00.html |archive-date=July 9, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Harvey Weinstein]] pushed for [[Daniel Day-Lewis]] in the part.{{sfn|Charyn|2006|p=68}} Travolta accepted a reduced rate; sources say either US$100,000 or US$140,000. The film's success and his [[Academy Award]] nomination for Best Actor revitalized his career.<ref>For $100,000, see e.g., Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 3, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment). For USD$140,000, see e.g., {{cite web |last=Wills |first=Dominic |title=John Travolta Biography |publisher=Tiscali|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/john_travolta_biog/4 |access-date=2006-12-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104050530/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/john_travolta_biog/4 |archive-date=2007-01-04}} Note again that all the main actors were paid identical weekly salaries. It appears that these figures cited for Travolta do not include his participation, if any, in the film's profits.</ref> Vincent is the brother of Vic Vega, also known as Mr. Blonde in ''Reservoir Dogs'', and in 2004, Tarantino discussed an idea for a movie starring Travolta and Madsen as the "Vega Brothers"; though the concept never came to fruition.<ref name="Vega">{{cite web |last=Haddon |first=Cole |title=Michael Madsen Talks Hell Ride, Inglorious Bastards, and Sin City 2 |url=http://www.film.com/movies/story/michael-madsen-talks-hell-ride/22258175 |website=Film.com |date=2008-08-07 |access-date=2008-11-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023235552/http://www.film.com/movies/story/michael-madsen-talks-hell-ride/22258175 |archive-date=October 23, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Samuel L. Jackson]] as Jules Winnfield:
:Vincent's partner-in-crime, working for Marsellus Wallace. Jackson's first audition was overshadowed by [[Paul Calderón]]; Jackson had assumed the audition was merely a reading. Weinstein convinced him to audition a second time and his performance of the final diner scene won over Tarantino.{{sfn|Dawson|1995|p=154}}<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 5, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> Jules was originally scripted with a giant afro,<ref name="T3">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 3, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> but Tarantino's [[personal assistant]] mistakenly bought a [[Jheri curl]]ed wig. Tarantino was enraged but Jackson persuaded him to keep it since the hairstyle had gained popularity through the rap group [[N.W.A]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2016 |title=Samuel L. Jackson's 'Pulp Fiction' Jheri Curl Wig Was a Happy Accident |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/samuel-l-jacksons-pulp-fiction-jheri-curl-wig-000105962.html |access-date=2022-02-17 |website=Yahoo |language=en-US |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217105859/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/samuel-l-jacksons-pulp-fiction-jheri-curl-wig-000105962.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Film critic [[Owen Gleiberman]] took it as a "tacit comic statement about the ghettoization of [Black people] in movies".<ref name="OG">{{cite magazine |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |title=''Pulp Fiction'' (1994) |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/10/14/movie-review-pulp-fiction/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=1994-10-10 |access-date=2007-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015004935/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304048,00.html |archive-date=October 15, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Jackson received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Calderón appears in the film as Paul, a bartender at Marsellus's social club, as well as Marsellus's assistant. Tarantino wrote the role for [[Laurence Fishburne]], who turned it down. According to Tarantino, Fishburne refused it because his team did not see it as a starring role;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Laurence Fishburne Turned Down Samuel L. Jackson's Role in 'Pulp Fiction'|url=https://www.theringer.com/video/2020/1/16/21068675/laurence-fishburne-turned-down-samuel-l-jackson-role-in-pulp-fiction|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820185534/https://www.theringer.com/video/2020/1/16/21068675/laurence-fishburne-turned-down-samuel-l-jackson-role-in-pulp-fiction|archive-date=August 20, 2020|access-date=2020-08-21|website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]|language=en}}</ref> Fishburne later said he turned it down because he felt the film glamorized heroin.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jung|first=E. Alex|date=2020-08-19|title=Laurence Fishburne Knows Who He Is|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/laurence-fishburne-in-conversation.html|access-date=2020-08-21|website=Vulture|language=en-us|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821082213/https://www.vulture.com/article/laurence-fishburne-in-conversation.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eddie Murphy]] was also considered.<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/quentin-tarantino-pulp-fiction-cast-b1970469.html</ref>
* [[Uma Thurman]] as [[Mia Wallace]]:
:Wallace's wife and an aspiring actress. Miramax favored [[Holly Hunter]] or [[Meg Ryan]] for the role of Mia. [[Robin Wright]], [[Jennifer Beals]], [[Debra Winger]], [[Marisa Tomei]], [[Alfre Woodard]] and [[Meg Tilly]] were also considered but Tarantino wanted Thurman after their first meeting.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=170}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=155}}<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/quentin-tarantino-pulp-fiction-cast-b1970469.html</ref> She dominated the film's promotional material, appearing on a bed with cigarette in hand. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Despite being launched into the celebrity [[A-list]], Thurman chose not to do any big-budget films until ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]'' (1997) three years later.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wills |first=Dominic |title=Uma Thurman Biography |publisher=Tiscali |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/uma_thurman_biog/6 |access-date=2006-12-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070507080424/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/uma_thurman_biog/6 |archive-date=2007-05-07}}</ref>
* [[Harvey Keitel]] as Winston Wolfe:
:A "[[Fixer (person)|cleaner]]" who aids Jules and Vincent. Tarantino wrote the part of Wolfe for Keitel, who had starred in ''Reservoir Dogs'' and was instrumental in its production. In Tarantino's words, "Harvey had been my favorite actor since I was 16 years old."<ref name="T23">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 23, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> Keitel had played a similarly employed character in ''[[Point of No Return (1993 film)|Point of No Return]]'' (1993).<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=1993-03-19 |title=Point of No Return |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/point-of-no-return-2-1200431702/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |magazine=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604203857/https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/point-of-no-return-2-1200431702/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Tim Roth]] as Ringo/"Pumpkin":
:A burglar and Yolanda's boyfriend. Roth had starred in ''Reservoir Dogs'' alongside Keitel. He had used an American accent in ''Reservoir Dogs'' but used his natural, London accent in ''Pulp Fiction''. Though Tarantino had written the part with Roth in mind, TriStar head [[Mike Medavoy]] preferred [[Johnny Depp]] or [[Christian Slater]].{{sfn|Charyn|2006|p=73}} Early in development, Tarantino had contemplated casting Roth as Vincent and [[Gary Oldman]] as Jules, rewriting the characters as "two English guys".{{sfn|Bailey|2013|p=84}}
* [[Amanda Plummer]] as Yolanda/"Honey Bunny":
:Ringo's girlfriend and partner in crime. Tarantino wrote the role of Yolanda for Plummer to partner her with Roth. Roth had introduced Tarantino to her, saying: "I want to work with Amanda in one of your films but she has to have a really big gun."<ref name=PremiereUK>{{cite news |last=Dawson |first=Jeff |title=Hit Man |url=http://www.tim-roth.com/index.php?id=ukpremieredec95 |work=Premiere (UK) |publisher=Tim-Roth.com |date=December 1995 |access-date=2012-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120090146/http://www.tim-roth.com/index.php?id=ukpremieredec95 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Maria de Medeiros]] as Fabienne:
:Butch's girlfriend. Tarantino met de Medeiros, a Portuguese actress, while traveling with ''Reservoir Dogs'' around the European film festival circuit.<ref name="T14">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 14, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref>
* [[Ving Rhames]] as Marsellus Wallace:
:A crime boss and employer of Jules and Vincent. Before Rhames was cast, the part of Wallace was initially offered to [[Max Julien]] and [[Sid Haig]], but both turned down the role.<ref>{{cite web| last=Seal| first=Mark| date=February 13, 2013| title=Cinema Tarantino: The Making of ''Pulp Fiction''| website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]| url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/making-of-pulp-fiction-oral-history/amp| access-date=July 9, 2020| archive-date=January 15, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115053439/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/making-of-pulp-fiction-oral-history/amp| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sid Haig Interview! Episode: 40 |url=http://www.a3upodcast.com/node/187 |access-date=2008-07-20 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120065456/http://www.a3upodcast.com/node/187 |archive-date=November 20, 2008 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to Bender, Rhames gave "one of the best auditions I've ever seen".{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=155}} His acclaimed performance led to him being cast in big-budget features such as ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)|Mission Impossible]]'' (1996), ''[[Con Air]]'' (1997) and ''[[Out of Sight]]'' (1998).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ving Rhames Biography |website=AllMovie |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/ving-rhames-p59836 |access-date=2012-04-11 |first=Sandra |last=Brennan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413180958/http://www.allmovie.com/artist/ving-rhames-p59836 |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as Lance:
:Vincent's drug dealer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cobain Turned Down 'Pulp Fiction' Role |url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/Cobain_Turned_Down_Pulp_Fiction_Role/3555873 |work=Hollywood.com |date=2006-09-20 |access-date=2007-09-16 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604135659/http://www.hollywood.com/news/Cobain_Turned_Down_Pulp_Fiction_Role/3555873 |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tarantino initially wrote the role with [[John Cusack]] in mind.<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/quentin-tarantino-pulp-fiction-cast-b1970469.html</ref> Gary Oldman was the preferred choice among TriStar executives, based on his portrayal of drug-dealing pimp Drexl Spivey in ''[[True Romance]]'' (1993).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Roberts |first=Chris |date=August 1999 |title=Gary Oldman: A sheep in wolf's clothing |journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |publisher=[[IPC Media]] |issue=27 |quote=[''True Romance''] wouldn't have been [Oldman's] last Tarantino collaboration, had TriStar execs gotten their way&nbsp;... Oldman was the preferred choice for [Lance].}}</ref><ref name=shortlist50facts>{{cite web |url=http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/50-things-you-%28probably%29-didnt-know-about-pulp-fiction |title=50 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Pulp Fiction |date=October 28, 2013 |website=[[ShortList]] |access-date=August 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105123711/http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/50-things-you-(probably)-didnt-know-about-pulp-fiction |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Rosanna Arquette]] as Jody:
:Lance's wife. [[Pam Grier]] read for the role, but Tarantino did not believe audiences would find it plausible for Lance to yell at her.<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 6, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment). See also {{cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |title=Interviews: Pam Grier |url=https://www.avclub.com/pam-grier-1798208273 |website=The A.V. Club |publisher=The Onion |date=2003-06-25 |access-date=2007-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002130523/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/22535 |archive-date=October 2, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Tarantino later cast Grier as the lead role for ''[[Jackie Brown]]''. [[Ellen DeGeneres]] also read for the part of Jody.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=189}} Rosanna's sister [[Alexis Arquette|Alexis]] (then known as Robert Arquette) also appears in the film, as a man emerging from a bathroom to shoot at and miss Vincent and Jules, who then kill him.
* [[Christopher Walken]] as Captain Koons:
:A [[USAF]] veteran of the [[Vietnam War]] who delivers a young Butch his father's prized gold watch. During Koons' monologue, which is interspersed with colorful descriptions of the [[Viet Cong]], he mentions a soldier called "Winocki".{{efn|Walken's speech to the young Butch has been described as a "bravura performance of patriotic zeal and scatological fetishism worthy of a Kubrickian anti-hero".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Howley |first=K. |year=2004 |title=Breaking, Making, and Killing Time in Pulp Fiction |journal=Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television Studies |page=10}}</ref>}} Joe Winocki ([[John Garfield]]) is a character in the 1943 film ''[[Air Force (film)|Air Force]]'' directed by [[Howard Hawks]], one of Tarantino's favorite directors.<ref name=LisaFrance>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/23/showbiz/movies/pulp-fiction-20th-anniversary/index.html|title='Pulp Fiction': 20 fun facts as the film turns 20|website=[[CNN]]|date=October 14, 2014|last=France|first=Lisa|access-date=August 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729150353/http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/23/showbiz/movies/pulp-fiction-20th-anniversary/index.html|archive-date=July 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Tarantino played a character named Desmond Winocki in a guest appearance on an episode of ''[[All-American Girl (TV series)|All-American Girl]]'' titled ''Pulp Sitcom''.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 26, 2007 |title=Quentin Tarantino on All-American Girl (February 22, 1995) |url=http://www.chronologicalsnobbery.com/2007/11/quentin-tarantino-on-all-american-girl.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312154706/http://www.chronologicalsnobbery.com/2007/11/quentin-tarantino-on-all-american-girl.html |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |access-date=March 11, 2016 |work=Chronological Snobbery}}</ref>
* [[Bruce Willis]] as Butch Coolidge:
:An aging boxer on the run from Marsellus after having [[Double cross (betrayal)|double-crossed]] him. The role was originally written for [[Matt Dillon]], who turned it down.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/quentin-tarantino-pulp-fiction-cast/ |title=You Won't Believe Who Quentin Tarantino Had in Mind for 'Pulp Fiction' |work=Collider |last=Goldberg |first=Reid |date=October 26, 2024 |access-date=January 14, 2025}}</ref> Willis was already a star but most of his recent films had been critical and box-office disappointments. As related by [[Peter Bart]], participating in the modestly budgeted film "meant lowering his salary and risking his star status but the strategy&nbsp;... paid off royally: ''Pulp Fiction'' not only brought Willis new respect as an actor but also earned him several million dollars".{{sfn|Bart|2000|p=85}}{{sfn|Polan|2000|loc=p. 69: Willis's deal for a percentage of the box office gross was presumably on top of a base weekly salary that was identical to the other main actors, per Polan}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=148}} Willis' appearance and physical presence were crucial to Tarantino, "Bruce has the look of a 50s actor. I can't think of any other star that has that look".{{sfn|Dargis|1994a|p=10}} Butch's look was modeled on [[Aldo Ray]] in ''[[Nightfall (1956 film)|Nightfall]]'' and his demeanor based on [[Ralph Meeker]]'s portrayal of [[Mike Hammer (character)|Mike Hammer]] in [[Robert Aldrich]]'s ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RRmcAQAAQBAJ&q=%22aldo+ray%22+interview&pg=PA50|pages=50–51|title=Quentin Tarantino: Interviews, Revised and Updated|last1=Tarantino|first1=Quentin|last2=Peary|first2=Gerald|author-link2=Gerald Peary|publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]]|date=2013|access-date=March 4, 2022|isbn=9781617038747|archive-date=October 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023050607/https://books.google.com/books?id=RRmcAQAAQBAJ&q=%22aldo+ray%22+interview&pg=PA50|url-status=live|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Chandler Lindauer plays a young Butch.

=== Secondary characters  ===
* [[Bronagh Gallagher]] plays Jody's friend Trudi who does little but smoke a [[bong]] during the scene where Vincent revives Mia. According to author Jason Bailey, "Quentin thought it would be funny to have this casual observer who just happened to be there. All of this was born out of the experience of, when you go to someone's house to buy drugs, there are always people who are just there".<ref>{{cite news|last=Getlen |first=Larry |date=October 18, 2014 |url=https://nypost.com/2014/10/18/inside-the-grisly-scene-that-made-pulp-fiction/ |title=Inside the grisly scene that made 'Pulp Fiction' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114030842/http://nypost.com/2014/10/18/inside-the-grisly-scene-that-made-pulp-fiction/ |archivedate=November 14, 2017 |work=[[New York Post]] |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Phil LaMarr]] portrays Marvin, an associate of Jules and Vincent. LaMarr auditioned for Tarantino after both had done a show for an improv group a few months prior.<ref name="LaMarrCastINterview">{{cite news|last=Harris |first=Will |date=June 26, 2012 |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/phil-lamarr-on-ifuturamai-and-getting-shot-in-the--81774 |title=Phil LaMarr on Futurama and getting shot in the face for Pulp Fiction |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113201/http://www.avclub.com/article/phil-lamarr-on-ifuturamai-and-getting-shot-in-the--81774 |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=[[The Onion]] |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> He read for the roles of Jules Winnfield and Brett before being cast as Marvin.<ref name="LaMarrCastINterview" /> 
* Tarantino appears as Jules' friend Jimmie, in whose house they clean up a murder. Tarantino was unsure whether to play Jimmie or Lance, choosing Jimmie as he wanted to be behind the camera during Mia's overdose scene.<ref name=shortlist50facts />
* [[Frank Whaley]] portrays Brett, who has a briefcase requested by Marsellus. Whaley met Tarantino while he was filming ''Reservoir Dogs'' at a lab in [[Sundance Institute]]. He recalls, "we ended up meeting and spending time together, and I liked him, so I was really happy when he asked me to be in this movie."<ref name="WhaleAVCLUB">{{cite news|last=Harris |first=Will |date=April 9, 2015 |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/frank-whaley-acting-directing-and-getting-yelled-s-215751 |title=Frank Whaley on acting, directing, and getting yelled at by Samuel L. Jackson and Oliver Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103174249/http://www.avclub.com/article/frank-whaley-acting-directing-and-getting-yelled-s-215751 |archive-date=January 3, 2017 |work=The A.V. Club |publisher=The Onion |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Burr Steers]] appears as Roger, a friend of Brett's nicknamed "[[Flock of Seagulls]]" by Jules. The scene of the confrontation between Brett and Jules went through several takes due to Steers making mistakes. Steers recalled in an interview that he had found acting difficult due to the loudness of the gunshots.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eisenberg |first=Eric |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pulp-Fiction-Scene-Burr-Steers-Kept-Screwing-Up-Why-108537.html |date=January 27, 2016 |title=The Pulp Fiction Scene That Burr Steers Kept Screwing Up, And Why |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426201242/http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pulp-Fiction-Scene-Burr-Steers-Kept-Screwing-Up-Why-108537.html |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |work=Cinema Blend |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Angela Jones]] portrays Esmarelda Villa Lobos, a cab driver who aids Butch's escape. Her casting and character were inspired by her performance in the 1991 short film ''Curdled'', later remade as a [[Curdled (film)|1996 feature film]] with finance from Tarantino and again starring Jones.<ref name="DailyBeast">{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/19/the-secrets-of-pulp-fiction-20-things-you-didn-t-know-about-the-movie-on-its-20th-anniversary.html |date=October 19, 2014 |title=The Secrets of 'Pulp Fiction': 20 Things You Didn't Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174845/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/19/the-secrets-of-pulp-fiction-20-things-you-didn-t-know-about-the-movie-on-its-20th-anniversary.html |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Duane Whitaker]], [[Peter Greene]] and Stephen Hibbert play Maynard, Zed and the gimp.<ref name="RollingStoneNotorious">{{cite magazine|last=Edwards |first=Gavin |date=May 21, 2014 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/get-the-gimp-breaking-down-pulp-fictions-most-notorious-scene-20140521 |title='Get the Gimp': Breaking Down 'Pulp Fiction's Most Notorious Scene |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917193424/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/get-the-gimp-breaking-down-pulp-fictions-most-notorious-scene-20140521 |archive-date=September 17, 2017 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''The Daily Beast'', these "three psycho [[hillbillies]]" that rape Marsellus in Maynard's shop's basement allude to the film ''[[Deliverance]]''.<ref name="DailyBeast" /><ref name="RollingStoneNotorious"/> 
* [[Steve Buscemi]] makes a [[cameo appearance]] as a waiter at Jack Rabbit Slim's, dressed as [[Buddy Holly]]. Buscemi, who had appeared in ''Reservoir Dogs'', was originally considered for the role of Jimmie but was unable to commit.<ref name="DailyBeast" /> 
* [[Kathy Griffin]] appears as herself.<ref name=LisaFrance/> 
* [[Michael Gilden]] and [[Joseph Pilato]] also appear at Jack Rabbit Slim's as waiter Phillip Morris Page and a [[Dean Martin]] impersonator, respectively.
* [[Emil Sitka]] made a cameo via archival footage from the ''[[Three Stooges]]'' short ''[[Brideless Groom]]'' (1947), 
* [[Karen Maruyama]] appears as "Gawker #1" after Butch's car accident, 
* [[Julia Sweeney]] portrays Raquel, the daughter of the owner of the junkyard in which Marvin's body is disposed of. 
* Producer [[Lawrence Bender]] makes a cameo as a victim of the diner robbery, credited as "Long Hair Yuppie-Scum". 
* Jerome Patrick Hoban appears in the Jack Rabbit Slim's segment as an [[Ed Sullivan]] impersonator. 
* Susan Griffiths appears alongside Hoban as a [[Marilyn Monroe]] impersonator.

== Production ==

=== Writing ===
[[File:Tarantino,_Quentin_(Scream1)_cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Director and co-writer [[Quentin Tarantino]]]]
<span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">The roots of </span>''Pulp Fiction'' <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">can be traced back to the late 1980s, when Quentin Tarantino and </span>[[Roger Avary]] <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">worked together at </span>[[Video Archives]]<span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">, a video store in Southern California.<ref name="Gilchrist-2024"/> Avary recalls that their initial concept was to create three short films with three different filmmakers—himself, Tarantino, and a friend, Adam Rifkin.</span><ref name="Gilchrist-2024">{{Cite web |last=Gilchrist |first=Todd |date=2024-10-14 |title='Pulp Fiction' Turns 30: How Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece Saved Careers, Conquered Film Festivals and Changed Cinema Forever |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-30th-anniversary-retrospective-part-one-1236175164/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">Avary wrote the first element of what would become the film's screenplay in the fall of 1990,{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=129}} titled "Pandemonium Reigns," which eventually expanded into a feature-length screenplay.<ref name="Gilchrist-2024"/> While Tarantino's short film similarly evolved into a full script, Rifkin never completed his contribution, leaving </span>''Pulp Fiction'' <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">initially uncertain.</span><ref name="Gilchrist-2024"/> The initial inspiration was the three-part horror [[anthology film]] ''[[Black Sabbath (film)|Black Sabbath]]'' (1963), by Italian filmmaker [[Mario Bava]].{{sfn|Bailey|2013|p=32}} The Tarantino–Avary project was provisionally titled "[[Black Mask (magazine)|Black Mask]]", after the seminal [[hardboiled]] [[Black Mask (magazine)|crime fiction magazine]].<ref name="T14" /> Tarantino's script was produced as ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'', his directorial debut; Avary created the basis for the "Gold Watch" storyline of ''Pulp Fiction''.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=167}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|pp=144–146}}<ref name="PR">{{cite news |last=MacInnis |first=Craig |date=October 8, 1994 |title=Heavyweight Tarantino Won't Be Taken Lightly |work=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref><ref name="Creative">{{cite interview |last=Bauer |first=Erik |title=Method Writing: Interview with Quentin Tarantino - Originally published in January 1998 |url=https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/method-writing-interview-with-quentin-tarantino/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909053014/https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/method-writing-interview-with-quentin-tarantino/ |archive-date=September 9, 2021 |url-status=live |work=Creative Screenwriting |date=August 10, 2013}}</ref>

With work on ''Reservoir Dogs'' completed, Tarantino returned to the notion of a trilogy film: "I got the idea of doing something that novelists get a chance to do but filmmakers don't: telling three separate stories, having characters float in and out with different weights depending on the story."<ref>{{cite news |last=Lowry |first=Beverly |title=Criminals Rendered in 3 Parts, Poetically |work=The New York Times |date=September 11, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/11/movies/the-new-season-film-criminals-rendered-in-3-parts-poetically.html |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051045/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/11/movies/the-new-season-film-criminals-rendered-in-3-parts-poetically.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tarantino explains that the idea "was basically to take like the oldest chestnuts that you've ever seen when it comes to crime stories&nbsp;– the oldest stories in the book&nbsp;... You know, 'Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife'&nbsp;– the oldest story about&nbsp;... the guy's gotta go out with the big man's wife and don't touch her. You know, you've seen the story a zillion times."<ref name="PF93" /> "I'm using old forms of storytelling and then purposely having them run awry", he says.<ref name="DVD1994promo"/> "Part of the trick is to take these movie characters, these genre characters and these genre situations and actually apply them to some of real life's rules and see how they unravel."<ref name="DVD1994promo">"Pulp Fiction: The Facts" (1994 promotional interview), ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> In at least one case, boxer Butch Coolidge, Tarantino had in mind a specific character from a classic Hollywood crime story: "I wanted him to be basically like [[Ralph Meeker]] as [[Mike Hammer (character)|Mike Hammer]] in [[Robert Aldrich|Aldrich]]'s ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' [1955]. I wanted him to be a bully and a jerk".{{sfn|Dargis|1994a|p=10}}

Tarantino went to work on the script for ''Pulp Fiction'' in Amsterdam in March 1992,{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=139}} possibly at the Winston Hotel in the [[De Wallen|Red Light District]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DBOCBgAAQBAJ&q=pulp%2520fiction%2520%2522the%2520winston%2522%2520tarantino%2520amsterdam&pg=PT168|publisher = Avalon Travel|date = 2015-04-14|isbn = 978-1-63121-067-9|first = Rick|last = Steves|access-date = October 18, 2020|archive-date = November 13, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201113181753/https://books.google.com/books?id=DBOCBgAAQBAJ&q=pulp%2520fiction%2520%2522the%2520winston%2522%2520tarantino%2520amsterdam&pg=PT168|url-status = live}}</ref> He was joined there by Avary, who contributed "Pandemonium Reigns" to the project and participated in its rewriting as well as the development of the new storylines that would link up with it.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=167}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|pp=144–146}}<ref name="PR" /> Two scenes originally written by Avary for the ''[[True Romance]]'' screenplay, exclusively credited to Tarantino, were incorporated into the opening of "The Bonnie Situation": the "miraculous" missed shots by the hidden gunman and the rear seat automobile killing.{{sfn|Mottram|2006|p=71}} The notion of the crimeworld "cleaner" that became the heart of the episode was inspired by a short, ''Curdled'', that Tarantino saw at a film festival. He cast the lead actress, [[Angela Jones]], in ''Pulp Fiction'' and later backed the filmmakers' production of a feature-length version of the short, likewise titled ''[[Curdled (film)|Curdled]]''.<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 13, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> The script included a couple of made-up commercial brands that often featured in later Tarantino films: [[Big Kahuna Burger|Big Kahuna burgers]] (a Big Kahuna soda cup appears in ''Reservoir Dogs'') and Red Apple cigarettes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wells|first=Jeffrey|title=Searching for a Big Kahuna Burger|url=http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/07-96/07-12-96/c04ae104.htm|work=SouthCoast Today|date=1996-07-12|access-date=2007-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008125832/http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/07-96/07-12-96/c04ae104.htm|archive-date=October 8, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> As he worked on the script, Tarantino also accompanied ''Reservoir Dogs'' around the European film festivals. Released in the United States in October 1992, the picture was a critical and commercial success. In January 1993, the ''Pulp Fiction'' script was complete.{{sfn|Charyn |2006|p=65}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|loc=p. 147: The published version of the screenplay identifies its basis as "May 1993/last draft," incorporating brief revisions made in August, September, and October (Tarantino [1994], n.p.)}}

The [[adrenaline]] scene was inspired by the Martin Scorsese documentary ''[[American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince]]'' about ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' actor Steven Prince, who played arms dealer Easy Andy in the film.<ref name=YW/><ref name="indieMS"/> Prince recalls injecting adrenaline into the heart of a woman who overdosed, with the help of a medical dictionary and a [[Magic Marker]].<ref name=YW>{{cite web|website=[[IndieWire]]|title=How the 'Pulp Fiction' Adrenaline Shot Scene Was Inspired by Scorsese's 'Lost Film' — Watch|author=Dry, Jude|date=January 26, 2017|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/pulp-fiction-overdose-scene-scorsese-tarantino-watch-1201773966/}}</ref><ref name="indieMS">{{cite web|title=Ultimate Guide To Martin Scorsese And His Directing Techniques|date=January 6, 2023|publisher=Indie Film Hustle|url=https://indiefilmhustle.com/ultimate-guide-to-martin-scorsese-and-his-directing-techniques/|author=Beyl, Cameron|access-date=February 24, 2025|archive-date=February 17, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250217152025/https://indiefilmhustle.com/ultimate-guide-to-martin-scorsese-and-his-directing-techniques/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Financing ===
Tarantino and his producer, [[Lawrence Bender]], brought the script to [[Jersey Films]]. Before even seeing ''Reservoir Dogs'', Jersey had attempted to sign Tarantino for his next project.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=140}} Ultimately a development deal worth around $1&nbsp;million had been struck: The deal gave [[A Band Apart]], Bender and Tarantino's newly formed production company, initial financing and office facilities; Jersey got a share of the project and the right to shop the script to a studio.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=146}}{{sfn|Biskind|2004|loc=p. 167: Biskind says $1&nbsp;million}}{{sfn|Polan|2000|loc=p. 68: Polan says "close to a million dollars"}}<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD, says $900,000 (ch. 14)</ref> Jersey had a distribution and "first look" deal with [[Sony Pictures|Columbia TriStar]], which paid Tarantino for the right to consider exercising its option.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=148}} In February, ''Pulp Fiction'' appeared on a ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' list of films in [[pre-production]] at [[TriStar Pictures|TriStar]].<ref>{{cite news |title=TriStar Pictures Slate for 1993 |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/tristar-pictures-slate-for-1993-103729/ |work=Variety |date=1993-02-05 |access-date=2007-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630001906/http://www.variety.com/article/VR103729.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=%22pulp+fiction%22+1994+tarantino |archive-date=June 30, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> In June, however, the studio put the script into [[Turnaround (filmmaking)|turnaround]].{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=148}} According to a studio executive, TriStar chief [[Mike Medavoy]] found it "too demented".{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=168}} There were suggestions that TriStar was resistant to back a film featuring a heroin user; there were also indications that the studio simply saw the project as too low-budget for its desired star-driven image.{{sfn|Polan|2000|pp=68–69}}{{sfn|Biskind|2004|pp=167-168}} Avary{{em dash}}who was about to start shooting his own directorial debut, ''[[Killing Zoe]]''{{em dash}}has said that TriStar's objections were comprehensive, encompassing the script's fundamental structure. He characterizes the studio's position: {{"'}}This is the worst thing ever written. It makes no sense. Someone's dead and then they're alive. It's too long, violent, and unfilmable.' ...&nbsp;So I thought, 'That's that!{{'"}}{{sfn|Mottram|2006|p=71}}

Bender brought the script to [[Miramax Films]], the formerly independent studio that had recently been acquired by [[Disney]]. [[Harvey Weinstein]]{{em dash}}co-chairman of Miramax Films, along with his brother [[Bob Weinstein|Bob]]{{em dash}}was instantly enthralled by the script and the company picked it up.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=168–169}} [[Michael Shamberg]], the executive producer, reflected on the bidding process, saying, "Only Harvey [Weinstein] placed a bid. Harvey believed he was engaged in a bidding war, but he wasn't. Even now, whenever I see [[Bob Shaye]], he expresses regret for turning down ''Pulp Fiction''. Quentin initially wanted to collaborate with [[Mike Medavoy]], given Medavoy's history with the great [[Orion Pictures|Orion]] films. Ironically, when the opportunity arose, Mike deemed the script too violent."<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" /> ''Pulp Fiction'', the first Miramax Films project to get a [[Green-light|green light]] after the [[Disney]] acquisition, was budgeted at $8.5&nbsp;million, and at the end $500,000 was returned, bringing the final budget to $8 million.{{efn|name="8.5 Budget"}}<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" /> According to Bender, a lower budget meant that the producers could maintain more control over the movie itself.<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" />
It became the first movie that Miramax Films completely financed.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=149}} Helping hold costs down was the plan Bender executed to pay all the main actors the same amount per week, regardless of their industry status.{{sfn|Polan|2000|p=69}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=148}} ''The New York Times'' reported, "Most of the actors received relatively small salaries along with a percentage of the profits."<ref>{{cite news |last=Weinraub |first=Bernard |title=A Film Maker and the Art of the Deal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/movies/a-film-maker-and-the-art-of-the-deal.html |work=The New York Times |date=1994-09-22 |access-date=2007-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709114430/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/movies/a-film-maker-and-the-art-of-the-deal.html |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The biggest star to sign on to the project was [[Bruce Willis]]. Though he had recently appeared in several big-budget flops, he was still a major overseas draw. On the strength of his name, Miramax Films garnered $11&nbsp;million for the film's worldwide rights, virtually ensuring its profitability.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|loc=p. 170: Tarantino claims the overseas sales were due to his own name}}{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=173}}

=== Casting ===
[[Danny DeVito]], one of the film's executive producers,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuperinsky |first=Amy |date=2024-10-14 |title=Danny DeVito: 'Pulp Fiction' producer Harvey Weinstein reamed me out for casting N.J. legend |url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2024/10/danny-devito-pulp-fiction-producer-harvey-weinstein-reamed-me-out-for-casting-nj-legend.html |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=nj |language=en}}</ref> recalls that Weinstein suggested casting [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], who had just won an [[Academy Award]] for ''[[My Left Foot]]''. DeVito responded by stating that Tarantino wanted John Travolta and reminded Weinstein that he had final cut and cast approval. He later reflected: "I think he [Weinstein] called me every name in the book, but of course, Quentin got what he wanted, and he was absolutely right, and the rest is history."<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" /> 

Bender noted that during the casting process, while Samuel L. Jackson's initial audition was impressive, another candidate later delivered a performance that "blew them away." This prompted Bender to inform Jackson's agent that they might need to consider the other actor. The agent firmly insisted, "No, no, no, you can't do that. Sam will come back." Initially hesitant to ask him for another audition, Bender discovered that Jackson believed he was simply reading for the role, not auditioning, and his subsequent return resulted in an outstanding performance.<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" />

Tim Roth, initially interested in the role meant for Willis, suggested Amanda Plummer as a co-star, insisting she should have a gun as he thought it would be "terrifying" - a notion Tarantino later incorporated into the script.<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" />

Harvey Keitel played a crucial role in getting ''Reservoir Dogs'' made and introduced Bruce Willis to Tarantino. Bender and Tarantino went to see him at his house in Malibu, where they learned that he could recite practically the entire movie of ''Reservoir Dogs,'' a movie he loved. After a conversation, Tarantino and Willis took a walk on the beach, where Willis revealed he'd read the ''Pulp Fiction'' script and expressed interest in playing Vincent or Jules. Tarantino encouraged him to read the script one last time with the Butch character in mind. Willis called Tarantino the next day and said, "the shortest sentence in the Bible is, 'Jesus wept.' The shortest sentence in Hollywood is, 'I'm in.'"<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" />

=== Filming ===
[[File:Willis in Pulp Fiction.jpg|right|thumb|Willis evoked one 1950s actor in particular for Tarantino: "[[Aldo Ray]] in [[Jacques Tourneur]]'s ''[[Nightfall (1957 film)|Nightfall]]'' [1956]&nbsp;... I said let's go for that whole look."{{r|n=AldoRay|r=Quoted in {{harvtxt|Dargis|1994a|p=10}}. Other sources have claimed that Butch was patterned after Ray's ''Nightfall'' role.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brooker|Brooker|1996|p=234}}</ref> Tarantino's one public statement on the topic, quoted in Polan,<ref>{{harvtxt|Polan|2000|p=23}}</ref> is clearly devoted to Butch's look and not his personality.}} His boxing robe, designed by [[Betsy Heimann]], exemplifies Tarantino's notion of costume as symbolic armor.{{sfn|Dargis|1994b|p=17}}]]

[[Principal photography]] commenced on September 20, 1993.{{sfn|Polan|2000|pp=69, 70}} The lead offscreen talent had all worked with Tarantino on ''Reservoir Dogs''&nbsp;– [[cinematographer]] [[Andrzej Sekuła]], [[film editor]] [[Sally Menke]], [[production designer]] [[David Wasco]], and [[costume designer]] [[Betsy Heimann]]. According to Tarantino: "[W]e had $8&nbsp;million. I wanted it to look like a $20–25&nbsp;million movie. I wanted it to look like an epic. It's an epic in everything&nbsp;– in invention, in ambition, in length, in scope, in everything except the price tag."<ref name="T8">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 8, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> The film, he says, was shot "on [[Film speed|50 ASA]] film stock, which is the slowest stock they make. The reason we use it is that it creates an almost [[Film grain|no-grain]] image, it's lustrous. It's the closest thing we have to 50s [[Technicolor]]."{{sfn|Dargis|1994b|p=18}} The largest chunk of the budget&nbsp;– $150,000&nbsp;– went to creating the Jack Rabbit Slim's set.{{sfn|Polan|2000|p=69}}{{Sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=159}} It was built in a [[Culver City]] warehouse, where it was joined by several other sets, as well as the film's production offices.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|pp=159–160}} The diner sequence was shot on location in [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]] at the Hawthorne Grill, known for its [[Googie architecture]].{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|loc=p. 158: The Hawthorne Grill was torn down not long after the ''Pulp Fiction'' shoot}} For the costumes, Tarantino took his inspiration from French director [[Jean-Pierre Melville]], who believed that the clothes his characters wore were their symbolic suits of armor.{{sfn|Dargis|1994b|p=17}} Tarantino cast himself in a modest-sized role as he had in ''Reservoir Dogs''. One of his pop totems, [[Fruit Brute]], a long-discontinued [[General Mills]] cereal, also returned from the earlier film.{{sfn|Hoffman|2005|p=46}} The shoot wrapped on November 30.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=164}} Before ''Pulp Fiction''{{'}}s premiere, Tarantino convinced Avary to forfeit his agreed-on cowriting credit and accept a "story by" credit, so the line "Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino" could be used in advertising and onscreen.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=170}}

== Music ==
{{Main|Pulp Fiction (soundtrack){{!}}''Pulp Fiction'' (soundtrack)}}

No [[film score]] was composed for ''Pulp Fiction''; Quentin Tarantino instead used an eclectic assortment of [[surf music]], [[rock and roll]], [[soul music|soul]], and [[pop music|pop]] songs. [[Dick Dale]]'s rendition of "[[Misirlou]]" plays during the opening credits. Tarantino chose surf music as the basic musical style for the film, but not, he insists, because of its association with surfing culture: "To me it just sounds like rock and roll, even [[Ennio Morricone|Morricone]] music. It sounds like rock and roll [[spaghetti Western]] music."{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=162}} Tarantino planned to use a [[power pop]] song, "[[My Sharona]]" by [[The Knack]], during the film's rape scene, but ultimately discounted it.<ref name="RollingStoneNotorious" />

Some of the songs were suggested to Tarantino by his friends Chuck Kelley and Laura Lovelace, who were credited as music consultants. Lovelace also appeared in the film as Laura, a waitress; she reprises the role in ''Jackie Brown''.<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, chs. 1, 2, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> The [[Pulp Fiction (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] was released along with the film in 1994. The album peaked on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart at number 21.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r204558|title=''Pulp Fiction'': Charts & Awards/''Billboard'' Albums|publisher=AllMusic.com|access-date=2006-12-26|archive-date=April 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422181600/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r204558|url-status=live}}</ref> The single, [[Urge Overkill]]'s cover of the [[Neil Diamond]] song "[[Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon]]", reached number 59.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r204558|title=''Pulp Fiction'': Charts & Awards/''Billboard'' Singles|publisher=AllMusic.com|access-date=2007-09-14|archive-date=April 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422181600/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r204558|url-status=live}}</ref>

Estella Tincknell describes how the particular combination of well-known and obscure recordings helps establish the film as a "self-consciously 'cool' text. [The] use of the mono-tracked, beat-heavy style of early 1960s U.S. 'underground' pop mixed with 'classic' ballads such as [[Dusty Springfield]]'s '[[Son of a Preacher Man]]' is crucial to the film's postmodern knowingness." She contrasts the soundtrack with that of ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', the highest-grossing film of 1994, which also relies on period pop recordings: "[T]he version of 'the sixties' offered by ''Pulp Fiction''&nbsp;... is certainly not that of the publicly recognized counter-culture featured in ''Forrest Gump'', but is, rather, a more genuinely marginal form of sub-culture based around a lifestyle&nbsp;– surfing, 'hanging'&nbsp;– that is resolutely apolitical." The soundtrack is central, she says, to the film's engagement with the "younger, cinematically knowledgeable spectator" it solicits.{{sfn|Tincknell|2006|p=139}}

== Release and reception ==

=== Release and box office ===
''Pulp Fiction'' premiered in May 1994 at the [[1994 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]]. The Weinsteins "hit the beach like commandos," bringing the picture's entire cast over to France.{{sfn|Charyn|2006|p=96}} The film was unveiled at a midnight hour screening and caused a sensation.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=174}}<ref name="Mas">{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Pulp Fiction; Quentin Tarantino's Wild Ride On Life's Dangerous Road|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/movies/film-festival-review-pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-s-wild-ride-life-s-dangerous.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1994-09-23|access-date=2007-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515224056/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/movies/film-festival-review-pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-s-wild-ride-life-s-dangerous.html|archive-date=May 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> It won the [[Palme d'Or]], the festival's top prize, generating a further wave of publicity.<ref name="PdO">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/index.php/en/archives/awards/1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013220900/http://www.festival-cannes.com/index.php/en/archives/awards/1994 |archive-date=2007-10-13|title= All the Awards—Festival 1994|publisher=Cannes Festival|access-date=2007-09-14}}</ref>

The first U.S. review of the film was published on May 23 in industry trade magazine ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. [[Todd McCarthy]] called ''Pulp Fiction'' a "spectacularly entertaining piece of pop culture&nbsp;... a startling, massive success."<ref name="TM">{{cite magazine|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|authorlink=Todd McCarthy|title=''Pulp Fiction''|url=https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/pulp-fiction-1200437049/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=1994-05-23|access-date=2007-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228172344/https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/pulp-fiction-1200437049/|archive-date=December 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> From Cannes forward, Tarantino was on the road continuously, promoting the film.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=173}} Over the next few months, it played in smaller festivals around Europe, building buzz: Nottingham, Munich, [[Taormina Film Fest|Taormina]], Locarno, [[Norwegian International Film Festival|Norway]], and [[San Sebastián International Film Festival|San Sebastián]].<ref>{{cite news|title=''Pulp Fiction'' |url=https://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/30051/Pulp+Fiction.html?dataSet=1&query=%22pulp+fiction%22+1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012013656/http://variety.com/profiles/Film/main/30051/Pulp%2BFiction.html?dataSet=1&query=%22pulp%2Bfiction%22%2B1994 |archive-date=2007-10-12 |work=Variety |access-date=2007-09-20 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tarantino later said: "One thing that's cool is that by breaking up the linear structure, when I watch the film with an audience, it does break [the audience's] [[alpha wave|alpha]] state. It's like, all of a sudden, 'I gotta watch this&nbsp;... I gotta pay attention.' You can almost feel everybody moving in their seats. It's actually fun to watch an audience in some ways chase after a movie."<ref name="T24">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 24, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> In late September, it opened the [[New York Film Festival]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' published its review the day of the opening. [[Janet Maslin]] called the film a "triumphant, cleverly disorienting journey through a demimonde that springs entirely from Mr. Tarantino's ripe imagination, a landscape of danger, shock, hilarity and vibrant local color&nbsp;... [He] 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."<ref name="Mas" />
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://charlierose.com/videos/368 Charlie Rose interview with Quentin Tarantino on ''Pulp Fiction'', October 14, 1994]}}
On October 14, 1994, ''Pulp Fiction'' went into general release in the United States. As Peter Biskind described: "It was not platformed, that is, it did not open in a handful of theaters and roll out slowly as word of mouth built, the traditional way of releasing an [[indie film]]; it went wide immediately, into 1,100 theaters."{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=189}} In the eyes of some cultural critics, ''Reservoir Dogs'' had given Tarantino a reputation for glamorizing violence. Miramax played with the issue in its marketing campaign: "You won't know the facts till you've seen the fiction", went one slogan.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=171}} ''Pulp Fiction'' was the [[List of 1994 box office number-one films in the United States|top-grossing film at the US box office]] its first weekend with a gross of $9,311,882, edging out a [[Sylvester Stallone]] vehicle, ''[[The Specialist]]'', which was in its second week and playing at more than twice as many theaters. The gross claimed by Miramax Films was disputed by others. [[Warner Bros.]] initially reported an estimated gross of $8.9&nbsp;million for ''The Specialist'', with Bob Weinstein then reporting a gross for ''Pulp Fiction'' of $9.1&nbsp;million, claiming that the film was on another 100 screens that had previously been overlooked. Warner Bros. then updated their gross to $9.3&nbsp;million, claiming they had made a calculation error.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|page=1|last=Klady|first=Leonard|date=October 17, 1994|title=Shootout at the B.O. peak}}</ref>
Early Monday morning, Miramax Films reported a gross of $9.3&nbsp;million with Warner Bros. reporting $8.9&nbsp;million for ''The Specialist'', placing ''Pulp Fiction'' first but other industry sources did not believe Miramax Films' numbers. ''Variety'' estimated that ''Pulp Fiction'' grossed $8.6 to $9&nbsp;million for the weekend.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|page=1|last=Klady|first=Leonard|date=October 18, 1994|title='Pulp' claims B.O. title; competitors call it fiction}}</ref>

Against its budget of $8.5&nbsp;million and about $10&nbsp;million in marketing costs, ''Pulp Fiction'' grossed $107.93&nbsp;million at the U.S. box office, making it the first Miramax film to surpass $100&nbsp;million in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=Miramax in hit land|page=33|date=August 22, 1997}}</ref> Worldwide, it took in nearly $213&nbsp;million.{{efn|name=BoxOffice|{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=189}}{{sfn|Waxman|2005|p=78}}<ref name="Mojo"/> ''Box Office Mojo'' gives $106&nbsp;million in foreign grosses for a worldwide total of $213.9&nbsp;million; Biskind and Waxman apparently concur that $105M&nbsp;/ $212.9M are the correct figures.}} In terms of domestic grosses, it was the tenth biggest film of 1994, even though it played on substantially fewer screens than any other film in the top 20.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1994&p=.htm|title=1994 Domestic Grosses|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=2007-09-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717164659/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1994&p=.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Popular engagement with the film, such as speculation about the contents of the precious briefcase, "indicates the kind of cult status that ''Pulp Fiction'' achieved almost immediately."{{sfn|Real|1996|p=259}} As ''[[MovieMaker]]'' puts it, "The movie was nothing less than a national cultural phenomenon."<ref>{{cite web|last=Rose |first=Andy |title=10 Years of MovieMaker, 10 Years of Indie Film Growth|url=http://www.moviemaker.com/articles/item/10_years_of_moviemaker_10_years_of_indie_film_2952/|work=MovieMaker|date=Winter 2004|access-date=2007-09-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122005136/http://www.moviemaker.com/articles/item/10_years_of_moviemaker_10_years_of_indie_film_2952/|archive-date=2007-11-22}}</ref> Abroad, as well: in Britain, where it opened a week after its U.S. release, not only was the film a big hit, but in book form its screenplay became the most successful in UK publishing history, a top-ten bestseller.{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|pp=171, 13}}

=== Critical response ===
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|Injecting its compendium of crime tales with the patois of everyday conversation, ''Pulp Fiction'' is a cinematic shot of adrenaline that cements writer-director Quentin Tarantino as an audacious purveyor of killer kino.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[Arithmetic mean|weighted average score]] of 95 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/pulp-fiction|title=Pulp Fiction Reviews|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=December 29, 2006}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Pulp Fiction" in the search box|publisher=[[CinemaScore]]|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102130540/https://www.cinemascore.com/|archive-date=January 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The response of major American film reviewers was widely favorable. [[Roger Ebert]] called it "a comedy about blood, guts, violence, strange sex, drugs, fixed fights, dead body disposal, leather freaks and a wristwatch that makes a dark journey down through the generations... The screenplay by Tarantino and Roger Avary so well-written in a scruffy, [[fanzine]] way that you want to rub noses in it&nbsp;– the noses of those zombie writers who take 'screenwriting' classes that teach them the formulas for 'hit films{{'"}}.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Pulp Fiction|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pulp-fiction-1994|work=RogerEbert.com|date=October 14, 1994|access-date=September 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216033721/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19941014%2FREVIEWS%2F410140304%2F1023|archive-date=February 16, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' wrote: "It towers over the year's other movies as majestically and menacingly as a gang lord at a preschool. It dares Hollywood films to be this smart about going this far. If good directors accept Tarantino's implicit challenge, the movie theater could again be a great place to live in."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Corliss|first=Richard|title=A Blast to the Heart|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981560-1,00.html|magazine=[[TIME]]|date=October 10, 1994|access-date=September 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402010106/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981560-1,00.html|archive-date=April 2, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In ''[[Newsweek]]'', [[David Ansen]] wrote: "The miracle of Quentin Tarantino's ''Pulp Fiction'' is how, being composed of secondhand, debased parts, it succeeds in gleaming like something new."<ref>{{cite news |last=Ansen |first=David |title=The Redemption of Pulp |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=October 9, 1994 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/redemption-pulp-189436 |access-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051042/https://www.newsweek.com/redemption-pulp-189436 |url-status=live }}</ref> "You get intoxicated by it," wrote ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s [[Owen Gleiberman]], "high on the rediscovery of how pleasurable a movie can be. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a filmmaker who combined discipline and control with sheer wild-ass joy the way that Tarantino does."<ref name="OG" /> "There's a special kick that comes from watching something this thrillingly alive", wrote [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. "''Pulp Fiction'' is indisputably great."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/pulp-fiction-19941014|title=Pulp Fiction|last=Travers|first=Peter|date=October 14, 1994|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=March 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415121356/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/pulp-fiction-19941014|archive-date=April 15, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was one of the few major news outlets to publish a negative review on the film's opening weekend. [[Kenneth Turan]] wrote: "The writer-director appears to be straining for his effects. Some sequences, especially one involving bondage harnesses and homosexual rape, have the uncomfortable feeling of creative desperation, of someone who's afraid of losing his reputation scrambling for any way to offend sensibilities."<ref>{{cite web |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |title=Quentin Tarantino's Gangster Rap |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 14, 1994 |access-date=April 10, 2018 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-14-ca-50020-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505050442/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-14/entertainment/ca-50020_1_pulp-fiction |archive-date=May 5, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some who reviewed it in the following weeks took more exception to the predominant critical reaction than to ''Pulp Fiction'' itself. While not panning the film, [[Stanley Kauffmann]] of ''[[The New Republic]]'' felt that "the way that [it] has been so widely ravened up and drooled over verges on the disgusting. ''Pulp Fiction'' nourishes, abets, cultural slumming."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kauffman|first=Stanley|title=Shooting Up|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|date=November 14, 1994|access-date=April 10, 2018|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/61392/shooting|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411025845/https://newrepublic.com/article/61392/shooting|archive-date=April 11, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Responding to comparisons between Tarantino's film and the work of [[French New Wave]] director [[Jean-Luc Godard]], especially his first, most famous feature, [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' wrote: "The fact that ''Pulp Fiction'' is garnering more extravagant raves than ''[[Breathless (1960 film)|Breathless]]'' ever did tells you plenty about which kind of cultural references are regarded as more fruitful&nbsp;– namely, the ones we already have and don't wish to expand."<ref name=Profusion/> Observing in the ''[[National Review]]'' that "[n]o film arrives with more advance hype", [[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] was unswayed: "titillation cures neither hollowness nor shallowness".<ref>{{cite news|last=Simon |first=John |title=''Pulp Fiction''|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n22_v46/ai_15999907/pg_1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130072735/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n22_v46/ai_15999907/pg_1|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 30, 2007|work=[[National Review]]|date=November 21, 1994|access-date=October 8, 2010}}</ref>

Debate about the film spread beyond the review pages, with its violence often being the theme. In ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Donna Britt described how she was happy not to see ''Pulp Fiction'' on a recent weekend and thus avoid "discussing the rousing scene in which a gunshot sprays somebody's brains around a car interior".<ref>{{cite news |last=Britt |first=Donna |title=Let's Lose the Gory 'Gulp' Fiction |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 25, 1994 |access-date=April 10, 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/10/25/lets-lose-the-gory-gulp-fiction/dbe0b009-b042-46ad-b245-cc5ad0f4be01/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615032351/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/10/25/lets-lose-the-gory-gulp-fiction/dbe0b009-b042-46ad-b245-cc5ad0f4be01/ |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some commentators took exception to the film's frequent use of the word "[[nigger]]" (mentioned 18 times). In the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Todd Boyd argued that the word's recurrence "has the ability to signify the ultimate level of hipness for white males who have historically used their perception of black masculinity as the embodiment of cool".<ref>{{cite web |last=Boyd |first=Todd |title=Tarantino's Mantra? |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 6, 1994 |access-date=April 10, 2018 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/11/06/tarantinos-mantra/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411025837/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-11-06/entertainment/9411060361_1_n-word-hipness-true-romance |archive-date=April 11, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Britain, [[James Wood (critic)|James Wood]], writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', set the tone for much subsequent criticism: "Tarantino represents the final triumph of [[postmodernism]], which is to empty the artwork of all content, thus avoiding its capacity to do anything except helplessly represent our agonies&nbsp;... Only in this age could a writer as talented as Tarantino produce artworks so vacuous, so entirely stripped of any politics, metaphysics, or moral interest."<ref>Wood, James (November 12, 1994). ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref>

=== Awards season ===
Around the turn of the year, ''Pulp Fiction'' was named Best Picture by the [[National Society of Film Critics]], [[National Board of Review]], [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]], [[Boston Society of Film Critics]], [[Society of Texas Film Critics]], Southeastern Film Critics Association, and [[Kansas City Film Critics Circle]].{{efn|National Society of Film Critics,<ref name="NSFC" /> National Board of Review,<ref>{{cite web |title=1994 Award Winners |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1994/ |website=National Board of Review |access-date=24 May 2023 |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003002208/https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1994/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Los Angeles Film Critics Society,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-11-mn-7795-story.html |title='Pulp Fiction,' Tarantino Win L.A. Film Critics Awards |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 11, 1994 |access-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-date=August 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831213218/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-11-mn-7795-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Boston Society of Film Critics,<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1994 |url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1990s/ |website=bostonfilmcritics.org |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=24 May 2023 |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717194814/https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1990s/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Society of Texas Film Critics,<ref>{{cite news |title=Texas film critics group doles out awards for the year's best in movies |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAD96057255BCDF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=24 May 2023 |work=The Austin American-Statesman |date=1994-12-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024041911/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAD96057255BCDF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |archive-date=2012-10-24}}</ref> Kansas City Film Critics Circle<ref>{{cite web |title=1994 Awards |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1990-99/ |website=kcfcc.org |date=December 14, 2013 |access-date=24 May 2023 |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307071345/https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1990-99/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Tarantino was named Best Director by all seven of those organizations as well as by the [[New York Film Critics Circle]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Critics Honor 'Pulp Fiction' And 'Quiz Show' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/16/movies/critics-honor-pulp-fiction-and-quiz-show.html |access-date=24 May 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=1994-12-16 |archive-date=November 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122205138/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/16/movies/critics-honor-pulp-fiction-and-quiz-show.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Chicago Film Critics Association]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |title=The 7th Annual Chicago Film Critics Awards |website=chicagofilmcritics.org |date=January 2013 |access-date=2023-05-24 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410183233/https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |url-status=live }}</ref> The screenplay won several prizes, with various awarding bodies ascribing credit differently. At the [[52nd Golden Globe Awards]], Tarantino, named as sole recipient of the Best Screenplay honor, failed to mention Avary in his acceptance speech.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=206}} In February 1995, the film received seven Oscar nominations&nbsp;– Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Jackson), Supporting Actress (Thurman), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing. Travolta, Jackson, and Thurman were each nominated as well for the [[1st Screen Actors Guild Awards]], presented on February 25, but none took home the honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/1_award_nom |title=1st Annual SAG Awards Nominees |website=SAG Awards |access-date=2009-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015185836/http://www.sagawards.org/1_award_nom |archive-date=October 15, 2008}}</ref> At the Academy Awards ceremony the following month, Tarantino and Avary were announced as joint winners of the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]].<ref name="Awards">{{cite web|url= http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp;jsessionid=F5E20EAF29DB9C3219EAAC6FE3B868C9.jicama?curTime=1167423497977|title= Academy Awards for Pulp Fiction|publisher= AMPAS|access-date= 2006-12-29|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194626/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp|archive-date= October 29, 2013|df= mdy-all}}</ref> The furor around the film was still going strong: much of the March issue of ''[[Artforum]]'' was devoted to its critical dissection.{{sfn|Charyn|2006|p=87}} ''Pulp Fiction'' garnered four honors at the [[Independent Spirit Awards]], held at the end of the month&nbsp;– [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Film|Best Feature]], [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead|Male Lead]] (Jackson), and [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] (Tarantino).<ref>{{cite news |last=Natale |first=Richard |title='Pulp Fiction' Wings It at Independent Spirit Awards |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-27-ca-47721-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1995-03-27 |access-date=2009-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430111123/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-27/entertainment/ca-47721_1_independent-spirit-awards |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the [[British Academy Film Awards]] (BAFTA), Tarantino and Avary shared the [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]], and Jackson won for [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actor]].<ref name="BAFTA">{{cite web |url= http://www.bafta.org/site/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/import/Film_Winners_1990-1999.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070202074453/http://www.bafta.org/site/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/import/Film_Winners_1990-1999.pdf |archive-date= 2007-02-02|title=Film Winners 1990–1999|publisher= BAFTA|access-date=2006-12-29}}</ref> The film was nominated for the [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]] of the [[Belgian Film Critics Association]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.lesoir.be/loulou-gaste_t-19950109-Z08Z7R.html|title="Exotica" à l'UCC|journal=[[Le Soir]]|date=January 9, 1995|page=9|access-date=October 27, 2012|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120104851/http://archives.lesoir.be/loulou-gaste_t-19950109-Z08Z7R.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The February 2020 issue of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' listed ''Pulp Fiction'' alongside ''[[Citizen Kane]]'', ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'', ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'', ''[[The Conversation]]'', ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]'', ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'', ''[[In the Bedroom]]'', ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'', and ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'' as "''The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars''".<ref name="The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars">{{cite news|title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|date=February 10, 2020|work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=2020-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306121315/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|archive-date=March 6, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Legacy and influence ==
''Pulp Fiction'' quickly came to be regarded as one of the most significant films of its era. In 1995, in a special edition of ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|Siskel & Ebert]]'' devoted to Tarantino, [[Gene Siskel]] argued that the work posed a major challenge to the "ossification of American movies with their brutal formulas". In Siskel's view,

<blockquote>
the violent intensity of ''Pulp Fiction'' calls to mind other violent watershed films that were considered classics in their time and still are. [[Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' [1960], [[Arthur Penn]]'s ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' [1967], and [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' [1971]. Each film shook up a tired, bloated movie industry and used a world of lively lowlifes to reflect how dull other movies had become. And that, I predict, will be the ultimate honor for ''Pulp Fiction''. Like all great films, it criticizes other movies.<ref name="SE">"Pulp Faction: The Tarantino Generation", ''Siskel & Ebert'', ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref>
</blockquote>

Ken Dancyger writes that its "imitative and innovative style"&nbsp;– like that of its predecessor, ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]''&nbsp;– represents

<blockquote>
a new phenomenon, the movie whose style is created from the context of movie life rather than real life. The consequence is twofold&nbsp;– the presumption of deep knowledge on the part of the audience of those forms such as the [[gangster film]]s or Westerns, horror films or adventure films. And that the parody or alteration of that film creates a new form, a different experience for the audience.{{sfn|Dancyger|2002|p=228}}
</blockquote>
[[File:Quentin Tarantino Uma Thurman John Travolta Cannes 2014.jpg|thumb|[[John Travolta]], [[Uma Thurman]] and [[Quentin Tarantino]] at the [[2014 Cannes Film Festival]], for the film's 20th anniversary tribute.]]
In a widely covered speech on May 31, 1995, [[Bob Dole]], Senate Majority Leader and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential candidate for the then-upcoming [[1996 United States presidential election|1996 presidential election]] (as well as the party's vice presidential nominee in the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]), attacked the American entertainment industry for peddling "nightmares of depravity". ''Pulp Fiction'' was soon associated with his charges concerning gratuitous violence. Dole had not mentioned the film, instead citing two less-celebrated movies based on Tarantino screenplays, [[Oliver Stone]]'s ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' and [[Tony Scott]]'s ''[[True Romance]]''.<ref>{{cite news| last =Janofsky| first =Michael| title =Reviews by Weekend Moviegoers Are In. Dole Gets a Thumbs Down| url =https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/us/reviews-by-weekend-moviegoers-are-in-dole-gets-a-thumbs-down.html| work =The New York Times| date =1995-06-04| access-date =2007-10-08| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180602064611/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/us/reviews-by-weekend-moviegoers-are-in-dole-gets-a-thumbs-down.html| archive-date =June 2, 2018| url-status =live}} {{cite magazine| last =Lacayo| first =Richard| title =Violent Reaction| url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983035-1,00.html| magazine =Time| date =1995-06-12| access-date =2007-10-08| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080422075503/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983035-1,00.html| archive-date =April 22, 2008| url-status =dead}}</ref> In September 1996, Dole did accuse ''Pulp Fiction''&nbsp;– which he had not seen at the time&nbsp;– of promoting "the romance of heroin".<ref>{{cite web| last =Gorman| first =Steven J.| title =Dole Takes on Drug Issue: Clinton Faulted for 'Naked' Lack of Leadership| url =http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DOLE+TAKES+ON+DRUG+ISSUE+:+CLINTON+FAULTED+FOR+%60NAKED'+LACK+OF...-a083968058| work =Daily News| date =1996-08-19| access-date =2007-10-08| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080719202147/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DOLE+TAKES+ON+DRUG+ISSUE+%3A+CLINTON+FAULTED+FOR+%60NAKED%27+LACK+OF...-a083968058| archive-date =July 19, 2008| url-status =live}}</ref>

Paula Rabinowitz expresses the general film industry opinion that ''Pulp Fiction'' "simultaneously resurrected John Travolta and film noir".{{sfn|Rabinowitz|2002|p=15}} In Peter Biskind's description, it created a "guys-with-guns frenzy".{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=258}} The film has also been labeled as a [[black comedy]]<ref name="washingtonpost.com" /> and a "[[Film noir#Neo-noir and echoes of the classic mode|neo-noir]]".{{sfn|Waxman|2005|p=64}}{{sfn|Silver|Ursini|2004|p=65}}{{sfn|Real|1996|p=122}} Critic [[Geoffrey O'Brien]], however, argued against the classification of ''Pulp Fiction'' into the neo-noir genre: "The old-time [[film noir|noir]] passions, the brooding melancholy and operatic death scenes, would be altogether out of place in the crisp and brightly lit wonderland that Tarantino conjures up. [It is] neither neo-noir nor a parody of noir."{{sfn|O'Brien|1994|p=90}} Similarly, [[Nicholas Christopher (writer)|Nicholas Christopher]] calls it "more gangland [[Camp (style)|camp]] than neo-noir",{{sfn|Christopher|2006|p=240}}{{sfn|Rubin|1999|pp=174–175}} and [[Foster Hirsch]] suggests that its "trippy fantasy landscape" characterizes it more definitively than any genre label.{{sfn|Hirsch|1997|p=359}} Regardless, the stylistic influence of ''Pulp Fiction'' soon became apparent. Less than a year after the picture's release, British critic Jon Ronson attended the [[National Film and Television School|National Film School]]'s end-of-semester screenings and assessed the impact: "Out of the five student movies I watched, four incorporated violent shoot-outs over a soundtrack of iconoclastic 70s pop hits, two climaxed with all the main characters shooting each other at once, and one had two hitmen discussing the idiosyncrasies of ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' before offing their victim. Not since ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' has one man appeared from relative obscurity to redefine the art of moviemaking."{{sfn|Dawson|1995a|p=207}} Among the first Hollywood films cited as its imitators were ''[[Destiny Turns on the Radio]]'' (1995), in which Tarantino acted,<ref name="SE" /> ''[[Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead]]'' (1995),<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |title=The World According to Harvey and Bob (''Smoke, The Glass Shield'') |work=Chicago Reader |date=June 16, 1995 |url=https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2023/03/the-world-according-to-harvey-and-bob/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051037/https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2023/03/the-world-according-to-harvey-and-bob/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[2 Days in the Valley]]'' (1996).{{sfn|Hirsch|1997|p=360}} It "triggered a myriad of clones", writes Fiona Villella.<ref name="FV">{{cite web |last= Villella |first=Fiona A. | title = Circular Narratives: Highlights of Popular Cinema in the '90s | url =http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/3/circular.html#b2|work=Senses of Cinema |date=January 2000| access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061126215319/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/3/circular.html#b2 |archive-date = November 26, 2006}}</ref> Internationally, according to [[David Desser]], it "not only influenced a British brand of noir, but extended the noir vision virtually around the world".{{sfn|Desser|2003|p=519}} ''Pulp Fiction''{{'}}s effect on film form was still reverberating in 2007, when [[David Denby]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' credited it with initiating the ongoing cycle of disordered cinematic narratives.<ref name="Den">{{cite magazine|last=Denby|first=David|title=The New Disorder|url=https://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/03/05/070305crat_atlarge_denby|magazine=The New Yorker|date=2007-03-05|access-date=2007-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404093026/http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/03/05/070305crat_atlarge_denby|archive-date=April 4, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', the trajectory of ''Pulp Fiction'' from Cannes launch to commercial smash "forever altered the game" of so-called [[Independent film|independent cinema]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Elley|first=Derek|title=Who Launched Whom?|url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=features2006&content=jump&jump=story&dept=cannes&nav=FCannes&articleid=VR1117942945|work=Variety|date=2006-05-14|access-date=2007-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402142636/http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=features2006&content=jump&jump=story&dept=cannes&nav=FCannes&articleid=VR1117942945|archive-date=April 2, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> It "cemented Miramax's place as the reigning indie superpower", writes Biskind.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=189}} "''Pulp'' became the ''[[Star Wars]]'' of independents, exploding expectations for what an indie film could do at the box office."{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p=195}} The film's large financial return on its small budget

<blockquote>
transform[ed] the industry's attitude toward the lowly indies&nbsp;... spawning a flock of me-too classics divisions&nbsp;... [S]mart studio executives suddenly woke up to the fact that grosses and market share, which got all the press, were not the same as profits&nbsp;... Once the studios realized that they could exploit the economies of (small) scale, they more or less gave up buying or remaking the films themselves, and either bought the distributors, as Disney had Miramax, or started their own&nbsp;... copy[ing] Miramax's marketing and distribution strategies.{{sfn|Biskind|2004|p= 193}}
</blockquote>

In 2001, ''Variety'', noting the increasing number of actors switching back and forth between expensive studio films and low-budget independent or indie-style projects, suggested that the "watershed moment for movie stars" came with the decision by Willis&nbsp;– one of Hollywood's highest-paid performers&nbsp;– to appear in ''Pulp Fiction''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Koehler|first=Robert|title=For Art's Sake|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/awards/for-art-s-sake-2-1117794890/|work=Variety|date=2001-03-07|access-date=2007-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012072032/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117794890.html?categoryid=1037&cs=1&query=%22pulp+fiction%22+1994+tarantino|archive-date=October 12, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, on the film's 30th anniversary, the magazine wrote that the film "revived the career of John Travolta, minted a star in Samuel L. Jackson and spawned a still-thriving cottage industry of knockoffs and imitation films."<ref name="Gilchrist-2024" />

It has been described as a "major cultural event", an "international phenomenon" that influenced television, music, literature, and advertising.<ref name="FV" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Samuels |first=Mark |title=''Pulp Fiction'' |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/specials/pulp_fiction |work=Total Film |date=2006-11-08 |access-date=2007-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009170856/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/specials/pulp_fiction |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |url-status=dead}} For musical influence, see, e.g., {{cite magazine|last=Sarig|first=Roni|title=Fun Lovin' Criminals—''Come Find Yourself''|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/funlovincriminals/albums/album/107552/review/5944992/come_find_yourself|magazine=Rolling Stone|year=1996|access-date=2007-10-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621204015/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/funlovincriminals/albums/album/107552/review/5944992/come_find_yourself|archive-date=2008-06-21}}</ref> Not long after its release, it was identified as a significant focus of attention within the growing community of Internet users.<ref>{{cite news|last=Butler |first=Robert W. |title=''Pulp Fiction'' Is a Cultural Phenomenon—And That's a Fact |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |date=March 17, 1996}}</ref> Adding ''Pulp Fiction'' to his roster of [[The Great Movies]] in 2001, Roger Ebert called it "the most influential film of the decade".<ref>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pulp-fiction-1994 |title=Great Movies: ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994) |date=2001-06-10 |access-date=2006-12-29 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213235156/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20010610%2FREVIEWS08%2F106100301%2F1023 |archive-date=February 13, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Four years later, ''Time''{{'}}s Corliss wrote much the same: "(unquestionably) the most influential American movie of the 90s".<ref name="T100">{{cite magazine | title =All-Time 100 Movies: Pulp Fiction (1994) | url =http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,pulp_fiction,00.html | magazine =Time | access-date =2007-05-15 | date =2005-02-12 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070603155000/http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,pulp_fiction,00.html | archive-date =June 3, 2007 | url-status =dead }}</ref>

Several scenes and images from the film achieved iconic status; in 2008, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' declared, "You'd be hard-pressed, by now, to name a moment from Quentin Tarantino's film that isn't iconic."<ref name=EWClassic/> Jules and Vincent's "Royale with Cheese" dialogue became famous.<ref>See, e.g., {{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Bee|title=The Joy and Horror of Junk Food|url=http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25348-2597639,00.html|work=Times Literary Supplement|date=2007-02-14|access-date=2007-10-11|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121220459/http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25348-2597639,00.html|archive-date=November 21, 2007|url-status=dead}} {{cite news|last=Gates|first=Anita|title=Movies: Critic's Choice|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/tv/movies-critic-s-choice.html|work=The New York Times|date=2004-08-01|access-date=2007-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602064545/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/tv/movies-critic-s-choice.html|archive-date=June 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> It was referenced more than a decade and a half later in the Travolta vehicle ''[[From Paris with Love (film)|From Paris with Love]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rea|first=Steven|title=Travolta, Rhys Meyers Pummel Paris|url=http://articles.philly.com/2010-02-05/entertainment/24955905_1_charlie-wax-secret-agent-man-pierre-morel|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=2010-02-05|access-date=2010-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314104706/http://articles.philly.com/2010-02-05/entertainment/24955905_1_charlie-wax-secret-agent-man-pierre-morel|archive-date=March 14, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The adrenalin shot to Mia Wallace's heart is on ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]''{{'}}s list of "100 Greatest Movie Moments".{{sfn|Waxman|2005|loc=p. 72: Waxman misidentifies the list, which appeared in ''Premiere''{{'}}s March 2003 issue, as "100 Most Memorable Movie Scenes"}} The scene of Travolta and Thurman's characters dancing has been frequently homaged, most unambiguously in the 2005 film ''[[Be Cool]]'', starring the same two actors.<ref>{{cite web|last=Laverick |first=Daniel |title=Selling a Movie in Two Minutes—The Modern Day Film Trailer|url=http://www.close-upfilm.com/features/Featuresarchive/sellingamovie.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011212644/http://www.close-upfilm.com/features/Featuresarchive/sellingamovie.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-10-11|website=Close-Up Film|access-date=2007-09-11}}</ref> The image of Travolta and Jackson's characters standing side by side in suit and tie, pointing their guns, has also become widely familiar. In 2007, [[BBC News]] reported that "London transport workers have painted over an iconic mural by 'guerrilla artist' [[Banksy]]&nbsp;... The image depicted a scene from Quentin Tarantino's ''Pulp Fiction'', with Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta clutching bananas instead of guns."<ref>{{cite news|title=Iconic Banksy Image Painted Over|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6575345.stm|work=BBC News|date=2007-04-20|access-date=2007-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106021340/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6575345.stm|archive-date=January 6, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Certain lines were adopted popularly as catchphrases, in particular Marsellus's threat, "I'm 'a get medieval on your ass."{{sfn|Dinshaw|1997|p=116}} Jules's "Ezekiel" recitation was voted the fourth greatest movie speech of all time in a 2004 poll. One of the more notable homages to Jules's "Biblical" quote was one Jackson himself played a part in, near the end of 2014's ''[[Captain America: The Winter Soldier]]'', Jackson's character [[Nick Fury|Col. Nick Fury]], presumed dead, visits his own gravestone, on which, below Fury's name is inscribed "The path of the righteous man&nbsp;..." Ezekiel 25:17.<ref>{{cite news|title="Napalm" Speech Tops Movie Poll|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3362603.stm|work=BBC News|date=2004-01-02|access-date=2007-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708135503/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3362603.stm|archive-date=July 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, it was reported that [[Dominic Cummings]], [[Special advisers (UK government)|special political adviser]] to [[British Prime Minister]] [[Boris Johnson]], quoted Jules by telling Conservative MPs to "be cool like [[Fonzie]]s" as political pressure built to request an extension to the date of [[Brexit negotiations in 2019#August 2019|the UK's withdrawal from the European Union]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indy100.com/article/dominic-cummings-pulp-fiction-cool-like-fonzies-boris-johnson-brexit-9095526|title=Dominic Cummings: Boris Johnson's adviser 'quoted Pulp Fiction' by telling aides they need to be 'cool like Fonzies'|last=Duncan|first=Conrad|date=8 September 2019|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909064808/https://www.indy100.com/article/dominic-cummings-pulp-fiction-cool-like-fonzies-boris-johnson-brexit-9095526|archive-date=September 9, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Pulp Fiction'' now appears in several critical assessments of all-time great films. In 2008, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named it the best film of the past quarter-century.<ref name=EWClassic/> That same year, the [[American Film Institute]]'s "Ten Top Ten" poll ranked it number 7 all-time in the gangster film genre.<ref name="AFI10Top10">{{cite web | website = American Film Institute | title = AFI's 10 Top 10 | date = 2008-06-17 | url = http://www.afi.com/10top10/gangster.html | access-date = 2008-06-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116145351/http://www.afi.com/10top10/gangster.html | archive-date = January 16, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> In 2007, it was voted 94th overall on the [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies]] list.<ref name=AFI10>{{cite web|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies-10th-anniversary-edition/  |title=AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies—10th Anniversary Edition |website=American Film Institute |access-date=2007-09-20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716071157/http://connect.afi.com/site/PageServer?pagename=micro_100landing |archive-date=2011-07-16}}</ref> In 2005, it was named one of "[[Time's All-Time 100 Movies]]".<ref name="T100" /> As of September 2018, it is number 54 on Metacritic's list of all-time highest scores.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/movies/score/metascore/all/filtered|title=Best Movies of All Time|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102032945/https://www.metacritic.com/browse/movies/score/metascore/all/filtered|archive-date=January 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The film ranks very highly in popular surveys. A 2008 ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' poll combining the opinions of readers, movie industry professionals, and critics named ''Pulp Fiction'' the ninth-best film of all time.<ref>{{cite web| title =The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time| url =https://www.empireonline.com/500/94.asp| work =Empire| date =September 2008| access-date =2008-12-13| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131101010231/http://www.empireonline.com/500/94.asp| archive-date =November 1, 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref> In a 2006 readers' poll by the British magazine ''[[Total Film]]'', it ranked as the number three film in history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mueller |first=Matt |title=''Total Film'' Presents The Top 100 Movies Of All Time |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/total_film_presents_the_top_100_movies_of_all_time |work=Total Film |date=2006-10-17 |access-date=2007-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924181919/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/total_film_presents_the_top_100_movies_of_all_time |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was voted as the fourth-greatest film of all time in a nationwide poll for Britain's [[Channel 4]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news| title =''Star Wars'' Voted Best Film Ever| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1676023.stm| work =BBC News| date =2001-11-26| access-date =2007-09-14| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090302155719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1676023.stm| archive-date =March 2, 2009| url-status =live}}</ref> In 2015, ''Pulp Fiction'' ranked 28th on [[BBC]]'s "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from around the world.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 20, 2015|title=100 Greatest American Films|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916105535/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|archive-date=September 16, 2016|access-date=July 21, 2015|work=BBC}}</ref>

== Critical analysis ==
Tarantino has stated that he originally planned "to do a ''[[Black Mask (magazine)|Black Mask]]'' movie", referring to the magazine largely responsible for popularizing [[hardboiled]] detective fiction. "[I]t kind of went somewhere else".{{sfn|O'Brien|1994|p=90}} Geoffrey O'Brien sees the result as connected "rather powerfully to a parallel pulp tradition: the tales of terror and the uncanny practiced by such writers as [[Cornell Woolrich]] [and] [[Fredric Brown]]&nbsp;... Both dealt heavily in the realm of improbable coincidences and cruel cosmic jokes, a realm that ''Pulp Fiction'' makes its own."{{sfn|O'Brien|1994|pp=90, 91}} In particular, O'Brien finds a strong affinity between the intricate plot mechanics and twists of Brown's novels and the recursive, interweaving structure of ''Pulp Fiction''.{{sfn|O'Brien|1994|p=91}} Philip French describes the film's narrative as a "circular movement or [[Möbius strip]] of a kind [[Resnais]] and [[Alain Robbe-Grillet|Robbe-Grillet]] would admire".<ref>{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=''Pulp Fiction''|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2006/mar/26/1|work=The Observer|date=2006-03-26|access-date=2008-12-28|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817181404/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2006/mar/26/1|archive-date=August 17, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> James Mottram regards crime novelist [[Elmore Leonard]], whose influence Tarantino has acknowledged, as the film's primary literary antecedent. He suggests that Leonard's "rich dialogue" is reflected in Tarantino's "popular-culture-strewn jive"; he also points to the acute, extremely dark sense of humor Leonard applies to the realm of violence as a source of inspiration.{{sfn|Mottram|2006|p=228, 77}}

Film scholar/historian [[Robert P. Kolker|Robert Kolker]] sees the "flourishes, the apparent witty banality of the dialogue, the goofy fracturing of temporality [as] a patina over a [[pastiche]]. The pastiche&nbsp;... is essentially of two films that Tarantino can't seem to get out of his mind: ''[[Mean Streets]]'' [1973; directed by [[Martin Scorsese]], who loved ''Pulp Fiction'' and the way the film was told<ref name="Scorsese">{{cite episode| title = Martin Scorsese's Best Films of the '90s| series=Roger Ebert & the Movies| series-link=At the Movies (1986 TV program)| credits=[[Martin Scorsese]] (guest host), [[Roger Ebert]] (host)| airdate=2000-02-26| season=1| number=26}}</ref>] and ''[[The Killing (film)|The Killing]]'' [1956; directed by [[Stanley Kubrick]]]."{{sfn|Kolker|2000|p=249}} He contrasts ''Pulp Fiction'' with postmodern Hollywood predecessors ''[[Hudson Hawk]]'' (1991; starring Willis) and ''[[Last Action Hero]]'' (1993; starring [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]) that "took the joke too far&nbsp;... simply mocked or suggested that they were smarter than the audience" and flopped.{{sfn|Kolker|2000|p=281}} Todd McCarthy writes that the film's "striking widescreen compositions often contain objects in extreme close-up as well as vivid contrasts, sometimes bringing to mind the visual strategies of [[Sergio Leone]]", an acknowledged hero of Tarantino's.<ref name="TM" /> To Martin Rubin, the "expansive, brightly colored widescreen visuals" evoke comedy directors such as [[Frank Tashlin]] and [[Blake Edwards]].{{sfn|Rubin|1999|p=174}}

The movie's host of [[pop culture]] allusions, ranging from the famous image of [[Marilyn Monroe]]'s skirt flying up over a subway grating to Jules addressing a soon-to-be victim as "[[Flock of Seagulls]]" because of his haircut,{{sfn|Tarantino|1994|pp=24, 27}}{{sfn|Conard|2006|p=108}} have led many critics to discuss it within the framework of [[postmodernism]]. Describing the film in 2005 as Tarantino's "postmodern masterpiece&nbsp;... to date", David Walker writes that it "is marked by its playful reverence for the 1950s&nbsp;... and its constantly teasing and often deferential references to other films". He characterizes its convoluted narrative technique as "postmodern tricksiness".{{sfn|Walker|2005|p=315}} Calling the film a "terminally hip postmodern collage", Foster Hirsch finds ''Pulp Fiction'' far from a masterpiece: "authoritative, influential, and meaningless". Set "in a world that could exist only in the movies", it is "a succulent guilty pleasure, beautifully made junk food for [[Filmophile|cinéastes]]".{{sfn|Hirsch|1997|pp=360, 340}} O'Brien, dismissing attempts to associate the movie with [[film noir]], argues that "''Pulp Fiction'' is more a guided tour of an infernal theme park decorated with cultural detritus, [[Buddy Holly]] and [[Mamie Van Doren]], fragments of [[blaxploitation]] and [[Roger Corman]] and ''[[Shogun Assassin]]'', music out of a twenty-four-hour oldies station for which all the decades since the fifties exist simultaneously."{{sfn|O'Brien|1994|p=90}} Catherine Constable takes the moment in which a needle filled with adrenalin is plunged into the comatose Mia's heart as exemplary. She proposes that it "can be seen as effecting her resurrection from the dead, simultaneously recalling and undermining the [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] convention of the vampire's stake. On this model, the referencing of previous aesthetic forms and styles moves beyond&nbsp;... empty pastiche, sustaining an 'inventive and affirmative' mode of postmodernism."{{sfn|Constable|2004|p=54}}

Mark T. Conard asks, "[W]hat is the film ''about''?" and answers, "American [[nihilism]]."{{sfn|Conard|2006|p=125}} Hirsch suggests, "If the film is actually about anything other than its own cleverness, it seems dedicated to the dubious thesis that hit men are part of the human family."{{sfn|Hirsch|1997|p=360}} Richard Alleva argues that "''Pulp Fiction'' has about as much to do with actual criminality or violence as ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' with the realities of seventeenth-century France or ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' with Balkan politics." He reads the movie as a form of romance whose allure is centered in the characters' nonnaturalistic discourse, "wise-guy literate, media-smart, obscenely [[epigram]]matic".<ref>{{cite news|last=Alleva |first=Richard |title=''Pulp Fiction'' |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1252/is_n20_v121/ai_15879432/pg_1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130072640/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1252/is_n20_v121/ai_15879432/pg_1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-11-30 |work=Commonweal |date=1994-11-18 |access-date=2007-10-08 }}</ref> In Alan Stone's view, the "absurd dialogue", like that between Vincent and Jules in the scene where the former accidentally kills Marvin, "unexpectedly transforms the meaning of the violence cliché&nbsp;... ''Pulp Fiction'' unmasks the macho myth by making it laughable and deheroicizes the power trip glorified by standard Hollywood violence."<ref name="Stone">{{cite web|last=Stone|first=Alan|title=''Pulp Fiction''|url=https://bostonreview.net/BR20.2/stone.html|work=Boston Review|date=April–May 1995|access-date=2007-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621100941/http://bostonreview.net/BR20.2/stone.html|archive-date=June 21, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> Stone reads the film as "[[politically correct]]. There is no nudity and no violence directed against women&nbsp;... [It] celebrates interracial friendship and cultural diversity; there are strong women and strong black men, and the director swims against the current of class stereotype."<ref name="Stone" />

Where Stone sees a celebration, Kolker finds a vacuum: "The postmodern insouciance, violence, homophobia, and racism of ''Pulp Fiction'' were perfectly acceptable because the film didn't pretend seriousness and therefore didn't mock it."{{sfn|Kolker|2000|p=281}} Calling it the "acme of postmodern nineties filmmaking", he explains, "the postmodern is about surfaces; it is flattened spatiality in which event and character are in a steady state of reminding us that they are pop-cultural figures."{{sfn|Kolker|2000|pp=249, 250}} According to Kolker:

<blockquote>
That's why ''Pulp Fiction'' was so popular. Not because all audiences got all or any of its references to Scorsese and Kubrick, but because the narrative and spatial structure of the film never threatened to go beyond themselves into signification. The film's cycle of racist and homophobic jokes might threaten to break out into a quite nasty view of the world, but this nastiness keeps being laughed off&nbsp;– by the mock intensity of the action, the prowling, confronting, perverse, confined, and airless nastiness of the world Tarantino creates.{{sfn|Kolker|2000|p=250}}
</blockquote>

[[Henry A. Giroux]] argues that Tarantino "empties violence of any critical social consequences, offering viewers only the immediacy of shock, humor, and irony-without-insight as elements of mediation. None of these elements gets beyond the seduction of voyeuristic gazing&nbsp;... [t]he facile consumption of shocking images and hallucinatory delight."{{sfn|Giroux|1996|p=77}}

Regarding the violence and nihilism in the film, Pamela Demory has suggested that ''Pulp Fiction'' should be seen in light of the short stories of [[Flannery O'Connor]],<ref>{{cite conference |title=Violence and Transcendence in Pulp Fiction and Flannery O'Connor |last1=Demory |first1=Pamela H. |author-link2= |date=1995 |book-title=The Image of Violence in Literature, the Media, and Society: Selected Papers [from the] 1995 Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery |pages=187–194 |editor-first1=Will |editor-last1=Wright |editor-first2=Steven |editor-last2=Kaplan |location=Pueblo, CO |conference=Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery}}</ref> which likewise feature "religious elements, banality, and violence with grotesque humor." Discussing "the connection between violence and redemption," Demory concludes that while O'Connor's purpose is to convince readers "of the powerful force of evil in the world and of our need for grace," Tarantino "seeks to demonstrate that in spite of everything we have seen in the film&nbsp;– all the violence, degradation, death, crime, amoral behavior&nbsp;– grace is still possible; there might still be a God who doesn't judge us on merits."<ref>{{cite book|title=Flannery O'Connor: An Annotated Reference Guide to Criticism |editor-first1=R. Neil |editor-last1=Scott |location=Milledgeville, Georgia |publisher=Timberlane Books |year=2002 |page=185 |isbn=978-0971542808}}</ref>

=== Homage as essence ===
==== Cinema ====
''Pulp Fiction'' is full of [[Homage (arts)|homages]] to other movies. "Tarantino's characters", writes [[Gary Groth]], "inhabit a world where the entire landscape is composed of Hollywood product. Tarantino is a cinematic kleptomaniac&nbsp;– he literally can't help himself."{{sfn|Groth|1997|p=189}} Two scenes in particular have prompted discussion of the film's highly [[intertextual]] style. Many have assumed that the dance sequence at Jack Rabbit Slim's was intended as a reference to Travolta's star-making performance as Tony Manero in the epochal ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' (1977); Tarantino, however, credits a scene in the [[Jean-Luc Godard]] film ''[[Bande à part (film)|Bande à part]]'' (1964) with the inspiration. According to the filmmaker, he clarified that the dance scene was not written specifically to showcase John Travolta's dancing; the scene was written in the script before Travolta was cast.<ref name="T9">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 9, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> However, once Travolta joined the film, Tarantino embraced the opportunity to feature him dancing, citing Jean-Luc Godard's films as his favorite example of musical sequences, admiring how they appear unpredictably and bring a sense of warmth and spontaneity.<ref name="T9" /> Tarantino noted that the charm lies in the fact that these films are not musical, yet they pause the narrative to include a musical moment, which he found particularly endearing.<ref name="T9" />

[[Jerome Charyn]] argues that, beyond "all the better", Travolta's presence is essential to the power of the scene, and of the film:

<blockquote>
Travolta's entire career becomes "[[backstory]]", the myth of a movie star who has fallen out of favor, but still resides in our memory as the king of disco. We keep waiting for him to shed his paunch, put on a white polyester suit, and enter the 2001 Odyssey club in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he will dance for us and never, never stop. Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't have woken such a powerful longing in us. He isn't part of America's own mad cosmology&nbsp;... Tony Manero [is] an angel sitting on Vince's shoulder&nbsp;... [Vince and Mia's] actual dance may be closer to the choreography of [[Anna Karina]]'s shuffle with her two bumbling gangster boyfriends in ''Bande à part'', but even ''that'' reference is lost to us, and we're with Tony again&nbsp;...{{sfn|Charyn|2006|p=106}}
</blockquote>

Estella Tincknell notes that while the "diner setting seems to be a simulacrum of a 'fifties' restaurant&nbsp;... the twist contest is a musical sequence which evokes 'the sixties,' while Travolta's dance performance inevitably references 'the seventies' and his appearance in ''Saturday Night Fever.'' ...&nbsp;The 'past' thus becomes a more general 'pastness' in which the stylistic signifiers of various decades are loaded in to a single moment."{{sfn|Tincknell|2006|p=140}} She also argues that in this passage the film "briefly shifts from its habitually ironic discourse to one that references the conventions of the classic [[film musical]] and in doing so makes it possible for the film to inhabit an affective space that goes beyond stylistic allusion."{{sfn|Tincknell|2006|p=140}}

The pivotal moment in which Marsellus crosses the street in front of Butch's car and notices him evokes the scene in which Marion Crane's boss sees her under similar circumstances in ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960).{{sfn|Dawson|1995a| p=178}}{{sfn|Polan|2000|p=19}} Marsellus and Butch are soon held captive by Maynard and Zed, "two sadistic honkies straight out of ''[[Deliverance]]''" (1972), directed by [[John Boorman]].<ref name="Stone" /> Zed shares a name with [[Sean Connery]]'s character in Boorman's follow-up, the science-fiction film ''[[Zardoz]]'' (1974). When Butch decides to rescue Marsellus, in Glyn White's words, "he finds a trove of items with film-hero resonances".{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}} Critics have identified these weapons with a range of possible allusions:
* Hammer&nbsp;– ''[[The Toolbox Murders]]'' (1978){{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}}
* Baseball bat&nbsp;– ''[[Walking Tall (1973 film)|Walking Tall]]'' (1973);{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}} ''[[The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables]]'' (1987){{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}}
* Chainsaw&nbsp;– ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' (1974);{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}}{{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}} ''[[Evil Dead II]]'' (1987){{sfn|White|2002|p=342}}
* [[Katana]] (samurai sword)&nbsp;– many, including ''[[Seven Samurai]]'' (1954);{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}}{{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}} ''[[The Yakuza]]'' (1975);{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}} and ''[[Shogun Assassin]]'' (1980){{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}}

At the conclusion of the scene, a portentous line of Marsellus's echoes one from the crime drama ''[[Charley Varrick]]'' (1973), directed by another of Tarantino's heroes, [[Don Siegel]]; the name of the character who speaks it there is Maynard.{{sfn|Groth|1997|pp=188–9}}{{sfn|Dinshaw|1997|p=186}}{{sfn|Mottram|2006|pp=75–76}}<ref>For Tarantino's admiration of Siegel, see {{harvtxt|Dawson|1995a|loc=p. 142}}</ref>

David Bell argues that far from going against the "current of class stereotype", this scene, like ''Deliverance'', "mobilize[s] a certain construction of poor white country folk&nbsp;– and particularly their sexualization&nbsp;... 'rustic sexual expression often takes the form of homosexual rape' in American movies."{{sfn|Bell|2000|p=87}} Stephen Paul Miller believes the ''Pulp Fiction'' scene goes down much easier than the one it echoes: "The buggery perpetrated is not at all as shocking as it was in ''Deliverance''&nbsp;... The nineties film reduces seventies competition, horror, and taboo into an entertainingly subtle adrenaline play&nbsp;– a fiction, a pulp fiction."{{sfn|Miller|1999|p=76}} Giroux reads the rape scene homage similarly: "in the end Tarantino's use of parody is about repetition, transgression, and softening the face of violence by reducing it to the property of film history."{{sfn|Giroux|1996|p=78}} In Groth's view, the crucial difference is that "in ''Deliverance'' the rape created the film's central moral dilemma whereas in ''Pulp Fiction'' it was merely 'the single weirdest day of [Butch's] life.'"{{sfn|Groth|1997|p=188}} ("''[[American Me]]'' did it too," Tarantino observed. "There's like ''three'' butt-fucking scenes in ''American Me''. That's definitely the one to beat in that particular category!"<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wild |first=David |title=Quentin Tarantino: The Madman of Movie Mayhem |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 3, 1994 |page=110 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/quentin-tarantino-the-madman-of-movie-mayhem-186995/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716045218/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/quentin-tarantino-the-madman-of-movie-mayhem-186995/ |archive-date=July 16, 2022 |access-date=May 21, 2023}}</ref>)

Neil Fulwood focuses on Butch's weapon selection, writing, "Here, Tarantino's love of movies is at its most open and nonjudgemental, tipping a nod to the noble and the notorious, as well as sending up his own reputation as an enfant terrible of movie violence. Moreover, the scene makes a sly comment about the readiness of cinema to seize upon whatever is to hand for its moments of mayhem and murder."{{sfn|Fulwood|2003|p=22}} White asserts that "the katana he finally, and significantly, selects identifies him with&nbsp;... [[honour]]able heroes."{{sfn|White|2002|p=342}} Conard argues that the first three items symbolize a nihilism that Butch is rejecting. The traditional Japanese sword, in contrasts, represents a culture with a well-defined [[moral code]] and thus connects Butch with a more meaningful approach to life.{{sfn|Conard|2006|pp=125, 133}}

The [[biker film]] ''[[Nam's Angels]]'' is also shown with Fabienne characterizing it as "A motorcycle movie, I'm not sure the name."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/pulp4.htmls|title=Pulp Fiction (1994, part 4 of 5)|website=filmsite.org}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

==== Television ====
Robert Miklitsch argues that "Tarantino's telephilia" may be more central to the guiding sensibility of ''Pulp Fiction'' than the filmmaker's love for rock 'n' roll and even cinema:

<blockquote>
Talking about his generation, one that came of age in the '70s, Tarantino has commented that the "number one thing we all shared wasn't music, that was a Sixties thing. Our culture was television." A random list of the TV programs referenced in ''Pulp Fiction'' confirms his observation: ''[[Speed Racer]], [[Clutch Cargo]], [[The Brady Bunch]], [[The Partridge Family]], [[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]], [[The Three Stooges]], [[The Flintstones]], [[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]], [[Green Acres]], [[Kung Fu (1972 TV series)|Kung Fu]], [[Happy Days]]'', and last but not least, Mia's fictional pilot, ''Fox Force Five''.{{sfn|Miklitsch|2006|loc=pp. 15, 16: Note that while the Three Stooges did have an original TV series that ran briefly in the mid-1960s, they were most familiar from their cinematic [[Short film|shorts]] that were [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] to television}}
</blockquote>

"The above list, with the possible exception of ''The Avengers''," writes Miklitsch, "suggests that ''Pulp Fiction'' has less of an elective affinity with the cinematic avant-gardism of Godard than with mainstream network programming."{{sfn|Miklitsch|2006|p=16}} Jonathan Rosenbaum had brought TV into his analysis of the Tarantino/Godard comparison, acknowledging that the directors were similar in wanting to cram everything they like onscreen: "But the differences between what Godard likes and what Tarantino likes and why are astronomical; it's like comparing a combined museum, library, film archive, record shop, and department store with a jukebox, a video-rental outlet, and an issue of [[TV Guide]]."<ref name=Profusion/>

Sharon Willis focuses on the way a television show (''[[Clutch Cargo]]'') marks the beginning of, and plays on through, the scene between young Butch and his father's comrade-in-arms. The Vietnam War veteran is played by Christopher Walken, whose presence in the role evokes his performance as a traumatized G.I. in the Vietnam War movie ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978). Willis writes that "when Captain Koons enters the living room, we see Walken in his function as an image retrieved from a repertoire of 1970s television and movie versions of ruined [[masculinity]] in search of rehabilitation&nbsp;... [T]he gray light of the television presiding over the scene seems to inscribe the ghostly paternal gaze."{{sfn|Willis |1997|p=195}} Miklitsch asserts that, for some critics, the film is a "prime example of the pernicious ooze-like influence of mass culture exemplified by their bête noire: TV."{{sfn|Miklitsch|2006|p=16}} Kolker might not disagree, arguing that "''Pulp Fiction'' is a simulacrum of our daily exposure to television; its homophobes, thugs and perverts, sentimental boxers and pimp promoters move through a series of long-take tableaux: we watch, laugh, and remain with nothing to comprehend."{{sfn|Kolker|2000|p=250}}

=== Notable motifs ===

==== The mysterious 666 briefcase ====
{{multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| width     = 200
| image1    = PulpFictionCase.jpg
| caption1  =Vincent "stares&nbsp;... transfixed" into the glowing case, as specified in Tarantino's screenplay.{{sfn|Tarantino|1994|p=28}}

| image2    = KissMeDeadlyPandora.jpg
| caption2  = Vincent's demeanor reinforces the allusion to the scene in ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955) in which Lily Carver, a.k.a. Gabrielle ([[Gaby Rodgers]]), gazes into the glowing case.{{sfn|Gallafent|2006|p=46}}}}

The combination of the mysterious suitcase lock is 666, the "[[Number of the beast|Number of the Beast]]". Tarantino has said there is no explanation for its contents&nbsp;– it is simply a [[MacGuffin]], a pure [[plot device]]. Originally, the case was to contain diamonds, but this was seen as too mundane. For filming purposes, it contained a hidden orange light bulb that produced an otherworldly glow when the case was opened.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's In the Briefcase?|url=http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/pulp.htm|website=Snopes.com|date=2007-08-17|access-date=2007-09-13|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180518145158/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/whats-in-the-briefcase/|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2007 video interview with fellow director and friend [[Robert Rodriguez]], Tarantino purportedly "reveals" the secret contents of the briefcase, but the film cuts out and skips the scene in the style employed in Tarantino and Rodriguez's ''[[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]]'' (2007), with an intertitle that reads "Missing Reel". The interview resumes with Rodriguez discussing how radically the "knowledge" of the briefcase's contents alters one's understanding of the movie.<ref name="Myspace">{{cite web|title=Rodriguez and Tarantino: Artist On Artist|url=http://creative.myspace.com/groups/_mh/aoa/pages/qtarantino_rrodriguez/qtarantino_rrodriguez.html|website=MySpace.com|date=April 6, 2007|access-date=2007-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120090140/http://creative.myspace.com/groups/_mh/aoa/pages/qtarantino_rrodriguez/qtarantino_rrodriguez.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite Tarantino's statements, many solutions to what one scholar calls this "unexplained postmodern puzzle" have been proposed.{{sfn|Real|1996|p=259}} A strong similarity has often been observed with [[Robert Aldrich]]'s 1955 [[film noir]] ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'', which features a glowing briefcase housing an atomic explosive.{{sfn|Groth|1997|p=188}}{{sfn|Polan|2000|p=20}}<ref>{{cite web|title=What's in the Briefcase in ''Pulp Fiction''?|url=http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpulpfiction.html|website=The Straight Dope|date=2000-05-31|access-date=2007-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120192104/http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpulpfiction.html|archive-date=November 20, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In their review of [[Alex Cox]]'s 1984 film ''[[Repo Man (film)|Repo Man]]'' in ''The Daily Telegraph'', Nick Cowen and Hari Patience suggest that ''Pulp Fiction'' may also owe "a debt of inspiration" to the glowing car trunk in that film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/wheelsonfilm/2753942/Wheels-On-Film-Repo-Man.html|title=Wheels on Film: Repo Man|date=Aug 16, 2008|first1=Nick |last1=Cowen|first2=Hari |last2=Patience|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=2012-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813111607/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/wheelsonfilm/2753942/Wheels-On-Film-Repo-Man.html|archive-date=August 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In scholar Paul Gormley's view, this connection with ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and a similar one with ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' (1981), makes it possible to read the eerie glow as symbolic of violence itself.{{sfn|Gormley|2005|p=164}} The idea that the briefcase contains Marsellus's soul gained popular currency in the mid-1990s. Analyzing the notion, [[Roger Ebert]] dismissed it as "nothing more than a widely distributed urban legend given false credibility by the mystique of the Net".{{sfn|Ebert|1997|p=188}}

==== Jules' Bible passage ====
Jules ritually recites what he describes as a biblical passage, [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] 25:17, before he executes someone. The passage is heard three times&nbsp;– in the introductory sequence in which Jules and Vincent reclaim Marsellus's briefcase from the doomed Brett; that same recitation a second time, at the beginning of "The Bonnie Situation", which overlaps the end of the earlier sequence; and in the epilogue at the diner. The first version of the passage is as follows:

<blockquote>The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill 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.</blockquote>

The second version, from the diner scene, is identical except for the final line: "And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you."

{{listen|filename=End of Ezekiel.ogg|title="And I will strike down&nbsp;..."| description= Conclusion of the "Ezekiel 25:17" monologue and Brett's murder}}

While the final two sentences of Jules's speech are similar to the actual cited passage, the first two are fabricated from various biblical phrases.{{sfn|Reinhartz|2003|p=108}} The text of Ezekiel 25 preceding verse 17 indicates that God's wrath is retribution for the hostility of the [[Philistines]]. In the [[King James Version]] from which Jules's speech is adapted, Ezekiel 25:17 reads in its entirety:

<blockquote>And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I ''am'' the LORD, when I shall lay My vengeance upon them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/108/26/25.html|title=The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, 25|work=The Holy Bible: King James Version|via=Bartleby|access-date=2007-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131052531/http://www.bartleby.com/108/26/25.html|archive-date=January 31, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Tarantino's primary inspiration for the speech was the work of Japanese [[martial arts film|martial arts]] star [[Sonny Chiba]]. Its text and its identification as Ezekiel 25:17 derive from an almost identical creed that appears at the beginning of the Chiba movie ''[[Karate Kiba]]'' (''The Bodyguard''; 1976), where it is both shown as a scrolling text and read by an offscreen narrator.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|loc=pp. 61–62: Thomas notes that instead of "the Lord", this version reads "...&nbsp;and they shall know that I am Chiba the Bodyguard&nbsp;..."}}{{sfn|Conard|2006|loc=p. 134: Conard claims that the text originates from the film ''Bodigaado Kiba'' (''Bodyguard Kiba'' or ''The Bodyguard''; 1973) and that the end phrase there is "And you will know my name is Chiba the Bodyguard&nbsp;..."}}

The version seen at the beginning of ''The Bodyguard'' (1976) is as follows:

<blockquote>The path of the righteous man and defender is beset on all sides by the inequity 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 father 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 shall lay my vengeance upon them!</blockquote>

In the 1980s television series ''Kage no Gundan'' (''[[Shadow Warriors (TV series)|Shadow Warriors]]''), Chiba's character would lecture the villain-of-the-week about how the world must be rid of evil before killing him.<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 4, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> A killer delivers a similar biblical rant in ''[[Modesty Blaise (novel)|Modesty Blaise]]'', the hardback but pulp-style novel Vincent is shown with in two scenes.<ref name="T25">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 25, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref>

Two critics who have analyzed the role of the speech find different ties between Jules's transformation and the issue of [[postmodernity]]. Gormley argues that unlike the film's other major characters&nbsp;– Marsellus aside&nbsp;– Jules is:

<blockquote>
linked to a "thing" beyond postmodern simulation&nbsp;... [T]his is perhaps most marked when he moves on from being a simulation of a Baptist preacher, spouting Ezekiel because it was "just a cool thing to say&nbsp;..." In his conversion, Jules is shown to be cognizant of a place beyond this simulation, which, in this case, the film constructs as God.{{sfn|Gormley|2005|p=167}}
</blockquote>

[[Adele Reinhartz]] writes that the "depth of Jules's transformation" is indicated by the difference in his two deliveries of the passage: "In the first, he is a majestic and awe-inspiring figure, proclaiming the prophecy with fury and self-righteousness&nbsp;... In the second&nbsp;... he appears to be a different sort of man altogether&nbsp;... [I]n true postmodern fashion, [he] reflects on the meaning of his speech and provides several different ways that it might pertain to his current situation."{{sfn|Reinhartz|2003|pp=106, 107}} Similar to Gormley, Conard argues that as Jules reflects on the passage, it dawns on him "that it refers to an objective framework of value and meaning that is absent from his life"; to Conard, this contrasts with the film's prevalent representation of a nihilistic culture.{{sfn|Conard|2006|p=130}} Rosenbaum finds much less in Jules's revelation: "[T]he spiritual awakening at the end of ''Pulp Fiction'', which Jackson performs beautifully, is a piece of jive avowedly inspired by kung-fu movies. It may make you feel good, but it certainly doesn't leave you any wiser."<ref name=Profusion>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |title=Allusion Profusion (''Ed Wood, Pulp Fiction'') |url=https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2022/06/allusion-profusion/ |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=October 21, 1994 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051042/https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2022/06/allusion-profusion/ |url-status=dead }} Note that the avowed inspiration is actually a TV show, ''Kung Fu''.</ref>

==== The bathroom ====
Much of ''Pulp Fiction''{{'}}s action revolves around characters who are either in the bathroom or need to use the toilet. To a lesser extent, Tarantino's other films also feature this narrative element.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Mike |last2=Thompson |first2=Mike |name-list-style=amp |work=Cashiers du Cinemart |title=Tarantino in a Can? |url=http://www.impossiblefunky.com/archives/issue_2/2_toilet.asp?IshNum=2&Headline=Tarantino%20In%20The%20Can |date=Spring 1995 |access-date=2006-12-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211214336/http://www.impossiblefunky.com/archives/issue_2/2_toilet.asp?IshNum=2&Headline=Tarantino%20In%20The%20Can |archive-date=2012-02-11}}</ref> At Jack Rabbit Slim's, Mia goes to "powder her nose"&nbsp;– literally; she [[Cocaine#Insufflation|snorts coke]] in the restroom, surrounded by a bevy of women vainly primping. Butch and Fabienne play an extended scene in their motel bathroom, he in the shower, she brushing her teeth; the next morning, but just a few seconds later in screen time, she is again brushing her teeth&nbsp;– vigorously, after having given Butch "oral pleasure." As Jules and Vincent confront Brett and two of his pals, a fourth man is hiding in the bathroom&nbsp;– his actions will lead to Jules' transformative "moment of clarity". After Marvin's absurd death, Vincent and Jules wash up in Jimmie's bathroom, where they get into a contretemps over a bloody hand towel.<ref name="Den" /> When the diner holdup turns into a standoff, "Honey Bunny" whines, "I gotta go pee!"{{sfn|Fraiman|2003|p=15}}

As described by Peter and Will Brooker, "In three significant moments Vincent retires to the bathroom [and] returns to an utterly changed world where death is threatened."{{sfn|Brooker|Brooker|1996|p=239}} The threat increases in magnitude as the narrative progresses chronologically, and is realized in the third instance:

# Vincent and Jules's diner breakfast and philosophical conversation is aborted by Vincent's bathroom break; an armed robbery ensues while Vincent is reading on the toilet.
# While Vincent is in the bathroom worrying about the possibility of going too far with Marsellus's wife, Mia mistakes his heroin for cocaine, snorts it, and overdoses.
# During a stakeout at Butch's apartment, Vincent emerges from the toilet with his book and is killed by Butch.

In the Brookers' analysis, "Through Vince&nbsp;... we see the contemporary world as utterly contingent, transformed, disastrously, in the instant you are not looking."{{sfn|Brooker|Brooker|1996|p=239}} Fraiman finds it particularly significant that Vincent is reading ''Modesty Blaise'' in two of these instances. She links this fact with the traditional derisive view of women as "the archetypal consumers of pulp":

<blockquote>
Locating popular fiction in the bathroom, Tarantino reinforces its association with shit, already suggested by the dictionary meanings of "pulp" that preface the movie: moist, shapeless matter; also, lurid stories on cheap paper. What we have then is a series of damaging associations&nbsp;– pulp, women, shit&nbsp;– that taint not only male producers of mass-market fiction but also male consumers. Perched on the toilet with his book, Vincent is feminized by sitting instead of standing as well as by his trashy tastes; preoccupied by the anal, he is implicitly infantilized and homosexualized; and the seemingly inevitable result is being pulverized by Butch with a Czech M61 submachine gun. That this fate has to do with Vincent's reading habits is strongly suggested by a slow tilt from the book on the floor directly up to the corpse spilled into the tub.{{sfn|Fraiman|2003|loc=p. 14: Fraiman's identification of the submachine gun as a [[Škorpion|Czech M61]] matches the description in the screenplay: Tarantino (1994), p. 96. Visual evidence suggests that a different gun was actually used in the film, possibly a [[MAC-10]] or similar model}}
</blockquote>

Willis reads ''Pulp Fiction'' in almost precisely the opposite direction, finding "its overarching project as a drive to turn shit into gold. This is one way of describing the project of redeeming and recycling popular culture, especially the popular culture of one's childhood, as is Tarantino's wont as well as his stated aim."{{sfn|Willis|1997|p=195}} Despite that, argues Fraiman, "''Pulp Fiction'' demonstrates&nbsp;... that even an open pulpophile like Tarantino may continue to feel anxious and emasculated by his preferences."{{sfn|Fraiman|2003|p=15}}

== Accolades ==
{{Main|List of accolades received by Pulp Fiction{{!}}List of accolades received by ''Pulp Fiction''}}
''Pulp Fiction'' won eight major awards from a total of twenty-six nominations, including a [[Best Original Screenplay]] win at the [[67th Academy Awards]].<ref name="PdO" /><ref name="Awards" /><ref name="BAFTA" /><ref name="GGA">{{cite web|url= http://www.hfpa.org/browse/film/24792|title= Awards Search/''Pulp Fiction''|publisher= Hollywood Foreign Press Association|access-date= 2007-09-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070807063318/http://www1.hfpa.org/browse/film/24792|archive-date= August 7, 2007|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="NSFC">{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/04/movies/pulp-fiction-gets-top-prize-from-national-film-critics.html|title="Pulp Fiction" Gets Top Prize From National Film Critics|work=The New York Times|date=1995-01-04|access-date=2007-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709114845/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/04/movies/pulp-fiction-gets-top-prize-from-national-film-critics.html|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, in the balloting by the [[National Society of Film Critics]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]] was the runner-up in both the [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] and the [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] categories.<ref name="NSFC" />

'''[[American Film Institute]] Lists'''
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies]]&nbsp;– {{Numero|95}}<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/ |website=AFI |access-date=21 May 2023 |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422032506/https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs]]&nbsp;– Nominated<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees |url=https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs500.pdf |website=AFI |access-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150538/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs500.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011}}</ref>
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills]]&nbsp;– {{Numero|53}}<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-thrills/ |website=AFI |access-date=21 May 2023 |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309023411/https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-thrills/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees |url=https://prdaficalmjediwestussa.blob.core.windows.net/images/2019/08/handv400.pdf |website=AFI |access-date=21 May 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051036/https://prdaficalmjediwestussa.blob.core.windows.net/images/2019/08/handv400.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
** Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield&nbsp;– Nominated Villains
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Quotes Nominees |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |website=AFI |access-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150620/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011}}</ref>
** "Bring out the Gimp" – Nominated Quote
** "They call it a Royale with Cheese" – Nominated Quote
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]]&nbsp;– {{Numero|94}}<ref name=AFI10/>
* [[AFI's 10 Top 10]]&nbsp;– {{Numero|7}} gangster film<ref name="AFI10Top10"/>

==Home media and ownership==
The first home video release was a [[VHS]] on September 12, 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp950912/09120038.htm|title="PULP FICTION": DON'T WATCH IT JUST ONE TIME|website=scholar.lib.vt.edu}}</ref> Following their June 1993 sale to [[The Walt Disney Company]], all of Miramax's home video releases were handled by Disney's [[Buena Vista Home Entertainment]]. However, the releases were being branded as Miramax Home Entertainment releases rather than Disney/Buena Vista releases, as a result of the studio's adult focused content. In 1996, Miramax issued a Special Collector’s Edition VHS, which included deleted scenes introduced by Tarantino.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.quentintarantinofanclub.com/?p=shop&m=fp&idp=10&srsltid=AfmBOoq3lEy-Lxwx6GKkRMhNHL6phPpxKbdFKi4SnGva6UynzUgP4U3c|title=VHS Pulp Fiction New Sealed|website=Quentin Tarantino Fan Club}}</ref> In Australia, the Special Collector's Edition VHS was released in late 1997, through [[Village Roadshow]], who had an Australian distribution agreement with Miramax at the time.<ref>https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/pulp-fiction-special-collectors-edition</ref> The film's first US [[LaserDisc]] release occurred on October 4, 1995, and was followed by a special [[Criterion Collection]] LaserDisc release on June 19, 1996.<ref name="ld">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lddb.com/search.php?search=Pulp+Fiction&sort=title|title=LaserDisc Database - Search - Pulp Fiction|website=www.lddb.com}}</ref> Between 1995 and 1997, the film received additional LaserDisc releases in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.<ref name="ld"/> On August 20, 2002, Miramax Home Entertainment released a two-disc Collector’s Edition DVD. This version included [[DTS, Inc.|DTS sound]], and extensive extras such as documentaries, interviews with cast and crew, and trailers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/08/09/pulp-fiction-collectors-edition|title=Pulp Fiction: DVD Collector's Edition Review|first=Jeremy|last=Conrad|date=August 9, 2002|website=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/4409/pulp-fiction-collectors-edition/|title=DVD Talk|website=www.dvdtalk.com}}</ref>

In December 2010, The Walt Disney Company sold Miramax to a private equity holding company known as [[Filmyard Holdings]]. The company had multiple investors, including [[Tutor-Saliba Corporation]] and the private equity firm [[Colony Capital]], who were making their first entertainment-related investment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Disney Completes Sale Of Miramax Films To Filmyard Holdings LLC |url=https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-completes-sale-of-miramax-films-to-filmyard-holdings-llc/ |website=The Walt Disney Company |date=2010-12-03 |access-date=2025-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/jul/30/film-industry-privateequity|title=Disney sells Miramax to investment group for $660m|first=David|last=Teather|work=The Guardian |date=July 30, 2010}}</ref> Filmyard licensed the home media rights for most of Miramax's notable titles to [[Lionsgate Films]], with lower profile titles being licensed to [[Echo Bridge Entertainment]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/echo-bridge-distribute-miramax-titles-101170/|title=Echo Bridge to Distribute Miramax Titles on DVD, Blu-Ray|first=Alex Ben|last=Block|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=February 17, 2011}}</ref> [[Lionsgate Home Entertainment]] reissued ''Pulp Fiction'' on DVD on April 26, 2011, and on October 1, 2011, the film received a [[Blu-ray]] release through Lionsgate Home Entertainment.<ref name="rel">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/1837/Pulp-Fiction-(1994).html|title=Pulp Fiction DVD Release Date|website=DVDs Release Dates}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pulp-Fiction-Blu-ray/3637/|title=Pulp Fiction Blu-ray|via=www.blu-ray.com}}</ref> The UK version of the Lionsgate Blu-ray was released on November 26, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.tarantino.info/index.php/Pulp_Fiction_BluRay|title=Pulp Fiction BluRay - The Quentin Tarantino Archives|website=wiki.tarantino.info}}</ref> In 2011, Filmyard Holdings licensed the Miramax library to streamer [[Netflix]]. This streaming deal included ''Pulp Fiction'', and ran for five years, eventually ending on June 1, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/leaving-soon/miramax-deal-with-netflix-ends-on-june-1st-over-400-movies-leaving/|title=Miramax Deal With Netflix Ends on June 1st - Over 400 Movies Leaving|date=May 21, 2016|website=What's on Netflix}}</ref>

Filmyard Holdings sold Miramax to Qatari [[State media|state-owned]] company [[beIN Media Group]] in March 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/02/bein-media-group-miramax-film-studio-acquisition|title=Iconic film studio Miramax sells to Doha-based beIN Media Group|first=Nigel M.|last=Smith|work=The Guardian |date=March 2, 2016}}</ref> In April 2020, [[ViacomCBS]] (now known as [[Paramount Skydance]]) acquired the rights to Miramax's library, after buying a 49% stake in the studio from beIN.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/viacomcbs-closes-acquisition-miramax-stake-375-million-deal-1286478/|title=ViacomCBS Closes Acquisition of 49 Percent Miramax Stake in $375 Million Deal|first=Georg|last=Szalai|date=April 3, 2020|via=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> ''Pulp Fiction'' is among the 700 titles they acquired in the deal,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/viacom-miramax-library-talks-resume-1202805735/|title=ViacomCBS Taking 49% Stake In Miramax For $375M|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=December 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2020/04/03/viacomcbs-adds-to-media-portfolio-taking-49-stake-in-miramax/|title=ViacomCBS Adds To Media Portfolio, Taking 49% Stake In Miramax|first=Rob|last=Salkowitz|website=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parkcircus.com/film/107474-Pulp-Fiction|title=Pulp Fiction|website=Park Circus}}</ref> and since April 2020, the film has been distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]]. The deal also included a first look agreement with beIN/Miramax, which allows Paramount to release any future projects based on Miramax properties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/neal-mortiz-paramount-first-look-deal-1235871980/|title=Neal H. Moritz, Paramount Renew First Look Production Deal|first=Etan|last=Vlessing|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=April 11, 2024}}</ref>

In late 2020, [[Paramount Home Entertainment]] started reissuing many of the Miramax titles they had acquired, and on September 22, 2020, they reissued ''Pulp Fiction'' on DVD and Blu-ray.<ref name="rel"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pulp-Fiction-Blu-ray/274484/|title=Pulp Fiction Blu-ray (Blu-ray + Digital HD)|via=www.blu-ray.com}}</ref> Most of Paramount's Miramax reissues during this period had the same artwork as previous releases, but add the Paramount mountain logo to the packaging. On December 6 2022, Paramount Home Entertainment released ''Pulp Fiction'' on [[4K Ultra HD]] Blu-ray.<ref name="rel"/> The release includes special features originally from the 2011 Lionsgate Blu-ray.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/pulp-fiction-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-quentin-tarantino/|title='Pulp Fiction' 4K UHD Blu-ray Review|first=Chris Cabin, Jake|last=Cole|website=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=December 7, 2022}}</ref> In celebration of ''Pulp Fiction'''s 30th anniversary, Paramount Home Entertainment released a 4K Ultra HD Collector's Edition on December 3, 2024, as an [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]-exclusive set (also available via [[Zavvi]] in Australia). This edition retains the 2022 version's 2160p transfer with HDR-10 and Dolby Vision, also retaining the legacy special features. It includes a new slipcover featuring pop-up artwork of the Jack Rabbit Slim's dance scene between John Travolta and Uma Thurman. Additional collectibles include reproductions of lobby cards showcasing key film moments, a photography contact sheet, and collectible stickers/decals with film imagery, all presented in a protective folder with custom artwork.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pulp-Fiction-4K-Blu-ray/372011/|title=Pulp Fiction 4K Blu-ray (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (United Kingdom)|via=www.blu-ray.com}}</ref>

''Pulp Fiction'' was not one of the inaugural titles included on Paramount's subscription streaming service [[Paramount+]], which launched on March 4, 2021, although it was later added to the service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/paramount-plus-line-tv-shows-films-movies-1573726|title=All the Shows and Movies Streaming Now on Paramount+|first=Samuel Spencer Newsweek Is A. Trust Project|last=Member|date=March 4, 2021|website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/quentin-tarantino-pulp-fiction-paramount-plus/|title=Quentin Tarantino's Most Iconic Film Finds a New Streaming Home in August|first=Adam|last=Meilstrup|date=July 27, 2024|website=CBR}}</ref> It has also been made available on Paramount's free streaming service [[Pluto TV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/pluto-tv-movies-streaming-pulp-fiction-best-movie-all-time/|title=Pluto TV Is Now Streaming One of the Best Movies of All-Time|first=Allison|last=Schonter|date=August 20, 2025}}</ref>

== NFT dispute ==
In November 2021, Miramax filed a lawsuit against Tarantino who released seven [[NFT]]s based on uncut and unseen scenes of ''Pulp Fiction'' and including the original handwritten script "revealing secrets about the film and its creator." Miramax claimed they own the film rights.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Diaz|first=Johnny|date=2021-11-17|title=Miramax Sues Quentin Tarantino Over Planned 'Pulp Fiction' NFTs|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/business/miramax-tarantino-nft-pulp-fiction.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/business/miramax-tarantino-nft-pulp-fiction.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|access-date=2021-11-17|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Tarantino disputed the lawsuit and claimed he had rights to the film script in written form.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Quentin Tarantino sued over 'Pulp Fiction' NFT plan|url=https://news.yahoo.com/quentin-tarantino-sued-over-pulp-214715919.html|access-date=2021-11-17|date=2021-11-17|website=news.yahoo.com|language=en-US|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117221449/https://news.yahoo.com/quentin-tarantino-sued-over-pulp-214715919.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The matter was later settled with Miramax's lawyers filing a brief statement in court: "The parties have agreed to put this matter behind them and look forward to collaborating with each other on future projects, including possible NFTs."<ref>{{cite news |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |title=Quentin Tarantino Settles With Miramax Over 'Pulp Fiction' NFT Auction |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/quentin-tarantino-miramax-pulp-fiction-nft-settlement-1235365550/ |work=Variety |date=9 September 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925063120/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/quentin-tarantino-miramax-pulp-fiction-nft-settlement-1235365550/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Film|United States|1990s}}
* [[The Killers (Hemingway short story)]]
* [[The Killers (1946 film)|''The Killers'' (1946)]]
* [[List of cult films]]
* ''[[Plump Fiction]]''
* ''[[Pulp Friction (film)|Pulp Friction]]''
* [[Quentin Tarantino filmography]]

{{clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Bailey |first=Jason |year=2013 |title=Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece |publisher=Voyageur Press |isbn=978-0-7603-4479-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Barker |first1=Martin |last2=Austin |first2=Thomas |year=2000 |title=From Antz to Titanic: Reinventing Film Analysis |publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=0-7453-1579-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Bart |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Bart |year=2000 |title=The Gross: The Hits, the Flops—The Summer That Ate Hollywood |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's |isbn=0-312-25391-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Bell |first=David |year=2000 |chapter=Eroticizing the Rural |title=De-Centering Sexualities: Politics and Representations Beyond the Metropolis |editor-first1=David |editor-last1=Shuttleton |editor-first2=Diane |editor-last2=Watt |editor-first3=Richard |editor-last3=Phillips |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-19466-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Biskind |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Biskind |year=2004 |title=Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780965931571 |isbn=0-684-86259-X}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brooker |first1=Peter |first2=Will |last2=Brooker |year=1996 |chapter=Pulpmodernism: Tarantino's Affirmative Action |title=Film Theory: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies |editor-first1=Philip |editor-last1=Simpson |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-last2=Utterson |editor-first3=Karen J. |editor-last3=Shepherdson |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-25971-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Charyn |first=Jerome |year=2006 |title=Raised by Wolves: The Turbulent Art and Times of Quentin Tarantino |location=New York |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |isbn=1-56025-858-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Christopher |first=Nicholas |year=2006 |title=Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City |location=Emeryville, Calif. |publisher=Shoemaker & Hoard |isbn=1-59376-097-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Conard |first=Mark T. |year=2006 |chapter=Symbolism, Meaning, and Nihilism in ''Pulp Fiction'' |title=The Philosophy of Film Noir |location=Lexington |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=0-8131-2377-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Constable |first=Catherine |year=2004 |chapter=Postmodernism and Film |title=The Cambridge Companion to Postmodernism |editor-first1=Steven |editor-last1=Connor |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-64840-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Dancyger |first=Ken |year=2002 |title=The Technique of Film and Video Editing: History, Theory, and Practice |edition=3rd |location=New York |publisher=Focal Press |isbn=0-240-80420-1}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Dargis |first=Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |title=Pulp Instincts |magazine=[[Sight and Sound]] |pages=6–11 |volume=4 |number=5 |date=1994a |url=https://archive.org/details/Sight_and_Sound_1994_05_BFI_GB/page/n7/mode/2up}} collected in {{cite book|title=Quentin Tarantino: Interviews |editor-first1=Gerald |editor-last1=Peary |location=Jackson |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |year=1998 |isbn=1-57806-051-6}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Dargis |first=Manohla |title=Quentin Tarantino on ''Pulp Fiction'' |magazine=Sight and Sound |volume=4 |number=11 |date=1994b}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Davis |first1=Todd F. |last2=Womack |first2=Kenneth |author-link2=Kenneth Womack |year=1998 |title=Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantino's ''Pulp Fiction'' |journal=Literature/Film Quarterly |volume=26 |number=1}}
* {{cite book|last=Dawson |first=Jeff |year=1995a |title=Quentin Tarantino: The Cinema of Cool |location=New York and London |publisher=Applause |isbn=1-55783-227-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Desser |first=David |year=2003 |chapter=Global Noir: Genre Film in the Age of Transnationalism |title=Film Genre Reader III |editor-first1=Barry Keith |editor-last1=Grant |location=Austin |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0-292-70185-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dinshaw |first=Carolyn |year=1997 |chapter=Getting Medieval: ''Pulp Fiction'', Gawain, Foucault |title=The Book and the Body |editor-first1=Dolores Warwick |editor-last1=Frese |editor-first2=Katherine O'Brien |editor-last2=O'Keeffe |location=Notre Dame |publisher=University of Notre Dame Press |isbn=0-268-00700-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |year=1997 |title=Questions for the Movie Answer Man |location=Kansas City, Mo. |publisher=Andrews McMeel |isbn=0-8362-2894-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Fraiman |first=Susan |year=2003 |title=Cool Men and the Second Sex |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=0-231-12962-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Fulwood |first=Neil |year=2003 |title=One Hundred Violent Films that Changed Cinema |location=London and New York |publisher=Batsford/Sterling |isbn=0-7134-8819-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Gallafent |first=Edward |year=2006 |title=Quentin Tarantino |location=London |publisher=Pearson Longman |isbn=0-582-47304-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Giroux |first=Henry A. |year=1996 |title=Fugitive Cultures: Race, Violence, and Youth |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-91577-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Gormley |first=Paul |year=2005 |title=The New-Brutality Film: Race and Affect in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema |location=Bristol, UK, and Portland, Ore. |publisher=Intellect |isbn=1-84150-119-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Groth |first=Gary |year=1997 |chapter=A Dream of Perfect Reception: The Movies of Quentin Tarantino |title=Commodify Your Dissent: Salvos from The Baffler |editor-first1=Thomas |editor-last1=Frank |editor-first2=Matt |editor-last2=Weiland |location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=0-393-31673-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Hirsch |first=Foster |contribution=Afterword |year=1997 |title=Crime Movies |edition=revised |editor-first1=Carlos |editor-last1=Clarens |location=Cambridge, Mass. |publisher=Da Capo |isbn=0-306-80768-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Hoffman |first=David |year=2005 |title=The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet |location=Kansas City, Mo. |publisher=Andrews McMeel |isbn=0-7407-5029-1}}
* {{cite book|last=King |first=Geoff |year=2002 |title=Film Comedy |location=London |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=1-903364-35-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Kolker |first=Robert |year=2000 |title=A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-512350-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Miklitsch |first=Robert |title=Roll Over Adorno: Critical Theory, Popular Culture, Audiovisual Media |year=2006 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0791467343 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oCprHBiGYoMC&pg=PA15}}
* {{cite book|last=Miller |first=Stephen Paul |year=1999 |title=The Seventies Now: Culture As Surveillance |location=Durham, N.C |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=0-8223-2166-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Mottram |first=James |year=2006 |title=The Sundance Kids: How the Mavericks Took Back Hollywood |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0-571-22267-6}}
* {{cite book|last=O'Brien |first=Geoffrey |year=1994 |chapter=Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fantastic |title=Castaways of the Image Planet: Movies, Show Business, Public Spectacle |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Counterpoint |isbn=1-58243-190-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Parker |first=Philip |year=2002 |title=The Art and Science of Screenwriting |edition=2nd |location=Bristol, UK |publisher=Intellect |isbn=1-84150-065-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Polan |first=Dana |year=2000 |title=Pulp Fiction |location=London |publisher=BFI |isbn=0-85170-808-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Rabinowitz |first=Paula |year=2002 |title=Black & White & Noir: America's Pulp Modernism |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=0-231-11480-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Real |first=Michael R. |year=1996 |title=Exploring Media Culture: A Guide |location=Thousand Oaks, Calif., London, and New Delhi |publisher=Sage |isbn=0-8039-5877-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Reinhartz |first=Adele |year=2003 |title=Scripture on the Silver Screen |location=Louisville |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=0-664-22359-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Rubin |first=Martin |year=1999 |title=Thrillers |location=Cambridge, New York, and Melbourne |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-58839-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Silver |first1=Alain |first2=James |last2=Ursini |year=2004 |title=Film Noir |location=Cologne |publisher=Taschen |isbn=3-8228-2261-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Tarantino |first=Quentin |author-link=Quentin Tarantino |year=1994 |title=Pulp Fiction: A Screenplay |location=New York |publisher=Hyperion/Miramax |isbn=0-7868-8104-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Thomas |first=Brian |year=2003 |title=VideoHound's Dragon: Asian Action & Cult Flicks |location=Canton, Mich. |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=1-57859-141-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Tincknell |first=Estella |year=2006 |chapter=The Soundtrack Movie, Nostalgia and Consumption |title=Film's Musical Moments |editor-first1=Ian |editor-last1=Conrich |editor-first2=Estella |editor-last2=Tincknell |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=0-7486-2344-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Walker |first=David |year=2005 |chapter=Tarantino, Quentin |title=The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism' |edition=2nd |editor-first=Stuart |editor-last=Sim |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-33358-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Waxman |first=Sharon |author-link=Sharon Waxman |year=2005 |title=Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System |location=New York |publisher=HarperCollins |url=https://archive.org/details/rebelsonbacklots00waxm |isbn=0-06-054017-6}}
* {{cite book|last=White |first=Glyn |year=2002 |chapter=Quentin Tarantino |title=Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers |editor-first1=Yvonne |editor-last1=Tasker |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-18973-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Willis |first=Sharon |year=1997 |title=High Contrast: Race and Gender in Contemporary Hollywood Film |location=Durham, N.C. |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=0-8223-2041-X}}

{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote|Pulp Fiction}}
{{Commons category|Pulp Fiction}}
* [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/pulp%20fiction.pdf ''Pulp Fiction'' essay] by [[Jami Bernard]] at [[National Film Registry]]
* {{Official website}}
* {{AFI film|55207}}
* {{IMDb title|0110912}}
* [http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/tarantino.html#pulp ''Pulp Fiction'' bibliography (via UC Berkeley)]
* [http://www.bibledex.com/verses/pulp_fiction.html Discussion of ''Pulp Fiction'' use of Ezekiel 25:17 at Bibledex.com]

{{Bronze Horse}}
{{Quentin Tarantino}}
{{Roger Avary}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of accolades received by Pulp Fiction|Awards for ''Pulp Fiction'']]
|list =
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}
{{Palme d'Or}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}
{{David di Donatello Best Foreign Film}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Film}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Movie}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Film}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

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