Product Details

• Actors: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth
• Directors: Quentin Tarantino
• Writers: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
• Producers: Bob Weinstein, Danny DeVito, Harvey Weinstein, Lawrence Bender, Michael Shamberg
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French, Spanish
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: September 12, 1995
• Run Time: 154 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (847 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303584829
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,411 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson

From The New Yorker

Everybody wants to work with Quentin Tarantino; for this bright and startling new picture, his first since "Reservoir Dogs," he mustered an amazing crew that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis, and-best of all-John Travolta. They parade through two and a half hours of complicated, cross-weaving Los Angeles plots, some of which are more gripping than others; the talk is dirty and funny, the violence always waiting just around the corner. Watching the result is like going to a long, loud party. The next day, it seems like a dream: the film attacks your senses and gives you almost nothing to remember it by, let alone to nourish you. It had to happen, and Tarantino is the man to deliver it: cinema as fast food. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray), October 5, 2011

By 

Tony Khamvongsouk (Frisco, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pulp Fiction [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Movie - 5.0

The first time I saw this I was like, 12 years old, and it was on VHS. It looked cool at the time, but my teenage brain couldn't handle anything past the loud voices and constant cussing, but kudos for style points. The second time I saw it (maybe another 12 years after the first) I believe it was supposed to be a DVD rip, but the sound encoding was atrocious, so I only enjoyed it in part. The the third time I saw it (about 3 months ago) was off of Netflix streaming with decent enough audio, but not so great video. Ironically enough, the one time I finally get to see and hear the darn thing with quality A/V is on Blu-ray. That being said, it should go without question by user vote on IMDb, critic appraisal, or any number of awards and accolades given to this film that Pulp Fiction has cemented itself as a true game-changer in the halls of cinema legend. Be it the achronological storytelling, the sassy script, the dark humor, the quirky characters, or just the amazing level of star power involved from every which way, there's a lot to like about this film. For me, personally, it's the method. I don't mean the cut-up timeline (which is enjoyable in itself and keeps you on your toes), but how so much of the dialogue is "just there" from a purely jovial or character-developing perspective. Talks of Amsterdam and their legalization of drugs, the differences between European and American culture, the frivolous comparison between a foot massage and going down on a girl, the significantly comedic monologue of a P.O.W. storing his best friend's watch up his anus for years only to deliver it to his son, and all kinds of other seemingly random stuff "capped off" by a stride at redemption would make you think otherwise about this being nominated for seven Oscars, right? Well, as most people often say about Quentin Tarantino films, "you should just see it for yourself to know what I mean." And the result after almost 20 years? It's a part of our modern day pop culture with all kinds of quotable lines, a beacon of entertainment and inspiration within the industry,and, for all intents and purposes, one really fun movie to watch. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But most would say it is.

Video - 5.0

- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

The front and back of the slipcover and the back of the cover art says that this transfer was supervised by Quentin Tarantino himself and even has a copy of his signature on the slip, so what you see here was what the director intended. And I have to say, after 3 very poor video outings (VHS, a crappy DVD rip, and Netflix streaming), I have to say I've never seen the movie look this good (literally). The production budget was only $8 million, which by today's standards would still only be about $12 million. But wow, am I glad Tarantino used some quality film stock. First and foremost, I have to commend the black levels. All the tiny little details, linings, reflections, and textures look absolutely pristine on this presentation. Particularly, the wetness of Jules' Jheri curl, as laughable as the look is intended to be, adds a nice aesthetic sense of throwback to the Blaxploitation genre that Mr. Jackson's character is portraying. And then you have the hallmark scene where Vincent is taking Mia to Jack Rabbit Slim's, which is FULL of dark lighting, and yet still manages to display an amazing amount of detail around the restaurant itself, its patrons, on Thurman's hair, and in Travolta's suit in addition to the smoke he's blowing. Colors, while somewhat muted from an art direction standpoint, are surprisingly bold. The scene where Butch is taking money from Marsellus in the bar is full of red light, but in comparison to other brightly red-lit backdrops (which isn't many), I'm pleased at how a lot of the detail still remained intact. Then, of course, is the blood. Maybe it was more so the stuff they used to be the blood, but when it splatters, it looks great. Not real per se, but it's one of those artistic subtleties that Tarantino does well in his films. I am also happy to report that there is very little, if any, hints of dirt or artifacting. There's a fine layer of grain (and I mean very fine), but it doesn't seem like any DNR was added. Edge Enhancement? Not too sure, I'm typing this review with only 4 hours of sleep and might've seen a tiny little bit, but it's hard to say when I'm not all there. Regardless, though, I can tell you everything else looks superb, especially for its age.

Audio - 5.0

Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles
- English, English SDH, Spanish

Another big part of Tarantino's films outside of its aesthetic and literary homages is the sound, particularly the music. As soon as Surf Rider starts playing it's easy to tell that this DTS-HD MA 5.1 track will do its job and do it well. LFEs are at their most prominent when any of this great soundtrack starts playing. Even as the radio switches to Jungle Boogie in the opening sequence, there's not a discrepancy to be heard. But how do the rest of the sound elements hold up on this seemingly quaint sound design? I mean, how can 230 pages of script possibly earn a 5 point rating? Oddly enough, this film's sound scape has a LOT of immersion. Shortly after the credits have done their thing we get a great audio treat in the first scene where Pumpkin and Honey Bunny are contemplating their change in venue for an upcoming robbery. I actually wouldn't even know this if I hadn't accessed all the extras, but the trivia track says that even in this very first scene, despite the achoronlogical plot structure, if you listen hard enough during Pumpkin and Honey Bunny's conversation you can distinctly hear Jules talking to Vincent in the background from a scene to be shown later on in the film. How cool is that? And while the weak point of the sound effects may be in the meager gunshots, the sheer sense of engulfment that every other crowded scene has to offer is sonic gold. Directionality and separation sound wonderful during these parts putting you right there in the thick of things. Meanwhile, high and low ends still manage to be very well-calibrated, specifically in the scene where Mia is getting her adrenaline shot between all the paper raffling around and the eventual thump on her chest. Oh yeah, and the dialogue couldn't be any clearer. From Jules' intimidating preacher vibrato to Fabienne's sweet and sexy accented-English, the movie has never looked OR sounded better. My favorite scenes to test the audio would be the aforementioned robbery attempt at the beginning of the film and the always-exalting trademark scene of Vincent and Mia going to Jack Rabbit Slim's (when they walk to their table and when they start dancing).

Extras - 5.0

Wow, I should really have taken a nap before work instead of trying to rush this review out for everyone to get a fresh take on the product, but I'm glad I at least got to learn a lot of things despite my soon-to-be headache at the crap hole at which I work. At any rate, this BD is loaded with extras. Most of them are DVD ports, but I'd never seen this on DVD anyway, and thus, am just seeing all of this for the very first time.

- Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat (HD; 43:01)
A new HD retrospective with most of the film's actors discussing how they were cast, how the shooting went, and all of the things that ensued after the film came out. There's a lot of information here about the movie itself, its writing, and how a lot of the actors felt working with Tarantino.

- Here are Some Facts on the Fiction (HD; 20:37)
Another newly-produced featurette that shows a roundtable discussion with critics and their thoughts on how Pulp Fiction has affected the industry, their favorite parts, and some of the things that make the movie so good.

- Pulp Fiction: The Facts - Documentary (SD; 30:31)
Is from the Special Edition DVD (as is everything else from here on out) and is something of a mishmash of the pre-production, filming, and reception of the movie up to 2001.

- Deleted Scenes (SD; 24:30)
Feature commentary for 4 out of the 5 scenes by Tarantino and are enjoyable, if you want to at least take a one-time look.

- Siskel & Ebert At the Movies: The Tarantino Generation (SD; 16:00)
Is a short look at the quick rise of Tarantino's status and whether or not they think he was legit at the time. It comes off rather pretentious, though, so I wouldn't recommend it.

- Charlie Rose Show (SD; 55:27)
Features a GREAT interview with Tarantino and discusses a lot of his film-making roots, his philosophy as a movie-lover, and what he believes makes a good film.

- Independent Spirit Awards (SD; 11:29)

- Cannes Film Festival - Palme D'Or Acceptance Speech (SD; 5:20)

- Marketing Gallery (SD; 16:13)
Lots and lots of trailers/teasers.

- Still Gallery

- Enhanced Trivia Track
A trivia track that pops up all sorts of tidbits of information in the subtitles telling you all the quirks about the film itself, if any of you like that sort of thing (and some of it being very funny).

Overall - 5.0

As fervid as my review sounds, I'm actually not that big a fan of Tarantino. Aside from seeing this and Inglorious Basterds more than two times each, I've only seen his other films once. I didn't really get into Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bills were stylish enough, but keep in mind it's been nearly five years since I've seen those, and five years is a lot of time for my brain to better develop. But to the point, yes, Pulp Fiction is definitely one of those films that somehow managed to turn a bunch of... Read more ›

228 of 267 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?", September 14, 2002

By 

Michael Crane (Orland Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Words cannot express how much I love this movie, but I will try my best. "Pulp Fiction" is one of my favorites. Quentin Tarantino is a very gifted director/writer. Although I love his directing, I must say it is his writing that really impresses me. But I will get to that later on in this review.

I think it's safe to say that the first time this movie was released on DVD, it was a little more than disappointing. There were no special features, sound and picture was so-so; I mean, my laserdisk at least had three different trailers of the movie. So, of course, I was very excited to learn that this movie was being re-released in a fully loaded special edition. Re-buying the movie was well worth it, for this edition of the movie is far superior than the other one.

The movie really consists of three different stories; not in any order. Any one of the stories could be their own little movies. The players are two hitmen, a boxer, the big boss, the big boss' wife, a crazy gun store owner, a gimp, a cop named, Zed, a man who makes problems go away, and a little suitcase with "666" for the combination. You add all this together and you get one hell of a movie.

The acting is more than superb; including one terrific cast with some heavy hitters (Travolta, Jackson, Thurman, Willis, etc.). Tarantino is a master when it comes to writing and directing. Especially when it comes to writing. I have never heard such clever and brutally honest dialogue in any other movie. I have said it before, and I will say it again; Tarantino reminds me of Raymond Carver, except with more humor.

Now, on to the special edition of this DVD. Is it better than the previous version? YES! Tons of special features, and not to forget the fact that the movie has been restored in high definition. Picture looks very clear. And the sound is also a lot better. You can watch the movie in DTS, which is always a good thing.

Special features.....where do I begin? There's a ton of them! It's not even funny how much stuff is loaded on this bad boy. And every one of them is great. Features include a documentary, an interview with Tarantino on "The Charlie Rose Show," trailers, filmographies, and many more. If you love special features, then you will not be disappointed.

"Pulp Fiction" is a great movie, and the new DVD edition is outstanding in every way. If you still have the older DVD of this movie, get this one now! If you haven't seen it yet, check it out when you can! Of course, with any other movie, there is a chance you may not like this movie. That's fine, nothing wrong with that. Don't let hype ruin your preception of the movie, just watch it as if it were any other movie. You like it, great; if not, well, at least you gave it a shot. Filled with sharp humor, great characters, outstanding dialogue, and some of the craziest surprises and twists, "Pulp Fiction" is a wonderful film, and will continue to be one of my favorites.

58 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Pulp, October 2, 2002

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Pulp Fiction was a groundbreaking film in a couple of different ways. It was an independent release and its success opened the door up for all kinds of maverick filmmakers and companies to release films that otherwise would have never been made. It also had a profound stylistic influence. It was a hip movie with sharp dialogue, graphic violence, cool soundtrack and intricate plotlines. In the wake of its success, many movies try to copy this style, but most failed as they lacked Quentin Tarantino's unique vision. Mr. Tarantino was able to pull John Travolta out of a decade long funk and directed him to the finest performance of his career and one that garnered his second Academy Award nomination. He also pushed Bruce Willis to a stellar performance that showed he was more than just an action hero. The cast is first rate including a beguiling Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Eric Stolz, Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Walken. The best performance of all is given by Samuel L. Jackson who is absolutely amazing. It was a crime that he did not win the Academy Award for the role. Pulp Fiction is broken up into three parts and includes flashbacks, flash-forwards and twists and turns and some mysteries that are never revealed. It is a rare film that is both stylish and full of substance. The new Collector's Edition is a huge step up from the original edition which offered virtually no extras. The sound and visuals are crisper and cleaner and the extra features are great. One excellent extra is a Siskel & Ebert show dedicated to the Tarantino phenonmeon, which looking at it eight years later is quite interesting.