Thanks to Marvel and DC, shared movie universes are the new big thing in Hollywood.
But comic book movies didn’t start the trend.
Filmmakers have long been looking for intricate ways to connect their projects, including
fan-favorite director Quentin Tarantino.
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Hidden Clues to Tarantino’s Shared Universe.
Brothers in Crime
Though we don’t learn everyone’s real name in Reservoir Dogs, it’s revealed that
Mr. Blonde is actually Vic Vega.
Moviegoers were able to see Tarantino’s love of continuity when his breakout hit Pulp
Fiction was released years later, starring John Travolta as Vincent Vega.
Tarantino would later confirm the two characters were brothers, and he even planned to film
a prequel starring the siblings before their respective films, but due to the actors’
ages, the project never came to be.
That would have been fun to see, but this subtle clue is entertaining in its own right.
Son of the Bear
Tarantino’s universe even includes a film that he wrote, but didn’t direct: True Romance.
The film features a character by the name of Lee Donowitz, who works as a Hollywood
film producer.
Fast forward to Tarantino’s own Inglourious Basterds, and viewers are introduced to Sgt.
Donny Donowitz, aka The Bear Jew.
That last name isn’t a coincidence: the director has stated that Lee is actually Donny’s
son.
Perhaps the manner in which his father assassinated Hitler – shooting him in a bloody rampage
in a movie theater – inspired Lee to forge his career path.
Tarantino characters certainly like their pop culture.
Movies Within Movies
In a mind-bending twist, Tarantino has revealed that some of his works are movies that exist
within his own movie universe.
His everyday characters are apparently able to watch From Dusk Till Dawn or Kill Bill
at their local movie theater.
As just one example, the cast and plot of Kill Bill matches Mia Wallace’s failed pilot
Fox Force Five so closely, it seems like someone adapted the TV show for the big screen and
brought Mia back to reprise her role.
Big Kahuna Burger
In one of Pulp Fiction’s most famous scenes, Jules Winnfield enjoys a stolen bite from
a restaurant with an unforgettable name: Big Kahuna Burger.
What seemed like an amusing way around product placement is actually a running theme in Tarantino’s
universe.
Audiences first got a glimpse of Big Kahuna in Reservoir Dogs when Mr. Blonde enters the
film’s central warehouse, and it’s even been featured in From Dusk Till Dawn.
They do make a tasty burger, so the popularity makes sense.
Red Apple
Keeping with our theme of Tarantino’s signature brands, Red Apple cigarettes also make frequent
appearances.
The most famous is in Pulp Fiction when boxer Butch gets a pack at the bar, but he’s not
the only one who uses them.
Red Apples are also seen in From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill, with a giant billboard
showcased in the latter.
It’s interesting to consider that Red Apples are more prominently featured in the “movies
within movies” than the “real life movies,” which perhaps is amusing commentary on the
prevalence of product placement in Hollywood.
Tarantino strays away from it, but the minds behind Kill Bill don’t.
A Nurse Named Bonnie
When Mr. Orange is shot at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs, his life relies on immediate
medical attention.
Needing to avoid the hospital for obvious reasons, he becomes reliant on Nice Guy Eddie
to find the right doctor for treatment, who mentions a nurse named Bonnie who might be
able to help.
It seems like a throwaway comment, but consider this.
In Pulp Fiction, the character Jimmy – played by Tarantino himself - has a wife named Bonnie…
who also works as a nurse.
That could just be a very big coincidence, but with all the crazy connections between
the two crime flicks, we wouldn’t bet on it.
The Lonely Grave of Paula Schultz
In 2012, audiences were introduced to the charming and sentimental Dr. King Schultz
of Django Unchained, but his story may have begun years before the Civil War-era story
was released.
In Kill Bil Vol. 2, The Bride escapes from the grave of one Paula Schultz who died in
1898.
The years make it hard to say if the two characters are directly linked, but Tarantino has teased
a subtle connection to his larger universe in Django.
The other candidate would be the outlaw Crazy Craig Koons seen on a Wanted poster, who happens
to share a name with Christopher Walken’s Captain Koons in Pulp Fiction.
Mr. White & Alabama
When we learn some of Mr. White’s backstory in Reservoir Dogs, Joe Cabot mentions that
White once had a partner named Alabama, whom White hasn’t worked with for years.
It’s hard to forget such a name, and when True Romance introduced a character named
Alabama Whitman-Worely, the connection was obvious.
The Alabama of True Romance is supposed to be the same accomplice Mr. White is speaking
of.
It’s too bad we never got to see a movie of their exploits, because it would have been
a highly entertaining one for sure.
We’ll just have to let our imaginations do the work for us.
The Brothers Dimmick
Mr. White’s connections to the shared universe don’t stop with Alabama.
We also get to see one of his blood relatives featured in Pulp Fiction.
It’s none other than Jimmy Dimmick, the character that Tarantino memorably played
in the film.
Though the evidence is scarce, it’s still there.
Mr. White’s real name is Lawrence Dimmick.
Some may question if the two really are related, but Tarantino showed us with the Vega siblings
he’s not afraid to pull this trick, and Dimmick seems like an oddly specific last
name.
As for how it’s possible Tarantino and Harvey Keitel have roles in both Reservoir Dogs and
Pulp Fiction, we’ll leave that up to you.
One Tough Sheriff
It’s hard to forget the introduction of Sheriff Earl McGraw in the first Kill Bill,
the stoic lawman played by Michael Parks, and accompanied by his son and deputy, also
played by Park’s real-life son, James (“son number one”).
Die-hard Tarantino fans will remember McGraw from his first appearance in From Dusk Till
Dawn, having apparently survived the terror of the infamous Gecko brothers.
Sheriff McGraw would return for the director’s Grindhouse movie Death Proof, where his daughter
Dakota is also introduced, linking Tarantino’s “movies within movies” with a single family.
Those are our picks for hidden clues to Tarantino’s shared movie universe.
Are there any we missed?
Which connections are your favorites?
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