What was in the briefcase

Why would it be coveted by Marsellus Wallace? It would certainly impress his wife Mia, regular at 50s-themed diner Jack Rabbit Slim's. At least, more than an accidental massive line of heroin. It could also be nuclear, in homage to Robert Aldrich's classic 50s noir Kiss Me Deadly , in which a Los Angeles private eye searches for a glowing case filled with radioactive material.

The most persistent and ingenious theory is that what is inside the case is nothing short of the soul of gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace, who sold it to Satan and is trying to get it back. The imposing mob boss wears a Band-Aid on the back of his neck, reportedly because actor Ving Rhames has a scar there he wanted to hide for the iconic over-the-shoulder shot, but it's also been argued that when the devil takes your soul he takes it from the back of your neck.

This neat esoteric factoid doesn't seem to be in the Bible, as messageboard amateur sleuths claim, or in some vague version of "Chinese mythology" correct us if Google has served us poorly , but we like this theory's style. It would also explain why bullets miraculously miss Vincent and Jules in an apartment shooting — divine intervention is surely more likely to help your ass when you're on soul-saving business.

And the briefcase combination? What else but This is why he sends his most trusted servants to gather them. The fact that everyone is seemingly in awe of the contents supports this claim - though that logic applies to almost every theory. There are a few pieces of supporting evidence for this idea.

Mia Wallace is an aspiring actor and has appeared in a television pilot she describes at length to Vincent. Marsellus may have stolen the award as a gift for his wife, knowing about her Hollywood ambitions. He went on to win one for his Pulp Fiction screenplay, as a matter of fact. A rather simple explanation for what's inside the briefcase: diamonds. According to Roger Avery , who played a major role in writing the preliminary drafts of the script, it was originally meant to contain the expensive gems.

He and Tarantino decided this would be too obvious, though, and they ultimately removed the reference to the precious stones. Theories suggest this could still be the ultimate answer, which makes sense considering the criminals involved and the lengths to which they go in order to retrieve the case.

In the movie Kiss Me Deadly, the characters are searching for a valuable box containing radioactive material that causes a nuclear detonation when opened. A criminal kingpin would almost certainly consider a nuclear device valuable and worth all the effort. It would also provide an explanation for the strange glow emitted by the case whenever it's opened.

Photo: Miramax Films. The Holy Grail. A Light Bulb. Nothing Important. In Pulp Fiction , Mr. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He's also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert. Hough Published Jul 21, Of course it isn't. It's about the interplay between the characters, the fantastic soundtrack, Quentin Tarantino's weird feet fixation, all of it. The briefcase wasn't the focus of the film, but it's what drove the film on.

Plus, isn't it better when we don't know? Seriously, what was in the briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction'? Brian Lloyd 2 years ago. The briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction' is, without doubt, one of the most well-known MacGuffins in film history.

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