Captain Koons (Christopher Walken)

Character Analysis

Captain Koons makes a quick appearance in a flashback of young Butch's life. Koons spent time in a POW camp with Butch's father, who gave him Bruce's grandfather's gold watch to give to Butch in case he didn't make it out alive. He didn't. Koons kept the watch in his rectum for safekeeping for years, and presents it to Butch along with the story of his father. It's a weird story. The fact that he's played by Christopher Walken makes it even more weird.

Koons is mostly used for exposition, showing us why Butch's watch is so valuable to him that he risks going back to his apartment to retrieve it. It also hints why Butch and Fabienne are headed to Knoxville; it's where Butch's great-grandfather bought the watch. But thematically his speech is very consistent with the film's themes of loyalty, camaraderie, and dysentery. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Fun Fact: Walken said he drank hot sauce in between takes to keep his mouth from getting dry during his long speech.

Whatever works.