Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino (stories) &
Roger Avary (stories) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Girls like me don't make invitations like this to just anyone!

Plot:

The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Restaurant | Briefcase | Coffee | Redemption

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 40 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Vincent Vega
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Jules Winnfield
Tim Roth	...	Pumpkin - Ringo
Amanda Plummer	...	Honey Bunny - Yolanda
Eric Stoltz	...	Lance
Bruce Willis	...	Butch Coolidge
Ving Rhames	...	Marsellus Wallace
Phil LaMarr	...	Marvin
Maria de Medeiros	...	Fabienne
Rosanna Arquette	...	Jody
Peter Greene	...	Zed
Uma Thurman	...	Mia Wallace
Duane Whitaker	...	Maynard
Paul Calderon	...	Paul
Frank Whaley	...	Brett
Burr Steers	...	Roger
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Trudi
Susan Griffiths	...	Marilyn Monroe
Steve Buscemi	...	Buddy Holly
Eric Clark	...	James Dean
Joseph Pilato	...	Dean Martin
Brad Parker	...	Jerry Lewis
Angela Jones	...	Esmeralda Villalobos
Don Blakely	...	Wilson's Trainer
Christopher Walken	...	Captain Koons
Carl Allen	...	Dead Floyd Wilson
Stephen Hibbert	...	The Gimp
Julia Sweeney	...	Raquel
Laura Lovelace	...	Waitress
Michael Gilden	...	Phillip Morris Page
Jerome Patrick Hoban	...	Ed Sullivan
Gary Shorelle	...	Ricky Nelson
Lorelei Leslie	...	Mamie van Doren
Brenda Hillhouse	...	Mrs. Coolidge - Butch's Mother
Chandler Lindauer	...	Young Butch
Sy Sher	...	Klondike
Robert Ruth	...	Sportscaster #1 - Coffee Shop
Rich Turner	...	Sportscaster #2
Venessia Valentino	...	Pedestrian / Bonnie Dimmick
Alexis Arquette	...	Man #4
Linda Kaye	...	Shot Woman
Kathy Griffin	...	Kathy Griffin
Quentin Tarantino	...	Jimmie Dimmick
Harvey Keitel	...	Winston 'The Wolf' Wolfe
Karen Maruyama	...	Gawker #1
Lawrence Bender	...	Long Hair Yuppy Scum
Emil Sitka	...	Hold Hands You Lovebirds (archive footage)
Dick Miller	...	Monster Joe (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rene Beard	...	Bar Tender (uncredited)
Devan Richardson	...	Hop along cassidy (uncredited)
Glendon Rich	...	Drug Dealer (uncredited)
Ani Sava	...	Woman in Bathroom (uncredited)

Directed by
Quentin Tarantino

Writing credits
Quentin Tarantino		(stories) &
Roger Avary		(stories)
Quentin Tarantino		(written by)

Produced by
Lawrence Bender	....	producer
Danny DeVito	....	executive producer
Richard N. Gladstein	....	co-executive producer
Michael Shamberg	....	executive producer
Stacey Sher	....	executive producer
Bob Weinstein	....	co-executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	co-executive producer

Cinematography by
Andrzej Sekula

Film Editing by
Sally Menke

Casting by
Ronnie Yeskel
Gary M. Zuckerbrod

Production Design by
David Wasco

Art Direction by
Charles Collum

Set Decoration by
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco

Costume Design by
Betsy Heimann

Makeup Department
Linda Arnold	....	assistant hair
Christina Bartolucci	....	assistant hair stylist
Christina Bartolucci	....	assistant makeup artist
Thomas L. Bellissimo	....	special makeup effects artist (as Tom Bellissimo)
Michelle Bühler	....	key makeup artist (as Michelle Buhler)
Bill Fletcher	....	wig maker
Audree Futterman	....	key hair supervisor
Erin Haggerty	....	special makeup effects artist
Theodore Haines	....	special makeup effects artist (as Ted Haines)
Iain Jones	....	hair designer
Douglas Noe	....	special makeup effects artist
David E. Smith	....	special makeup effects artist (as David Smith)
Wayne Toth	....	special makeup effects artist
Howard Berger	....	special makeup supervisor (uncredited)
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup supervisor (uncredited)
Michael Mosher	....	prosthetics: Ed Sullivan (uncredited)
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup supervisor (uncredited)

Production Management
Paul Hellerman	....	production manager
Heidi Vogel	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Paul Clark	....	additional second second assistant director
John W. Hyde Jr.	....	second second assistant director (as John 'Crash' Hyde Jr.)
Kelly Kiernan	....	second assistant director
Francis R. Mahoney III	....	first assistant director (as Francis R. 'Sam' Mahony III)

Art Department
Peter Borck	....	lead man
Daniel Bradford	....	set designer
Gary L. Brennan	....	carpenter
Ellen Brill	....	buyer
Liz Chiz	....	assistant decorator
Chris Cullen	....	graphic designer
Joseph Donti	....	carpenter
McPherson O. Downs	....	on-set dresser
John Felgate	....	assistant property master
Marc Gillson	....	lead painter
Tim Glueckert	....	carpenter
Samantha Gore	....	assistant art director
Joseph W. Grafmuller	....	set dresser (as Joseph Grafmuller)
B. Harris	....	carpenter
Shane Hawkins	....	construction location foreman
Jean Hodges	....	prop food stylist
Jonathan R. Hodges	....	property master (as Jonathan Hodges)
Steven Ingrassia	....	swing gang
Jose Jimenez	....	carpenter
Jacek Lisiewicz	....	set designer
Giuseppe Maini III	....	painter
Adam Markey	....	carpenter
Brian Markey	....	construction coordinator
Ed Martin II	....	swing gang
Maryann Matanic	....	swing gang
Ray Maxwell	....	construction foreman
Michael McGettigan	....	carpenter
Dave Mendelson	....	carpenter
Mark Peters	....	carpenter
Sally Reed	....	swing gang
Daniel C. Rothenberg	....	set dresser (as Daniel Rothenberg)
Chris Scher	....	construction estimator
Amy Skjonsby-Winslow	....	painter (as Amy Skiumsby)
Wayne Springfield	....	carpenter
Greg Wilson	....	painter
Chris L. Winslow	....	charge scenic artist
Emily Wolfe	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Rick Ash	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Bartlett	....	sound editor
Dean Beville	....	sound editor
G.W. Brown	....	sound editor
Jeff Courtie	....	adr mixer
Ezra Dweck	....	foley mixer
Ezra Dweck	....	pre-dubbing mixer
Judee Flick	....	supervising adr editor
Stephen Hunter Flick	....	supervising sound editor (as Stephen H. Flick)
Avram D. Gold	....	sound editor (as Avram Dean Gold)
Dana Gustafson	....	assistant sound editor
John Hulsman	....	sound editor
Ivan Johnson	....	pdl
Ken King	....	production sound mixer
Patricio A. Libenson	....	sound editor (as Patricio Libenson)
Richard Marx	....	sound editor
Stewart Nelson	....	sound editor (as Stewart Nelsen)
Jeena M. Phelps	....	assistant sound editor
Larry Pitman	....	dubbing recordist
Catherine Rowe	....	foley artist
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Larry Scharf	....	boom operator
Charles Ewing Smith	....	sound editor
Scott Weber	....	sound editor
Dean A. Zupancic	....	sound re-recording mixer
Matthew C. Beville	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Bruce Stubblefield	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stephen DeLollis	....	special effects
Pat Domenico	....	special effects
Larry Fioritto	....	special effects coordinator
Wes Mattox	....	special effects (as Wesley Mattox)
Evan Campbell	....	special makeup effects (uncredited)
Bruce Harris	....	special effects propmaker (uncredited)
Kevin McTurk	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Matthew Avila	....	stunt safety
Cameron	....	stunts
Christopher Doyle	....	stunts (as Chris Doyle)
Marcia Holley	....	stunts
Terry Jackson	....	stunt double: Bruce Willis
Terry Jackson	....	stunts
Melvin Jones	....	stunts
Linda Kaye	....	stunts
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts
Ken Lesco	....	stunt coordinator
Dennis Madalone	....	stunts (as Dennis 'Danger' Madalone)
Scott McElroy	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Ahern	....	grip (as Christopher Ahern)
Linda R. Chen	....	unit still photographer (as Linda Chen)
Mark Shane Davis	....	key grip
Angelo de la Cruz	....	camera loader
Ziad Doueiri	....	first assistant camera
Bob Gorelick	....	Steadicam operator
Anthony Hall	....	best boy electric
Bruce Jagoda	....	electrician
James Jones II	....	grip (as James P. Jones II)
Michael Levine	....	camera operator
Rob Lewbel	....	electrician (as Robert Lewbel)
Christopher Loring	....	electrician
Larry Markart	....	video playback operator
Robert W. Meckler	....	best boy grip
Marc Meisenheimer	....	key rigging gaffer
C. Roy Nigra	....	grip
John Nuler	....	additional Steadicam operator
Michael Palmer	....	electrician
Alan Parr	....	dolly grip
Joe Ritter	....	first assistant Steadicam
Alan Sherrod	....	director of photography: second unit
Gregory C. Smith	....	second assistant camera
Michael Stocks	....	key rigging grip
Robert J. Studenny	....	grip (as Robert Studenny)
Vance Trussell	....	gaffer
Randolph J. Verdigo	....	grip (as Randy Verdugo)
Kenneth Estes	....	video playback operator (uncredited)
Ron Kunecke	....	night light operator (uncredited)
R. Gern Trowbridge	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)

Animation Department
Russell Vossler	....	character artist

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Ruth Lambert	....	casting associate
Jeff Olan	....	extras casting: Rainbow Casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jacqueline Aronson	....	costume supervisor
Kristin Dangl	....	costumer
Mary Claire Hannan	....	assistant costume designer
Marilyn Pachasa	....	costumer
Patia Prouty	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Liam Curtin	....	post-production intern
Andrew Dickler	....	apprentice editor
Jere Huggins	....	assembly editor (as Jere P. Huggins)
Donald Likovich	....	assistant editor
Katie Mack	....	second assistant editor
Kara Mazzola	....	post-production coordinator
Ray Neapolitan	....	second assistant editor
Ben Parker	....	post-production assistant
Tatiana S. Riegel	....	first assistant editor
John Sosnovski	....	apprentice editor
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer (as Michael Stanwick)

Music Department
Kristen Becht	....	assistant to music supervisor
Billy Gottlieb	....	assistant to music supervisor
Rolf Johnson	....	music editor
Chuck Kelley	....	music consultant
Laura Lovelace	....	music consultant
The Marketts	....	music performers
Kathy Nelson	....	music supervisor: MCA Records
Karyn Rachtman	....	music supervisor
Mary Ramos	....	music coordinator: Mind Your Music

Transportation Department
Derek N. Alff 'DNA'	....	driver production assistant
Alonzo Brown Jr.	....	driver
Bruce Callahan	....	driver
Steve Earle	....	driver
Don Feeney	....	driver
Scotty Goudreau	....	driver
David Joseph	....	driver: production van
John Key	....	driver
Suzy Mae Martin	....	driver production assistant
Glenn McCraven	....	driver
Richard Middleton	....	driver production assistant (as Richard C. Middleton)
Derek Raser	....	transportation coordinator
George A. Sack	....	driver: water truck (as George Sack)
J.T. Thayer	....	transportation captain (as J.T. Thayer II)
Earl Thielen	....	driver (as Earl 'Mr. Blonde' Thielen)
Tracy Thielen	....	driver (as Tracy 'Ace' Thielen)
Gregg Willis	....	driver
Paul Burlin	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Toni Baffo	....	assistant to producer
Jay Beattie	....	office production assistant
Cheryl Cain	....	assistant production coordinator
Cameron	....	stand-in
Cullen G. Chambers	....	stand-in: Samuel L. Jackson (as Cullen Chambers)
Vicki Cherkas	....	legal advisor: Miramax
Ruben Cortez	....	set security supervisor
Angelique A. Costanza	....	post-production accountant
Angelique A. Costanza	....	production auditor
Robert Earl Craft	....	location manager
Rory Dauson	....	stand-in (as Rory K. Dauson)
Steve Earle	....	mechanic
Nathan Easterling	....	office production assistant
Robert Fraade	....	immigration legal service
Carlos K. Goodman	....	production legal services (as Carlos Goodman)
Michael Haddad	....	assistant craft service
Cynthia Harding	....	accounting intern
Derek Hurd	....	craft service
Gloria Hylton	....	stand-in
John A. Johnston	....	assistant location manager
Scott Johnston	....	stand-in
Iain Jones	....	set production assistant
Sarah Kelly	....	set production assistant
Martin Kitrosser	....	script supervisor
Richard W. Kopenhefer	....	labor legal service
Victoria Lucai	....	assistant to director
Alicia Magnant	....	office production assistant
Thomas Magno	....	set production assistant
Stevie Maislen	....	set production assistant
Gerald Martinez	....	chief graphic designer
Francesca McCaffery	....	office production assistant
Courtney McDonnell	....	assistant to producer post-production
Bradley Morris	....	production secretary
Anna-Lisa Nilsson	....	production coordinator
Cathy Ragona	....	coordinator: Miramax (as Cathy Agcayab Ragona)
Tonya Richardson	....	set production assistant (as Tanya Richardson)
Tristan Sharp	....	office production assistant
Abigail Sheiner	....	accounting assistant
Jeffrey Stephan	....	stand-in
Haley Sweet	....	location assistant (as Haley B. Sweet)
James 'Chip' Weis	....	key office production assistant (as Jim Weis)
Kurt Woolner	....	completion guarantee
Deborah Wuliger	....	unit publicist
Zane	....	assistant accountant
Julia Zane	....	production accountant
Don Asher	....	clearance supervisor (uncredited)
Stephen J. Eads	....	assistant: Bruce Willis (uncredited)
Craig Hamann	....	consultant (uncredited)
Malle Jensen	....	assistant: Mr. Keitel (uncredited)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer (uncredited)

Thanks
Lou Arkoff	....	special thanks
Emporio Armani	....	special thanks
Agnès B.	....	special thanks (as Agnes B.)
Jennifer Beals	....	special thanks
Linda R. Chen	....	special thanks (as Linda Chen)
Jim Hannafan	....	special thanks
Cathryn James	....	special thanks (as Cathryn Jaymes)
Cindy Lou Johnson	....	special thanks
John Logigian	....	special thanks
Stephen Martines	....	special thanks (as Coltin Scott)
Ricardo Mestres	....	special thanks
Rozann Newman	....	special thanks
Mike Simpson	....	special thanks
Scott Spiegel	....	special thanks
Cindy Jo Stanberry	....	special thanks
Emanuel Steward	....	special thanks
Lee Stollman	....	special thanks
Jamie Toscas	....	special thanks
Bill Unger	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• A Band Apart
• Jersey Films
• Miramax Films

Distributors

• Empire (2008) (Romania) (DVD)
• Bac Films (1994) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (1994) (UK) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (1995) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Gemini Film (1994) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Laurenfilm (1995) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1994) (USA) (theatrical)
• Praesens-Film (1994) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1994) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (1994) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution
• Amuse Video (1995) (Japan) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD) (collector's edition)
• Cecchi Gori Group
• Criterion Collection, The (????) (laserdisc)
• Delta Vidéo Diffusion (1995) (France) (video)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Impuls Home Entertainment (2000) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• SF Video (1995) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Spentzos Film Home Video (1995) (Greece) (VHS)
• Starz! Network (1995) (USA) (TV)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Toshiba Digital Frontiers (TDF) (1999) (Japan) (DVD)
• Toshiba Digital Frontiers (TDF) (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Toshiba Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (1999) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Background Engineers Inc.  process projection
• Buena Vista Sound  re-recording
• Emporio Armani  special thanks
• Film Finance  completion guarantee
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance
• Hama Design  special thanks
• I.C.E. Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Judy Garland & Associates  travel arrangements and services
• Lighthouse Studio Rentals  grip and electrical equipment
• Loeb and Loeb  labor legal services
• Mario's Catering  catering
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Rainbow Casting Service  extras casting
• Shark Production Services  grip equipment
• Sound Services  production sound
• Varitel Video  lightworks editing system
• Weddington Productions  post-production sound

Also Known As:

Black Mask (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

154 min | USA:168 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A (re-rating) | Canada:R (original rating) | Mexico:C | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (uncut) | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Hungary:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating after appeal) (1997) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1995) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) (1995) (uncut) | Philippines:R-18 | India:A | South Africa:18 | USA:R | Argentina:18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Portugal:M/18 (Qualidade) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1995) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Hawthorne Grill - 13763 S. Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne, California, USA

Company:

A Band Apart

Trivia:

Quentin Tarantino had originally intended "My Sharona" (by The Knack) to be played during the Gimp torture sequence - but the rights had already been licensed to another film, Reality Bites (1994). On top of this, one of the members of the band had become a born again Christian, and didn't want the song to be associated with a scene of sexual violence.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Vincent and Mia are in Jack Rabbit's, the video wall behind them showing a street scene jumps (e.g., cars and people disappear) each time the shot switches from Vincent to Mia.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pumpkin: Forget it. Too risky. I'm through doing that shit.
Yolanda: You always say that. That same thing every time, "I'm through, never again, too dangerous".
Pumpkin: I know that's what I always say. I'm always right, too.
Yolanda: But you forget about it in a day or two.
Pumpkin: Yeah, well the days of me forgetting are over, and the days of me remembering have just begun.

Movie Connections:

References RoboCop (1987)

Soundtrack:

Misirlou

Tour de Force

That's what this 1994 film is, a tour de force cinematic expression by Quentin Tarantino. A film with which Tarantino staked his claim to the title of genuine Hollywood wunderkind, auteur, young genius, all ala Orson Welles. Pretty heady stuff.

By what means? First, with a snappy script with witty if not cerebral give-and-take dialog, written mainly by Tarantino himself. Then, by populating the cast with an intriguing hand-picked array of actors to deliver those well-written snappy lines. This film oozes inspired casting, of actors who either played against type or at least became offbeat and edgy in ways in which we hadn't hitherto known them. Then, through the editing process, by telling the story in a maximum non-linear way, out of time, reducing the film to a series of seeming disjointed non-sequential vignettes, each vignette featuring the aforementioned snappy dialog delivered by the aforementioned hand-picked edgy actors. It is only after watching the entirety of the movie, and reflecting back on it, does the gestalt emerge for the viewer. And, it may take more than one viewing to get there. Then, lastly, by topping it all off with a snazzy soundtrack. That's how. Add all that stuff together and you get Pulp Fiction.

The film received its share of acclaim, and deservedly so. But that said, while seen by most as a good film, Pulp Fiction is not regarded as another Citizen Kane, and Pulp Fiction is not ensconced in the pantheon of the greatest of the great Hollywood films of all time. Those are for a reason. As good a cinematic achievement as Pulp Fiction is, the fact is that as a film it plows turf that's just way too coarse for comfort. Over-the-top blood, guts, and brains-blown-out violence. Gritty gutter language. Subject matter dwelling in the underbelly of life that goes way beyond seedy or unseemly. And it's all presented in a very graphic way. Some people really like it that way. Hey, I understand. That's what Tarantino wanted too, right? But the simple fact is that such fare isn't for everyone. Period. In this way its own intentional and unrelenting coarse nature is what self-selects it out of the greatness category. To achieve greatest of the greats greatness it has to be seen that way across the board, amongst every audience. Pulp Fiction by Tarantino's design isn't intended to appeal to everyone.

And whither Tarantino? That's the real question. His career didn't actually begin with Pulp Fiction, what with the auspicious start he made a couple of years earlier with Reservoir Dogs (1992). And Pulp Fiction of course certainly wasn't his last film. The Kill Bills, Vol. I and Vol. II, 2003 and 2004 respectively, were noteworthy and ambitious projects. And Jackie Brown (1997) made its mark too. But let's be honest here. When it comes to Tarantino it looks more and more like Pulp Fiction is as good as it gets. And he hasn't moved much beyond dwelling on the coarseness in any appreciable way. In fact, he's still earnestly tilling that soil. And getting less and less out of it too, if Grindhouse (2007) is any measure (and most will say it is a measure). Of course at his age he has the potential of many more films in him screaming to get out, but unless he evolves in some new directions, unless he stretches himself in some new and different ways as a storyteller, Pulp Fiction may end up being his magnum opus. Which isn't a terrible thing. Pulp Fiction is a remarkable movie. But, hey, we thought there'd be more.