The Wolf

My favourite moment in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is the scene where Jules and Vincent (two hitmen played by John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson) are panicking after accidentally shooting the black kid in the back of the moving car. In true hierarchical fashion they push the problem up the chain of command, calling their boss Marcellus and demanding that he deal with it: -

MARCELLUS

You ain't got no problems, Jules. I'm on the motherfucker. Go back in there, chill them niggers out and wait for The Wolf, who should be comin' directly.

JULES

You sendin' The Wolf?

MARCELLUS

Feel better?

JULES

Shit Negro, that's all you had to say.

Enter Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) the fixer who charms those who need charming, brooks no dissent from those who need ordering around and so resolves the gory problem with absolute efficiency before riding off into the sunset with the beautiful Raquel.

In the script Tarantino capitalises 'The Wolf' to create the brand. Keitel's character has absolute high status whenever he is on screen and he deserves it because he gets the job done. He is Red Adair and Robert Towne and Guus Hiddink. He is the guy you go to when the stakes are so high that money has ceased to be a factor.

Every consultant on the planet should want to be The Wolf. The Wolf is recession-proof. The Wolf gets to pick and choose his jobs. The Wolf rides in, gets the job done with absolute efficiency, gets out and gets paid.