---
title: "Pulp Fiction"
year: 1994
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/pulp-fiction"
fi1m_id: "pulp-fiction"
imdb_id: "tt0110912"
tmdb_id: 680
wikidata_id: "Q104123"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:53.517757+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Pulp Fiction (1994)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino · 2h 34m · MPA R · Thriller, Crime, Comedy

## Identity

Pulp Fiction

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/pulp-fiction
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** pulp-fiction
- **IMDb ID:** tt0110912
- **TMDB ID:** 680
- **Wikidata ID:** Q104123
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/680, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104123

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 66 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* A five-dollar milkshake, a foot massage argument and the plot arriving in the wrong order

> Tarantino’s second film is loud, long and pleased with itself, and it also has some of the sharpest talk in any crime film of its decade. Travolta and Jackson carry it, the middle hour flags, and it is still worth your evening.

## Synopsis

Three crime stories in Los Angeles, told out of order. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen sent to collect a briefcase for their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), a job that starts with an argument about hamburgers. Marsellus then asks Vincent to take his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out for the evening while he is out of town. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), a boxer, has taken Marsellus’s money to lose a fight. And in a diner, a couple calling themselves Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) decide over coffee that restaurants are easier to rob than banks. Quentin Tarantino writes and directs, from a story he wrote with Roger Avary.

## Review

Quentin Tarantino’s second film, after [*Reservoir Dogs*](https://film.one/film/reservoir-dogs), is three crime stories told in the wrong order over 154 minutes. Two hitmen collect a briefcase. One of them takes the boss’s wife to dinner. A boxer is paid to lose. It is the talkiest crime film we know, and most of the talk is worth hearing. It is also half an hour too long, and it knows, and it does not care.

The talk is the film. Tarantino wrote it from a story he worked out with Roger Avary, and the best of it belongs to Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), in a car and a corridor, on what a hamburger is called in Paris and whether a foot massage means anything. Travolta plays Vincent slow and slack, a man who has eaten well for years. Jackson plays Jules as a preacher who has taken the wrong job and brought the sermon with him. We laughed at the foot massage argument for a full minute, then they knocked on the door, we remembered what they had come to do, and we stopped laughing. That is the trick the whole film is trying to pull, and here it pulls it clean.

Andrzej Sekula lights it flat and bright, the flat and the diner and the kitchen all lit like a daytime soap, so that when something terrible happens it looks like an accident in the wrong programme. David Wasco’s biggest set is Jack Rabbit Slim’s, a restaurant with booths cut from old cars and waiters got up as dead film stars, so pleased with itself that it becomes a joke about the film’s own tastes. Betsy Heimann puts the hitmen in black suits, white shirts and thin ties, and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) in a white shirt and a black bob, and half the film’s fame is those four items of clothing. Sally Menke holds on the two-shots and lets people finish. There is no score to speak of; the film runs on old records, surf guitar and soul, dropped in at the top of scenes.

The dinner date is the centre. Thurman is bored, watchful and flirting from behind glass, Travolta lets her lead, and the dance contest they end up in is pure pleasure and has nothing to do with the plot. What follows, in the living room of Vincent’s dealer Lance (Eric Stoltz), involves a syringe and a medical book, and we watched it through our fingers and heard ourselves laughing at the same time. We have not forgiven the film for that, and we would not want it cut.

Then Bruce Willis takes over, and the film loses some air. Willis is good, chin down and words few, playing a man who has already decided. Christopher Walken tells a small boy a story about a watch, and it is the best few minutes in the chapter. But Maria de Medeiros’s Fabienne gets a long motel scene about pancakes and pot bellies in which the talk is only talk, and somewhere past the hundredth minute we were bored, then cross with ourselves for being bored by Bruce Willis doing little and doing it well. The chapter then takes a turn we will not describe. Tarantino casts himself as Jimmie, a suburban husband with a dressing gown and a grievance, and he is the weakest actor in his own film. Harvey Keitel’s Wolf turns up in a dinner jacket and gets the scene moving again.

*Reservoir Dogs* was one warehouse and one story, and it was tight. This is three stories and a whole city, and the extra room shows. The violence is played for laughs, the laughs are real, and there is nobody on screen the film grieves for; whether that bothers you is a fair test of whether the film is for you. The reviews on release were split, some calling it shapeless and self-indulgent, others saying it had remade the genre. We are nearer the second camp than the first, and we have kept our reservations.

See it with someone who will quote it back to you for a week, because they will. It runs 154 minutes and carries an 18, and it earns both.

*Fi1m score 82, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

With only 5 reviews in so far, the spread is wide. The praise clusters on Tarantino’s dialogue and on the performances, John Travolta’s and Samuel L. Jackson’s above all, with several critics also admiring the way the three stories are shuffled out of order.

The reservations cluster on what the talk is for: a moral vacuum where the violence is played for amusement, and a running time some find shapeless and self-indulgent. The Guardian is the sharpest dissenter, calling it lurid and in need of an editor, while the Los Angeles Times finds a gifted mimic of film history who has not yet found new ground.

## Straight answers

**Is Pulp Fiction worth watching?**

*Pulp Fiction* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys crime films built on talk rather than action, and we scored it 82. Travolta and Jackson carry it, the dinner date with Uma Thurman is the centre, and the middle hour with Bruce Willis flags. It runs 154 minutes and feels it.

**How long is Pulp Fiction, and what is it rated?**

*Pulp Fiction* runs 2h 34m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a thriller and crime film.

**Where can I watch Pulp Fiction in the US?**

*Pulp Fiction* is streaming on Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Apple TV and Hulu in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Pulp Fiction, and is it suitable for children?**

*Pulp Fiction* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not for children. The violence is sudden, bloody and played for laughs, there is a drug overdose scene involving a syringe that we watched through our fingers, and the language is constant. Squeamish adults should also think twice.

**How does Pulp Fiction compare to Reservoir Dogs?**

*Pulp Fiction* is bigger, looser and funnier than [*Reservoir Dogs*](https://film.one/film/reservoir-dogs), and the earlier film is the tighter of the two. *Reservoir Dogs* is one warehouse and one story with no slack; *Pulp Fiction* is three stories across a city, with more famous scenes and half an hour it does not need. Start with the earlier film if you want structure, the later if you want the talk.

**What should I watch after Pulp Fiction?**

After *Pulp Fiction*, try [*Reservoir Dogs*](https://film.one/film/reservoir-dogs) (1992, Fi1m 86): The same talk, one warehouse, no slack; the film this one grew out of. Then [*Jackie Brown*](https://film.one/film/jackie-brown) (1997, Fi1m 83): Tarantino slowed down and grown up, with Pam Grier doing the least and the most; and [*Sexy Beast*](https://film.one/film/sexy-beast) (2000, Fi1m 85): Ben Kingsley as a gangster who talks people to death, on the Costa del Sol.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★★): The critic hails the film as peak Tarantino and a cultural milestone that redefined commercial cinema with its non-chronological storytelling, sharp dialogue and genre play. He singles out its enduring influence and joyful narrative invention for praise in this 30th-anniversary re-release review. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/pulp-fiction-1994-review-changed-cinema-classic-056kl6fmw)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Tarantino's non-linear structure, witty dialogue, pop culture references, and the performances of Travolta, Willis, Thurman, and Jackson, noting how the film redefines the crime genre with its gleeful amorality and hyperkinetic energy. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pulp-fiction-review/)
- **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (5 out of 5 stars): The critic praises Tarantino's genius for hard-boiled comic dialogue and astonishing control over characters and crossplots, highlighting the exhilarating mix of pop and pulp along with standout performances from the revitalised John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ihk4ey/pulp-fiction/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's dialogue as its foundation, comparing it to masters of hard-boiled prose and noting how it drives character and story even at right angles to the action. He highlights the vivid characters, inventive structure, and how Tarantino makes violence and absurdity work through style and wit. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pulp-fiction-1994)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a triumphant, cleverly disorienting journey through a demimonde of danger, shock, hilarity and vibrant local color sprung from Tarantino's imagination. It ultimately offers a stunning vision of destiny, choice and spiritual possibility. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/movies/film-festival-review-pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-s-wild-ride-life-s-dangerous.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film's narrative form violently disrupted and its violence more verbal than visual, with a moral vacuum where talk dominates. John Travolta's performance stands out for its lack of vanity and ability to hold attention amid the chaos. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/10/10/degrees-of-cool)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (50/100, inferred): The critic praises the hip, idiosyncratic dialogue and performances by Travolta and Jackson but finds the film uneven, self-centered, and overly reliant on shock value and posturing. It is seen as the work of a gifted mimic of movie history who has not yet opened new ground. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-14-ca-50020-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film ridiculously entertaining yet remarkably weightless, noting its gleeful pop-culture references and non-linear structure create a farcical neo-noir that ultimately turns on itself. Samuel L. Jackson's performance as Jules stands out for embodying the film's concerns with righteousness and redemption. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/pulp-fiction/)
- **Time Out**, GA (4 out of 5 stars): The critic describes it as a sprawling, discursive fresco of three interlinked stories, praising the sharp, sassy dialogue and pop culture references while noting frustrations with talk delaying the action, self-conscious references, and a lack of emotional depth or moral weight in the violence. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/pulp-fiction)
- **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film lurid and shapeless, overly long and self-indulgent with nothing substantial to say, though it has patches of brilliance and strong performances. He praises the cameos by Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel but criticizes the excessive violence used for amusement and lack of editing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1994/oct/20/quentintarantino.derekmalcolm)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (30/100, inferred): The critic views the film as less charming than Reservoir Dogs, with thin material overall despite a strong cast, but praises its witty, quotable dialogue and energetic visual style. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/pulp-fiction-1994-film-review-740732/)
- **The Independent**, Adam Mars-Jones (30/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a disappointing, self-parodic follow-up to Reservoir Dogs that feels cruel, empty and smug despite its interlocking stories. He complains that its violence and themes lack the careful construction and justification of Tarantino's earlier work. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-reservoir-dregs-and-to-think-they-compared-tarantino-to-dostoyevsky-adam-marsjones-on-pulp-fiction-1443976.html)
- **Den of Geek**, Glen Chapman (90/100, inferred): The critic views Pulp Fiction as a key moment in 1990s cinema that confirmed Tarantino's talent, blending diverse cinematic influences into an original work with masterful non-linear storytelling and iconic dialogue. It remains a bold, complete piece that continues to impress on re-watches despite some controversial elements. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-quentin-tarantinos-pulp-fiction/)

## Details

- **Director:** Quentin Tarantino
- **Director:** Quentin Tarantino
- **Writer:** Quentin Tarantino
- **Story:** Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
- **Cinematography:** Andrzej Sekula
- **Editor:** Sally Menke
- **Production design:** David Wasco
- **Costume design:** Betsy Heimann
- **Producer:** Lawrence Bender
- **Cast:** John Travolta as Vincent Vega; Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield; Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace; Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge; Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace; Harvey Keitel as The Wolf; Eric Stoltz as Lance; Tim Roth as Pumpkin
- **Runtime:** 2h 34m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 14 October 1994
- **Genres:** Thriller, Crime, Comedy
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1994); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1994); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 1994); [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 1994)
- **Budget:** $8 million
- **Box office:** $214 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGpTpVyI_OQ

## Where to watch in the US

- Paramount+: streaming
- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Apple TV: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $16.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $16.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IN, IT, KR, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1995: Best Actor (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won)
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film 1995: Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- BAFTA Film Awards 1995: Best Actor in a Leading Role (nominated); Best Actress in a Leading Role (nominated); Best Direction (nominated); Best Editing (nominated); Best Film (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won); Best Original Screenplay (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 1995: César Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor 1995: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor (won)
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress 1995: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress (nominated)
- Independent Spirit Awards 1995: Best Supporting Male (nominated); Best Director (won); Best Male Lead (won); Best Screenplay (won)
- Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film 1995: Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence 1995: MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence (won)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance 1995: MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance 1995: MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Movie 1995: MTV Movie Award for Best Movie (won)
- MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo 1995: MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (nominated)
- SAG Awards 1995: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (nominated); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated)
- Cannes Film Festival 1994: Palme d'Or (won)
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 1994: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 1994: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (nominated)
- Golden Globes 1994: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Motion Picture – Drama (nominated); Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (nominated); Best Screenplay (won)
- London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year 1994: London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year (won)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 1994: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (won)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director 1994: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (won)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 1994: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Director 1994: National Board of Review Award for Best Director (won)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Film 1994: National Board of Review Award for Best Film (won)
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films 1994: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 1994: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director 1994: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director (won)

## If you liked this

- *Reservoir Dogs* (1992), Fi1m 86: The same talk, one warehouse, no slack; the film this one grew out of — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/reservoir-dogs.md)
- *Jackie Brown* (1997), Fi1m 83: Tarantino slowed down and grown up, with Pam Grier doing the least and the most — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/jackie-brown.md)
- *Band of Outsiders* (1964): Godard’s petty crooks dance in a café; you will recognise where Mia learned it
- *Sexy Beast* (2000), Fi1m 85: Ben Kingsley as a gangster who talks people to death, on the Costa del Sol — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sexy-beast.md)
- *In Bruges* (2008), Fi1m 83: Two hitmen, a lot of conversation, a small Belgian city, and real guilt for once — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-bruges.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/pulp-fiction