Jules and Vincent, Brett and the Burger: Pulp Fiction Scene Analysis Anonymous 12th Grade

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction can be found near the top of many all-time-top movie lists. It is renowned for its absurd and deadpan humor, its modern satirical tone, and most noticeably its disorienting and time-breaking storytelling techniques. In the film, three interlacing stories are presented about events relating to Marsellus Wallace, a mob boss. The first is about Vincent Vega, Wallace’s hired assassin, who takes Wallace’s wife to dinner and later rescues her from an overdose. The second tracks Wallace himself, who attempts to track down a prizefighter named Butch who betrayed him. After both of them are taken captive, Wallace forgives Butch for rescuing him. In the final story, we watch Vincent and his partner Jules obtain a briefcase and later have a scuffle with a diner robbery. Specifically, Vincent and Jules visit the apartment of Brett, one of Marsellus Wallace’s associates. What follows is one of the most iconic scenes of the movie that still holds relevance in cinema history. Director Tarantino uses high and low angle shots, close-up shots, and framing in the scene in order to establish Jules’s and Vincent’s intimidating appearance and their valuation of power for the sake of power.

At the start of the scene,...