Pulp Fictionstar Phil LaMarr unveils new details about his character’s death and what was cut and kept in the final version. Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime drama explores the intersecting lives of various figures within the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. In the movie’s “The Bonnie Situation” storyline, John Travolta’s Vincent and Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules are in the car with LaMarr’s Marvin after an interrogation. However, anincident on the roadbed causes Vincent to accidentally kill Marvin, causing the vehicle to be covered in blood.
WithPulp Fictioncelebrating its 30th anniversary, LaMarr opened up toVarietyabout how certain choices were made to ensure that the final cut would be released. Revealing that his character Marvin would have had a more drawn-out demise originally, itwas argued that this fate would turn viewers on Vincent.
Originally, Marvin was supposed to get shot twice: once in the throat, and then they go, “Damn, we’ve got to put him out of his misery,” and then Vincent kills the kid. But John said, “If I kill this guy on purpose, the audience is going to hate me.” And so they changed it to just the one accidental shot.
Furthermore, Marvin’s death wasintended to divert attention from censors and rating boards, who may take more issue with other controversial scenes such as the Gimp basement sequence.
The other choice was that they built a bust of me that was rigged to shoot tons of brain and blood onto the back window, though Quentin never planned for that to be in the final cut. He said, “we’re going to show this young Black kid getting his brains blown out for the ratings people to give them some things that you can take out, so you can leave in some other things.” So if they hadn’t blown out my brains, they would’ve had to cut out the Gimp.
What We Know AboutPulp Fiction’s Deleted Scenes
Many Moments Were Cut Down For The Movie’s Runtime
Pulp Fictionhas no shortage of violent and shocking sequences that solidify the movie’s legacy and Tarantino’s status as a filmmaker. While the feature faced its fair share of detractors who quickly decried its violence and supposed glorification of crime,others praised it forshattering the norms of what Hollywood was offering.
Pulp Fiction Ending Explained (In Detail)
Pulp Fiction may be considered Quentin Tarantino’s best film, but its non-linear story makes its ending a little more complicated to puzzle out.
However, despite its violent content, many ofPulp Fiction’s previously revealed cut scenesdid not focus on any violent acts. Instead, the 24 minutes of deleted scenes largely consisted of extended conversations and monologues that were removed to aid the movie’s runtime. As such, it is apparent that most of the movie’s intended violent content made it into the movie’s final cut.
Our Thoughts OnPulp Fiction’s Cut Bloody Death
Marvin’s Death Could Have Made Vincent Hard To Follow
It’s understandable why Marvin’s death may have been too much for the final cut ofPulp Fiction. Audiences were shocked by the death ofthePulp Fictioncharacter, with Vincent and Jules' (Samuel L. Jackson) reaction adding a layer of dark humor to the moment. Drawing it out any longer and having thealternate Vincent scene would have made him appear more callous and cold, as opposed to how the final cut portrays the event as an unfortunate but gruesome accident brought on by his lack of proper gun discipline and a poorly maintained road.
As such, LaMarr’s recollection is an interesting insight into what was too much for a stark, already boundary-crossing feature.
As such, whilethe Gimp scene still stands outas one of Tarantino’s most infamous moments in his filmography long afterPulp Fictionwas released, it is understandable why censors would choose the bloody prolonged death of Marvin for removal over the uncomfortable moment. As such, LaMarr’s recollection is an interesting insight into what was too much for a stark, already boundary-crossing feature.
Pulp Fiction
Cast
Quentin Tarantino’s classic tale of violence and redemption follows the intertwining tales of three protagonists: hitman Vincent Vega, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and Vincent’s business partner Jules Winnfield.
