Pulp Fiction

The Status Quo at 0 minutes (0% through the runtime) establishes CARRIER: Pumpkin & Honey Bunny. Two small-time criminals sit in a Los Angeles diner, debating the safest type of robbery. Their conversation is charming, romantic even—then suddenly they kiss, pull guns, and freeze on their moment of "triumph." Violence as casual calculation. Crime as lifestyle choice, not moral crisis. This is the world BEFORE transformation.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.

The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when CARRIER: Jules/Vincent. The interrogation begins at Brett's apartment. "Let me take a wild guess here. You're Brett, right?" Jules begins the Big Kahuna Burger intimidation routine. The job crosses the point of no return—they're committed to violence. This external event sets everything in motion: the execution, the miracle, the diverging fates.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional state to -1, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.

The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 18% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to CARRIER: Vincent. Vincent buys heroin from Lance, preparing for his date with Mia Wallace. He's committed to this dangerous assignment—taking the boss's wife out, knowing what happened to Tony Rocky Horror. THE UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD: Vincent enters Act II alone. Without Jules's philosophical counterweight, he makes increasingly bad decisions. The heroin he buys will nearly kill Mia., moving from reaction to action. The emotional journey here reflects -1.

At 75 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat CARRIER: Butch. FALSE DEFEAT BECOMES TRUE STAKES. Butch has escaped with the money, but Fabienne tells him she forgot to pack his father's gold watch. "It's not just a watch. It was on your daddy's wrist when he was shot down." Butch MUST go back. The watch represents his father's legacy, his honor code, everything that makes him more than just a criminal. He CHOOSES to risk his life for what matters. The turn: from running away to running toward. From survival to honor., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional state shifts to -1, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.

The Collapse moment at 112 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, CARRIER: Jules. WORLDVIEW DEATH. "We should be fuckin' dead, man." The Bonnie Situation shows us what happened AFTER Brett's apartment (shown LATE in presented order). A hidden assailant fired at Jules and Vincent from point-blank range with a hand cannon. Every bullet missed. Vincent: "We was lucky." Jules: "That shit wasn't luck. This was divine intervention." Jules can no longer dismiss what happened. Either his entire worldview is wrong, or God intervened. His certainty is shattered., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point with -3. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.

The Second Threshold at 117 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 76% of the runtime. CARRIER: Jules. SYNTHESIS—THE DECISION. "You wanna play blind man, go walk with the shepherd, but me, my eyes are wide fuckin' open." Vincent challenges. Jules responds: "That's it for me. From here on in, you can consider my ass retired." THE DECISION IS MADE HERE—in the car, not the diner. Jules has synthesized what he learned: the miracle was real, Vincent's path leads to death, the Ezekiel passage is a call. Immediately after: Marvin is shot in the face, testing Jules's resolve. He doesn't waver., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey. The emotional culmination reaches 1.