| “ | You read the bible, Ringo? Well, there's this 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 my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." Now, I been saying that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant your ass. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded shit 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. 9 Millimeter 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. Now I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is…you're the weak, and I am the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin'. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
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| ― Jules explains his interpretation of Ezekiel 25:17 to Ringo |
Jules Winnfield is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Vincent Vega) of Quentin Tarantino's 2nd film Pulp Fiction.
He is initially a hitman working alongside Vincent for Marsellus Wallace but after revelation, or as he refers to it "a moment of clarity" he decides to leave to "Walk the Earth." During the film he is stated to be from Inglewood, California.
He was portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, who also played Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown, Rufus in Kill Bill: Volume 2, Narrator in Inglourious Basterds, Stephen in Django Unchained and Major Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight.
History[]
Background[]
Jules and his partner, Vincent Vega, work for Los Angeles crime boss Marsellus Wallace and they are both loyal to him. While Vincent is suave and soft-spoken, he is unfortunately lacking in intelligence - a problem only worsened by his heroin addiction. Jules is the smarter and more aggressive of the two, and has a habit of quoting Ezekiel 25:17 before he executes his enemies.
Riding in a car on the way to a hit —both wearing dress suits—, Vincent was relating his impressions from his stay in Europe concerning the possession of dope and the laws in Amsterdam. He was impressed on how in European cinemas beer is served in glass, how the Quarter Pounder burger is called "Royale with Cheese in Paris" (and Big Mac is called "Le Big Mac") and how in Holland the French fries are eaten with mayonnaise instead of ketchup.
On their way to the job, Jules was narrating Vincent about Marsellus' new wife, Mia Wallace, and the trouble with Antoine Roccamora when he gave foot-massage to Mia. Jules found it too much, while Vince insisted that it was 'laying hands in a familiar way', something that you wouldn't do for example to another man. He proved his point that although you don't mention it, you know that foot-massage has something special and sensual. Vincent was especially worried hearing about Roccamora, since he was tasked to take care of Mia while Marsellus was off to Florida.
Divine Intervention[]
They conclude their banter and "get into character", which soon involves executing Brett who has transgressed against their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace in dramatic fashion after Jules recites a baleful "biblical" pronouncement, and retrieve the briefcase.
Jules and Vincent are nearly killed by a third student emerging from the bathroom who fires six shots, but miraculously, the bullets miss them despite being fired from less than five feet away-giving them a chance to kill him. Though startled by the miracle, they are still quick to avoid police attention, and swiftly leave the scene with the briefcase and their assumed informant, Marvin.
The Bonnie Situation[]
Back in the car, Jules and Vincent discuss the incident further, with Vincent remaining skeptical and Jules firmly believing that they were witness to divine intervention; however, Vincent's failure to abide by gun safety over the course of the argument results in him accidentally shooting Marvin in the face-killing him.
With the car now soaked in blood and the two of them in desperate need of shelter, they call on Jules' reluctant friend, Jimmie Dimmick; though he allows them to use his garage, he is not too happy with the situation, as his wife would divorce him if she discovered gangsters and a dead body in their house. Jules later calls Marsellus, who sends his personal problem solver Winston Wolf. Wolf helps them quickly get rid of the car and the body. The two hitmen, now dressed in colourful t-shirts and athletic shorts borrowed from Jimmy, then go to a Hawthorne coffee shop for breakfast.
The Diner[]
During the breakfast, Jules once again discusses the miracle and tells Vincent that he intends to retire and walk the earth in search of whatever purpose God has in mind of him, the hitman having found religion in the wake of the near-death experience. Disgusted and frustrated by his inability to talk Jules out of it, Vincent ducks out of the argument by going to the bathroom. It is at this point that Ringo and Honey-Bunny, two stick-up artists also dining in the restaurant, randomly try to rob the coffee shop (the film's non-linear beginning) and demand the briefcase from Jules, who winds up holding Ringo at gunpoint in a Mexican standoff. When Vincent gets back, Jules tells him to hold off, then tells Ringo that to instead of killing him and Honey-Bunny, he is buying his life for $1500. Jules then explains to Ringo that he was going to forsake his life of crime.
Vincent and Jules leave the coffee shop ahead of the police and go to Marsellus' Inglewood strip club to give him the briefcase.
Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's wife[]
That afternoon, the duo meet Marsellus at his bar to hand over the briefcase; at this time, Marsellus is having a meeting with aging boxer Butch Coolidge, whom he is paying to take a dive in his next boxing match. This scene (chronologically) wraps up Jules' appearance in the movie, as he is last seen going to urinate. He then probably meets with Marsellus to discuss his resignation and give up his gangster life.
Trivia[]
- Jules explains that he recites a Biblical passage, Ezekiel 25:17. He seems to be somewhat of a spiritual person, refraining from eating pork (complying to Kosher or Halal), resembling a pastoral preacher while reciting the passage, and is eager to attribute his survival to a miracle.
- There are even theories that Winnfield turns up as a hobo in the Breaking Bad episode "Blood Money" but this time Wayne Dehart is acting the role of Jules and receives a bunch of money from Jessie Pinkman when he says "take it" and the homeless man with a shopping cart full of plastic bags that could be Jules takes the money. In the end of Pulp Fiction Jules even talks about "walking the earth" to Vincent, who at first assumed that Jules was going to be a bum.
- Jules' girlfriend is a vegetarian.
- The part of Jules Winnfield was originally to be played by Paul Calderon but Samuel L. Jackson Jackson liked the part so much he flew out to California to audition for the part again to insure that he got the part.
Source[]
Much of the text comes from a deleted Wikipedia article.