Pulp Fiction poster

Pulp Fiction

1994154 minutesR
8.4
Arcplot Score
💎 Masterclass
Unverified
8.8IMDb
🍅 92%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 95/100Metacritic
🎬 8.5TMDb
📊 18.0Popularity
🏆Won 1 Oscar. 69 wins & 72 nominations total
Genre: Crime, Drama
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) are two hit men who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his fight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.

Box Office

Budget:$8.0M
Revenue:$213.9M
Profit:$205.9M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision8.3/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency7/10
Overall Score8.4/10

Story Structure

15 plot points

Pulp Fiction Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
8 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
23 min
5
Debate
38 min
6
Break Into Two
48 min
7
B Story
58 min
8
Fun and Games
72 min
9
Midpoint
77 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
95 min
11
All Is Lost
110 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
115 min
13
Break Into Three
118 min
14
Finale
140 min
15
Final Image
152 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Pumpkin and Honey Bunny in diner discussing robbing it. Establishes tone of criminals as ordinary people.

#2

Theme Stated

8 min

Jules and Vincent discuss foot massages and loyalty. Theme of redemption and what defines a person explored.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Vincent and Jules retrieve briefcase for Marsellus. Meet Brett. World of hitmen, criminals, and codes of honor established.

#4

Catalyst

23 min

Divine intervention - all bullets miss Jules and Vincent. Jules sees it as miracle, Vincent dismisses it.

#5

Debate

38 min

Vincent must take Mia out. Debates what is appropriate. Tension between duty and temptation.

#6

Break Into Two

48 min

Vincent and Mia at Jack Rabbit Slims. Dancing, connecting. Entering world of testing boundaries and consequences.

#7

B Story

58 min

Butch and Fabienne relationship. Love and loyalty explored through different lens. Parallels main story themes.

#8

Fun and Games

72 min

Various vignettes of criminal life. Humor, violence, philosophy mixed. The promise of the premise delivered.

#9

Midpoint

77 min

Mia overdoses. False death. Vincent must save her. Stakes raised. Consequences of actions become real.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

95 min

Butch double-crosses Marsellus, kills man in ring. On the run. Multiple storylines converging toward confrontation.

#11

All Is Lost

110 min

Butch and Marsellus captured by Maynard and Zed. Lowest point. About to be killed or worse.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

115 min

Butch escapes but must decide: run or save the man who wants him dead. Moral crossroads.

#13

Break Into Three

118 min

Butch saves Marsellus. Debt forgiven. Synthesis of honor among criminals. Both transformed by experience.

#14

Finale

140 min

Jules spares Pumpkin and Honey Bunny in diner. Chooses redemption over violence. Walking away from hitman life.

#15

Final Image

152 min

Jules and Vincent leave diner. Jules transformed, Vincent unchanged. Mirror of opening but characters evolved.