Pulp Fiction: Why Jules & Vincent Take Marvin (Did They Mean To Kill Him?)

One of the most memorable scenes in Pulp Fiction is when Vincent Vega accidentally shoots Marvin in the face while in the car – but why did Jules and Vincent take him in the first place? And was his death really an accident? Quentin Tarantino’s career as a filmmaker began in 1992 with the crime film Reservoir Dogs, and while it was a success, his breakthrough came two years later with Pulp Fiction, regarded by many as his masterpiece.

Pulp Fiction follows various interconnected stories in a non-linear style and set in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. The leads of the stories are hitmen Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), their boss Marsellus Wallace (Wing Rhames), his wife Mia (Uma Thurman), and boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). Vincent and Jules got themselves into a lot of trouble when Vincent accidentally shot a man in the face in their car, which led them to take the car with Marseullus’ cleaner, Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel), so they wouldn’t be caught. The victim was Marvin, who was in the apartment of one of Marsellus’ associates – but why did Jules and Vincent take him with them?

The first part in Jules and Vincent’s story follows them as they arrive at the apartment of Brett, one of Marsellus’ business partners who tried to double-cross him. Jules and Vincent were sent there to take a briefcase and get rid of Brett and company, which they did, but there was someone else there: Marvin, the only survivor of that visit. Jules knew Marvin, but Vincent didn’t and asked Jules to tell him to shut up after they killed Brett and the rest. On their way back to meet Marsellus, Jules and Vincent discussed whether their survival after one of Brett’s men fired at them multiple times and failed was divine intervention or mere luck. Vincent turned around to ask Marvin’s opinion and he accidentally shot him in the face. Though it wasn’t explicit in the movie, Marvin was Jules and Vincent’s informant, which is why they didn’t kill him and took him with them.

The big question that remains is whether Vincent shot Marvin on purpose or not. Vincent says Jules “probably went over a bump or something” and that’s why he shot him, but when looking closely at the scene, they never went over a bump. Samuel L. Jackson himself once suggested Vincent shot him on purpose in retaliation for not alerting them that there was another guy with a gun hiding in the apartment, and he made it look like an accident. Tarantino, however, told ReelBlend podcast that he “loves any scenario” about the scene, and he doesn’t want to share what he thinks about it in order to leave it open to interpretation. What’s true is that Vincent isn’t exactly the most careful and professional man out there, as seen a couple of times through the movie, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that it was truly an accident.

Pulp Fiction is not the only Tarantino movie with various things left to viewers’ interpretation, which are intentionally left as such by Tarantino in order to leave the audience talking about it for a while (years, even). Pulp Fiction has a lot of mysteries, such as what was in Marsellus’ briefcase, but when it comes to Marvin’s death, it depends on each viewer if Vincent shot him as revenge or accidentally.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3269 Articles Published)

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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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