Evaluation | Character Comparison

Vincent Vega is a character from the cult classic Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Vega is a hitman who works for a mobster, and he carries several similarities to our main character Agent Matthews. The most prominent similarity between the 2 characters would be their costumes. Vega is seen throughout Pulp Fiction wearing a black suit and tie, making his character seem sophisticated and professional which juxtaposes the idea of him killing for a living. This juxtaposition appeals to the action genres target audience as the concept of making murder seem so trivial is different and carries a bit of dark humour to it. This concept is reinforced by Vegas costume, as him looking so smart and professional makes it seem as if he sees killing people as just an everyday job rather than a crime. We used this as inspiration for Agent Matthews costume, as he is a spy who would also kill people for a living and we thought the suit would carry the same impression as Vegas gives off in Pulp Fiction. 

Another similarity would be the props the characters work with and their role in their films. In Pulp Fiction, Vega is tasked with recovering a briefcase that has an unknown desirable item inside, and he spends a large part of the film protecting this briefcase and carrying it around. In our opening scene, Agent Matthews also carries around a briefcase whose contents is unknown and must protect it. The briefcase as a prop goes well with the suit and tie costume as both characters could be mistaken for everyday businessmen yet have very serious demeanors and jobs.

However these characters are not similar in all their ways. Differences include how both characters intelligence is shown to the audience. Vega is shown to be quite dim, which is represented in the way he speaks, his random lines of conversations such as what French people call American food and his actions (such as accidentally shooting people in the face). Agent Matthews on the other hand is put across to the audience as a cold and intelligent man in the way he speaks using military phrases such as "ETA 10 minutes."