Daily Dialogue — October 11, 2012
Jules: I’m not giving you that money. I’m buying something from you. Wanna know what I’m buyin’ Ringo?
Pumpkin: What?
Jules: Your life. I’m givin’ you that money so I don’t have to kill your ass. You read the Bible?
Pumpkin: Not regularly.
Jules: There’s a passage I got memorized. 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 the 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 I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.” Now… I been sayin’ that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, that meant your ass. You’d be dead right now. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin’ made me think twice. See, now I’m thinking: maybe it means you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here… he’s the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. And I’d like that. But that shit ain’t the truth. The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’, Ringo. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.
— Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), Pumpkin (Amanda Plummer), Pulp Fiction (1994), screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, story by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is Anti-Heroes / Villain Protagonists, suggested by Shaula Evans. Today’s suggestion by DJ Holloway.
Trivia: Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
Dialogue On Dialogue: DJ’s commentary: “I think it’s this scene, and the power of Sam Jackson’s performance, that take Pulp Fiction from being just really good to one of the best films ever made. The film would have already been remembered because of its amazing conversations, humor, and graphic violence, but with this one scene, it moves into “saying something” territory. He’s just so honest in both his badassness and also his newfound, simple, and powerful faith from witnessing the “miracle” earlier that day. Really good stuff.”