This mirrors the general ambivalence of the genre: either the world is terrible, or the world deserves better, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an opinion between those extremes. Noir films, when they do have speeches, tend to aim their monologues in one of two directions-either calling out hypocrisy, or making the case for justice. But every once in while, we get to the point in a crime film where someone’s got to defend something-maybe that’s their crimes, or their ethical dilemmas, or their quest for justice-and that’s where the monologue gets its due. Quite the contrary: snappy dialogue and moody interludes, with no words spoken at all, have characterized the various forms of the genre since its inception.
Considered a cultural watershed, Pulp Fiction’s influence has been felt in several other media.Crime cinema is not known for its long-winded monologues. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution and its consequent profitability had a sweeping effect on the field of independent cinema (although it is not an independent film itself). Pulp Fiction is viewed as the inspiration for many later movies that adopted various elements of its style. It finally returns to where it began, in the diner: Vincent and Jules, who have stopped in for a bite, find themselves embroiled in the hold-up. The film starts out with a diner hold-up staged by «Pumpkin» and «Honey Bunny», then picks up the stories of Vincent, Jules, Butch, and several other important characters, including mob kingpin Marsellus Wallace, his wife, Mia, and underworld problem-solver Winston Wolf.
Although each storyline focuses on a different series of incidents, they connect and intersect in various ways. Pulp Fiction is structured around three distinct but interrelated storylines-in Tarantino’s conception, mob hitman Vincent Vega is the lead of the first story, prizefighter Butch Coolidge is the lead of the second, and Vincent’s fellow contract killer, Jules Winnfield, is the lead of the third. In keeping with writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s trademark of nonlinear storytelling, the narrative is presented out of sequence. The plot, as in many of Tarantino’s other works, is presented out of chronological sequence. Pulp Fiction is self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a title card that gives two dictionary definitions of «pulp». The film’s title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters’ senses of humor and perspectives on life. Jackson and Uma Thurman.ĭirected in a highly stylized manner, Pulp Fiction joins the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. A major critical and commercial success, it revitalized the career of its leading man, John Travolta, who received an Academy Award nomination, as did costars Samuel L. It was also awarded the Palme d’Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references. Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who cowrote its screenplay with Roger Avary.