The Story (continued)
POST-CREDITS
PROLOGUE
Prelude to "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
In a memorable entrance of two professional hit men
on their way to a job at about 7 am in the morning, passenger Vincent
Vega (John Travolta) constantly banters to his curly Afro-haired
partner Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) [a nod to blaxploitation
films of the 1970s] as they drive along in a light green '74 Chevrolet
Nova in Hollywood. Both are dressed stereotypically, with cheap but
dapper thrift store suits, white shirts, and slim black ties.
Their smart-mouthed, small-talk conversations ranges
from the borderline legality of hash in Amsterdam (where Vincent
had recently been for three years), to cheeseburgers and their names
in France.
- "Do you know what they call a - a - a Quarter
Pounder with cheese in Paris?"
- "They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?"
- "No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn't know what
the f--k a Quarter Pounder is."
- "Then what do they call it?"
- "They call it a 'Royale' with cheese."
- "A 'Royale' with cheese!"
- "That's right."
- "What do they call a Big Mac?"
- "A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it 'Le Big Mac.'"
- "'Le Big Mac!'"
- "Ha, ha, ha."
- "What do they call a 'Whopper'?"
- "I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King."
The two contracted hitmen-killers have been given a
routine assignment by their gangster boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving
Rhames) - to pick up a mysterious briefcase, from someone among a
group of four or five guys. In their nefarious business, they are
obviously readied for a hit. They open the trunk of the car and take
out two .45 automatic weapons and load them. Vincent complains that
they an't sure how many hits they will encounter: "We should
have f--kin' shotguns."
They walk through the courtyard of the Hollywood apartment,
continuing to speak about the personal nature and eroticism of foot
massages, and then go up an elevator and into a hallway. Vincent
claims that Marsellus became homicidally jealous when his new bride
Mia (Uma Thurman) was given a foot massage by Vincent's predecessor,
half-black and half-Samoan Antwone (or Tony Rocky Horror). Their
hoodlum friend Tony was thrown off a fourth-floor balcony into a
glass-covered greenhouse, resulting in a permanent speech impediment.
They argue over whether he deserved to die:
Vincent: It's layin' your hands in a familiar way
on Marsellus' new wife. I mean, is it as bad as eatin' her pussy
out? No, but it's the same f--kin' ballpark.
Jules: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop right there. Eatin' a bitch out,
and givin' a bitch a foot massage ain't even the same f--kin' thing.
Vincent: It's not. It's the same ballpark.
Jules: Ain't no f--kin' ballpark neither. Now look, maybe your method
of massage differs from mine, but, you know, touchin' his wife's
feet and stickin' your tongue in her Holiest of Holies ain't the
same f--kin' ballpark; it ain't the same league; it ain't even the
same f--kin' sport. Look, foot massages don't mean s--t...
Jules: Now look, just 'cause I wouldn't give no man
a foot massage don't make it right for Marsellus to throw Antwone
off a building into a glass motherf--kin' house, f--kin' up the
way the nigger talks. That s--t ain't right. Motherf--ker do that
s--t to me, he better paralyze my ass, 'cause I'd kill the motherf--ker,
you know what I'm sayin'?
Vincent: I ain't sayin' it's right. But you're sayin' a foot massage
don't mean nothin', and I'm sayin' it does. Now look, I've given
a million ladies a million foot massages, and they all meant somethin'.
We act like they don't, but they do, and that's what's so f--kin'
cool about 'em. There's a sensuous thing goin' on where, where you
know, you don't talk about it, but you know it, she knows it, f--kin'
Marsellus knew it, and Antwone should have f--kin' better known better.
I mean, that's his f--kin' wife, man. He ain't gonna have no sense
of humor about this s--t. You know what I'm sayin'?
Jules asks why Vincent is so interested in the "big
man's wife?" Vincent explains how Marsellus was leaving for
Florida, and in his absence, he has been asked to take care of Mia.
He is nervous about the assignment, which included possibly going
out on a friendly date ("show her a good time").
Before entering the apartment, Jules says: "Let's
get into character." They bust in and find three young guys,
black Marvin (Phil LaMarr), blonde surfer Roger (Burr Steers) with
a "flock of seagulls"
haircut resting on the sofa, and smart preppy Brett (Frank Whaley)
at the table. The three are ready to eat breakfast, composed of hamburgers
("the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast") and French
fries from the local "Big Kahuna"
Hawaiian burger joint. Jules proposes to sample the "tasty" burger
and the Sprite soft drink. Roger divulges where the stolen object,
a black snap briefcase ("the s--t") is hidden - in a kitchen
cupboard. Vincent opens it with a "666" combination, and
it emanates an unusual orangish glow. Jules nonchalantly shoots Roger
in the chest (Body Count #1), then savagely asks questions of
the terrified Brett sitting at the table who can't talk his way out
of his dilemma, about his betrayal of his business partner Marsellus.
To a trembling and spasming Brett who is shot in the
right shoulder, Jules Winnfield delivers his oft-repeated Old Testament
Bible quote, as he is about to be executed. He speaks like an avenging
angel delivering a retributive sermon. [Note: Much of the Ezekiel
speech was falsely attributed to the Bible. The borrowed words were
taken from Japanese martial arts actor Sonny Chiba's recitation in The
Bodyguard (1973, released in US in 1976) (aka Karate Kiba).]:
You read the Bible, Brett?...Well, there's this passage
I got memorized. Sort of fits this occasion. Ezekiel 25:17. 'The
path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities
of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who,
in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through
the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's
keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down
upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those
who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know
My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee!'
Both Jules and Vincent savagely empty their guns into
Brett (Body Count #2). Marvin is left collapsed, crouched
and whimpering in the corner of the room. |