A new video, created by an editor named Jorge Luego Ruiz, takes a look at several scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction, and shows how they influenced the AMC series Breaking Bad. During it’s quick two-minute run, the video highlights both technical aspects as well as some plot or character moments that share similarities between the two.
It is fascinating, when seeing the two works side-by-side, to witness how much is similar between them. While the direct references between the two are more vague for some of the examples, such as having a camera dolly away from a character, others are near 1:1 replications. The scene from Breaking Bad in which Jesse takes heroin is almost a shot-for-shot remake of a similar scene in Pulp Fiction, and the television series uses Tarantino’s trademark “inside the trunk” shot more than once throughout its five-season run.
Ever since he rocketed to the top of public awareness in the early ’90s, Tarantino has been a major influence on a lot of filmmakers that would follow after him. There is a special kind of irony in that fact, since it is widely recognized in Hollywood that Tarantino loves emulating other movies and directors that he likes. Tarantino has even said as much himself.
“I steal from every single movie ever made. If my work has anything, it’s that I’m taking this from this and that from that and mixing them together.”
That is not, in any way, meant to be a slight against him, though. The recreation of one’s influences in their own art is a major component in the creative process. Referencing Pulp Fiction doesn’t suddenly make Breaking Bad any less of a masterpiece, just like Pulp Fiction referencing 8 1/2 doesn’t mean it’s any less spectacular as a film. If anything, it can create a deeper appreciation for the show knowing that it was inspired by something as highly-acclaimed as Pulp Fiction.
What do you think? Anything else from the series you can think of that might be a nod to Tarantino that wasn’t shown here? Let us know in the comments below.
–
HT: Uproxx
Image: Jorge Luego Ruiz
