Released thirty years ago, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction reshaped American filmmaking and became a cultural phenomenon. Loaded with nods to various film genres and their legendary stars, Pulp Fiction also reignited the career of John Travolta. Filled with well-developed characters, it won the Palme d’Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and became a critical and commercial success.
Told out of chronological order, the narrative follows several different stories. The film sparkles because of Tarantino’s screenplay, sharp and witty, sometimes daft and full of monologues. The story opens in a diner, where a couple, Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) and Pumpkin (Tim Roth), go from sweet talking to mass robbery in the blink of an eye. The next scene opens without resolving things in the diner. We meet the film’s principle stars, two hired guns, scripture-quoting Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and dopey heroin user Vincent (John Travolta) retrieving a suitcase for their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Part of a star-studded cast, Jackson and Travolta shine, talking quotable garbage while trying to secure their characters’ places in the crime family.
In one of the film’s unforgettable scenes, Vincent is asked to take Marsellus’s wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out for a night on the town. She insists they go to Jack Rabbit Slim’s, a 1950’s theme restaurant, where the waitresses are dressed as celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and their waiter is Buddy Holly. Vincent is nervous because of an apparent rumor that the very jealous Marsellus threw a man out of a fourth story window because he gave Mia a foot massage. Things get even scarier when Mia overdoses on Vincent’s high-grade heroin after mistaking it for cocaine.
Meanwhile, Marsellus pays boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) to take a dive in his next fight, but Butch double crosses him, killing the other boxer in the ring. Afflicted with multiple personalities, Butch is the best performance of Bruce Willis’s career. Butch’s decision results in a confrontation which finds Marsellus and he in a basement, trapped by two sexually sadistic hillbillies hellbent on raping both men.
Upon its release, Pulp Fiction got a lot of press because of its gratuitous violence and obscene language, but it’s the unique screenplay—with its non-linear timeline and quotable dialogue that makes Pulp Fiction shine. Always a superior screenwriter, this has always been my favorite of Quentin Tarantino’s works. He clearly loves all his characters and while many of them may be the worst of the worst, we love them anyway.
Only available at Amazon, this 30th Anniversary Limited Edition contains the same 4K transfer available on the 2022 release. The picture is well detailed with vibrant colors that pop at every turn. Dolby Vision allows for the most immersive viewing experience to date. Blacks are inky throughout. There are no scratches or other anomalies apparent.
Rather than delivering an Atmos track, Paramount has opted to port over the Blu-ray’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track. Filled with sonic activity, surrounds are constantly in evidence. Perfectly positioned, gunfire buzzes and sound effects fill the speakers. Tarantino knows how to immerse his audience, and this track is no exception. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout.
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch and Korean subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
4K Disc:
- Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat
- Here are Some Facts on the Fiction
- Enhanced Trivia Track
Blu-ray Disc:
- Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat
- Here are Some Facts on the Fiction
- Pulp Fiction: The Facts – Documentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind the Scenes Montages
- Production Design Featurette
- Siskel & Ebert “At the Movies” – The Tarantino Generation
- Independent Spirit Awards
- Cannes Film Festival – Palme d’Or Acceptance Speech
- Charlie Rose Show
- Marketing Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Still Galleries
- Enhanced Trivia Track
- Soundtrack Chapters
This edition also includes some swag:
- An envelope containing 8 lobby cards, 6 stickers and a replica contact sheet
- Pop-up slipcover featuring the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dance scene.
