Daily Dialogue — June 23, 2015

Jules SNAPS, SAVAGELY TIPPING the card table over, removing the only barrier between himself and Brett. Brett now sits in a lone chair before Jules like a political prisoner in front of an interrogator.

JULES: What country you from!
BRETT: (petrified) What?
JULES: “What” ain’t no country I know! Do they speak English in “What?”
BRETT: (near heart attack) What?
JULES: English-motherfucker-can-you-speak- it?
BRETT: Yes.
JULES: Then you understand what I’m sayin’?
BRETT: Yes.
JULES: Now describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!
BRETT: (out of fear) What?

Jules takes his .45 and PRESSES the barrel HARD in Brett’s cheek.

JULES: Say “What” again! C’mon, say “What” again! I dare ya, I double dare ya motherfucker, say “What” one more goddamn time!

— Pulp Fiction (1994), screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, story by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Memorable 1-Word Lines. Today’s suggestion by Jon.

Trivia: The Ezekiel bible quote was taken from any early draft of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Harvey Keitel’s character was supposed to say it; while walking backwards down the hallway facing the vampires.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Jon: “Beautifully written lines. A wonderful play on words (or word for that matter). Tarantino has described his writing as poetry. This is certainly that. I love how he really takes his time with his scripts to hone them to perfection. This scene is one great example.”