Pulp Fiction’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

Even a landmark like ‘Pulp Fiction’ has little slipups hiding in plain sight once you know where to look. Most of these are tiny continuity hiccups or prop quirks that slipped through a wild, fast shoot. They do not change the story, but they are hard to ignore once spotted during a rewatch. Here are ten that fans point out all the time.

Bullet holes in the wall before the shootout

In the apartment scene with Jules and Vincent, you can see bullet holes on the wall behind them before a single shot is fired. The camera angle catches the pattern during dialogue, then the later gunfire lines up with those marks. It suggests the wall dressing for the aftermath was already in place when earlier coverage was filmed. Once you notice the marks early, the later surprise is a lot less surprising.

The magic marker target on Mia’s chest

During the overdose sequence, a red marker circle used to guide the adrenaline shot appears and disappears between shots. In some angles the T-shirt shows a clean fabric, and in others the marker and tear are visible. The quick cuts make the switch easy to miss on a first viewing. On a pause and play rewatch, the guide mark continuity jumps out.

Vincent and Jules’ blood spatter keeps changing

After the car incident with Marvin, the blood patterns on Vincent and Jules shift noticeably from shot to shot. Stains on the jackets and shirts move or change size as the conversation continues. The upholstery in the car also looks cleaner or messier depending on the angle. Wardrobe resets clearly did not match perfectly across takes.

Big Kahuna Burger continuity

When Jules samples the burger and soda, the food and drink levels do not stay consistent. Bites disappear and reappear, and the cup refill level changes across close-ups and wide shots. The napkin and wrapper positions drift between lines. These are classic continuity bumps during a busy coverage setup.

Jack Rabbit Slim’s cigarette and drink levels

At the restaurant, Mia’s cigarette length and Vincent’s drink levels fluctuate from cut to cut. The ash grows, shortens, and sometimes vanishes as the conversation flows. Glasses on the table also slide around without anyone touching them. The lively coverage makes these prop resets tough to keep perfectly aligned.

Vincent’s bathroom break and the kitchen counter

In Butch’s apartment, Vincent’s pistol rests on the kitchen counter, but its exact placement changes between angles. The gun shifts orientation and distance from the cereal box while Vincent reads in the bathroom. When Butch enters, the weapon sits in a spot that does not quite match earlier shots. The small repositioning sets up the surprise but breaks continuity.

The bandage on Marsellus Wallace

Marsellus Wallace’s bandage at the back of his head is not always consistent. It is prominent in many shots and then absent or covered differently in others. The camera sometimes reveals a clean neck in brief glimpses. The changing visibility turns the bandage into a low-key continuity riddle.

The katana scene cleanup

In the pawn shop, the state of the floor and scattered items change across the rescue sequence. Objects move or reset between the wide corridor shots and the tighter angles on the fight. The doorway curtains also fall differently across cuts. The shifting set dressing makes the action beats slightly misalign.

The diner opening and closing mismatch

The opening coffee shop scene does not line up perfectly with the same location at the finale. Table items and customer positions differ in ways that the continuous timeline would not support. The sugar dispensers, mugs, and napkins move around the tabletops between versions of the same moment. The cross-cutting structure masks it until you compare details side by side.

The briefcase glow on faces

When the briefcase opens, the golden glow on faces varies more than the case position would explain. Intensity and angle of the light shift between reverse shots during the same exchange. It creates a striking effect but breaks continuity when you track the reflections closely. The magic look stays, while the practical lighting marks wander.

Share your favorite blink-and-you-miss-it slip from ‘Pulp Fiction’ in the comments so everyone can look for it on their next rewatch.