Remember that "Royale with Cheese" scene from Pulp Fiction? It's one of the best scenes in film history. I'll explain why.
First, here's how the scene goes:
Vincent Vega (John Travolta), who just came back to Los Angeles from Amsterdam, is explaining to Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) about the cultural differences in Europe and America. At one point, he asks, "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?"
Jules, obviously, didn't know. Vincent says, they call it Royale with Cheese. "They got the metric system there," he explains.
Later in the movie, Jules asks this exact same question to Brett while interrogating him — rather in a playful manner. The significance of this scene is that it shows who is dominant over whom. It also builds tension in that particular sequence. The exact same type of tension is built each time Christopher Nolan's Joker asks, "You wanna know how I got these scars," to his victims.
Why is "Royale with Cheese" from Pulp Fiction important?
The "Royale with Cheese'' is one of the most iconic scenes in recent movie history, as any cinephile can tell you. It's repeated twice in the movie. And each time, it serves two fundamental duties.
First time, it shows the human nature of the two hitmen. They talk no differently than the way you talk to your co-worker or friend.
In other words: it's a very mundane conversation between two co-workers — nothing philosophical in it.
The next time it's used to create excruciating tension. And the tension reaches a peak when Jules takes a bite from Brett’s hamburger.
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And what’s the one thing you never do?
"You don’t offer a stranger your hamburger to take a big bite right out of the middle of it," as Quentin Tarantino says. "Jules is completely dominating by taking a bite out of the guy’s hamburger."
So, the main significance of the Royale with Cheese scene lies in building tension.
As a side note, this could also be one of the many pop culture references in Pulp Fiction, as it's really called the Royal Cheese in France, Belgium, Croatia and Cyprus.
Why is "Royale with Cheese" one of the best scenes in film history?
Just so you know, Pulp Fiction was released in 1994. That's exactly 29 years ago. And we are still discussing it. Specifically, the scene where Vincent jokes about the Royale with Cheese.
Well, what's so great about that scene?
Film reviewer Alex Johnston argues that "the conversation establishes Vincent as being the one more inclined to have opinions about things, and Jules as the one more inclined to ask questions."
"The burger conversation," he says, "sets up a subtle but definite opposition between the two characters."
Watch the clip where Vincent jokes about Royale with Cheese
Vincent's words — "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris" — has become a part of cultural zeitgeist as evidenced in all its parodies and homages. It's also one of the most quoted lines from Pulp Fiction.
Here's the particular clip from the movie: