Madeline
Although I have seen most of Pulp Fiction in pieces over the years, I’ve never seen the whole movie in one sitting and, boy, is this a tough movie to watch. I remember there being a lot of blood and a lot of guts but did not remember all the gore and the gangster story line. This movie is a one of a kind and iconic film that is worth watching again and again. As long as you know when to divert your eyes.
Premise of Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is sorted into three different chapters and a story that bookends the beginning and the end. The movie starts in a diner and ends in the diner and appears to be random until the final scene when we find two characters followed throughout the movie in the same diner talking about ending their life of crime from all the things that make this a tough movie to watch.
The first story is of Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta, who has been tasked by his boss, Marsellus Wallace, to take his wife out for a night. There is a series of scenes leading up to the big night where Vincent is discussing the situation with his business partner, Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson. When Vincent finally takes the boss’s wife out, the night goes perfectly until she overdoses.
The next story, is of a fighter Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis, who is fleeing with his girlfriend after winning a fight he was suppose to through for the benefit of Marsellus Wallace. But before they can take off, he notices his father’s watch is missing from the belongings his girlfriend was suppose to collect. He returns to his house to find the watch but also finds Vincent there. He shoots Vincent and flees to seen only to have a random encounter with Marsellus which starts with a fight and ends with Marsellus forgiving Butch on the premise that he doesn’t talk about what they both experienced.
The final story is about a hit that Vincent and Jules are sent on that goes the wrong way. They are forced to find a garage of someone they trust and find someone who can help to clean up their mess. The story ends with being humiliated by being hosed off in the backyard and forced to wear back of closet shirts and shorts instead of their usual suites. And this is then were we follow them back to the diner of where the movie started.
Watching With Movie Crush
Although sitting through this movie in one sitting has always been on my movie watching bucket list, it was not until it came up on Movie Crush that it actually came to be. I love watching movies and listening to Movie Crush because they always point out things I didn’t notice. For example, although I noticed a pattern of some sort in the movie, the three stories and the bookends did not fully come together for me until Movie Crush. I also, didn’t realize that this movie was the movie that remade John Travolta. And of course there are tidbits about Quentin Tarantino’s process.
Final Thoughts
I understand why this movie is so iconic regardless of being a tough movie to watch. It is one of the greatest of all time and will continue to live in history. I have found myself being a big Quentin Tarantino fan; however, it is odd that I had never seen his most famous movie all the way through. Two big fat thumbs up!
