What was in the Briefcase?

Question

Can anyone tell me what was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction? And what is the Band-Aid on the back of Marsellus's neck about? Is there a connection? You never see or hear anyone say what's in the case. Thanks, - Hedy

Potential Answer (also see comments)

Note: If you don't remember the briefcase, check out the Hamburger scene video.

Metadata

Category:   Questions
Posted Date:  
Movie/Topic:   Pulp Fiction
Posted by:   Pulp Sloth
Article Tags:  Questions   MarsellusWallace   VingRhames 

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Displaying Comment 126 - 150 of 167 in total

USER COMMENTS

cartoon_sub

What everyone is forgetting is science: gold is heavy. Even one gold bar would be more awkward and difficult to handle inside that briefcase, with the ease and agility that the actors handle the case. --- simply put, it cannot be gold bars. Gold is just too heavy to toss around like fluff. (Personally, I like the soul explanation.)

Joelfrosty

I can't believe no one has realized what the Band-Aid on wallaces neck was for. It's simple, I've known a lot of African-American people who get shaving bumps from using this cream that removes hair on their face and neck and I believe if you look at the picture that he had a bad case of bumps on his neck and the Band-Aid was probably covering some of those bumps it's as simple as that.

DDAWG

The Motherfuckin Holy God Damn Grail MotherFucker! NO Fuckin SHIT

DDAWG

The Motherfuckin Holy God Damn Grail MotherFucker! NO Fuckin SHIT

anonymous

It was not his soul, it was supposed to be diamonds. Tarantino confirmed it was diamonds, however Tarantino had just used a case of diamonds as a major plot device in Reservoir Dogs and did not want to be predictable :)

Dalastshawn21

Diamonds don't glow like gold you dumbass bastards I swear I wish I could best the hell outta most of you

Dalastshawn21

Beat!!! Fuckn auto correct

Reuban

The obvious answer anyone should get is that it is an academy award - an Oscar. That's why Ringo asks "is that what I think it is?"
Too easy !

steveisfatter

After being thoroughly entertained by some of your theories, like Wallace's Soul, the holy grail, or even the 1966 world cup...wtf btw!?.

QT has said there is no "official answer" to what was in the case but When Jules opens it and Tim Roth's character says "Is that what I think it is?" The answer is "yes", literally. I believe that is QT saying our imagination is all of the real beauty and value in this world

mhenson4--

No matter what QT says, there is a definite object in the briefcase.

1 - It is seen several times in the movie.
2 - It fits the plot.
3 - It is purely logical.

And like QT, I won't tell you what it is.

Sharon Nobody

Sorry that I'm late to the party. As an occultist and also knowing that QT is versed in Kaballah, the contents of the case is MELANIN. The combo of the case is 666 which is carbon (6 electrons, 6 protons, and 6 neutrons). You'll find melanin in many mythologies represented as gold such as the Golden Fleece, Holy Grail, or Ark of the Covenant. Soul isn't the incorrect answer but it's not a complete answer. The soul which is light has a SHADOW (explained in Bram Stoker's Shadow Builder), you must have polarity. Hopefully this will go viral, the mystery is over.

badmotherfucker

The contents of the briefcase is whatever you want it to be, that's what makes it so valuable. different things have different value to different people, one man's trash is another man's treasure and all that. So as soon as you show someone what is in the briefcase, it loses its value, that value of it can be anything you want it to be.

It runs along the same principals of not showing fully a monster in a scary movie. If you don't show the monster, your imagination runs wild with it and you see what would scare YOU the most. In the same way, the contents of the briefcase is kept a mystery to let it be whatever the audience imagines is the most valuable thing to them is.

As for the band aid, I read somewhere that Ving Rhames has the plaster on to cover a cut from shaving his head or something (I don't really remember the specifics) and Tarantino thought it looked cool so he ran with it.

fredrikoaa

Tarantino said in a interview that the band aid on marsellus was simply because he cut himself with a razor while shaving his head. Tarantino thought that this looked kinda badass and decided to have it in the scene.

Dewmangrp

It's Marcelleus' soul that he sold to the devil. If you watch the scene where Vincent opens up the briefcase, the number inputted is 666. The band aid covers up where his soul was removed.

porkchop

Marsellus had a band aid cause he had cut his head while shaving it before the movie. The glow you see from the inside of the briefcase is from a golden ticket for a free admission for one and guest to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory . How could someone not know that? Funniest thing is that I am answering this question some 15 years later... Creepy! A lot has changed since you asked that question but our love for pulp fiction is the same. Cheers!

Tommy

the contents of the briefcase were taken from the film 'repo man'(1984).

robertonovelo

Golden weed.

Sarahskinner_x

Bc ving rhames cut himself while shaving and tarantino liked the look so told him to keep the plaster on his head apparently

Sentinel

I recently attended a movie convention in the US and bought, amongst other things, a folder containing the original handwritten plot notes for Pulp Fiction. After reading

through them I can reveal the truth behind this movie, in particular what was in the briefcase.

It all started with Butch's father, who had his soul extracted by the Nazis in World War 2 and placed into the pocket watch. Now it's a little known fact that the best way to

reinsert the soul into a human body is via the anus. This is why Butch's father hid the watch up his, in an attempt to regain his lost soul. He was unsuccessful. The watch

eventually makes it's way to Butch who learns the truth about what it contains, which is why he is so desperate to get it back. He is willing to risk his life to regain the

only part of his father he has left.

Now as many people have already worked out, Marcellus also had his soul removed while in China, which by a remarkable set of circumstances ended up trapped in the penis of a

man known simply as Zed. marcellus was on his way to Zed to trade back for his soul when Butch hit him with the car. Indeed, later on we see Zed vigorously thrusting

Marcellus's soul back into his body, again via his ass (insert the soul via the a$$ hole - the clues are there people). This time it seemed to have worked as Marcellus found

it in himself (amongst other things) to forgive Butch. Butch's rescus of Marcellus was purely incidental. As a side issue, when Vincent Vega goes to Bucth's apartment he is

looking for the watch containing Butch's fathers soul, which he hoped to steal for Marcellus.

When you know all this, the contents on the briefcase should be simple to work out. When Marcellus sold his soul, he traded it for a briefcase full of radioactive bananas.

Desperate to have his soul back, he sent his 2 best henchmen to get the case back.

All this was originally explained in the conversation between Marcelles and Butch in the club before the fight. However the dialoge was cut from the movie. I can't imagine

why because the movie makes no sense without it.

The guy who missed Vincent and Jules in the apartment with the 'hand cannon' was simply a bad shot. However, believing himself to be protected by God, Jules made good on his

word and began to wander the world searching for answers. A planned sequal to Pulp Fiction detailed his travels was drafted but was never made.

Anyway i hope this clears things up.

coop.69

Wow..some pretty far fetched theories..i know its "whatever you want it to be" but since i first saw the film i've always summised it's the heavyweight boxing belt..makes sense now right?

BudSpencer

Just read most of the thoughts on these discussion pages. For me, Wallace lost his soul and the only way for him to get it back would be to barter with the devil. The devil would give anything to get back what had given him great shame, the lost wager, the Golden Fiddle. Think about that. Someone stole Wallace's soul and he's bartering it back with the Golden Fiddle. That's good enough for me

vince vega (irl)

the band aid was from a cut he got shaving and tarantino liked it.

there was a lightbulb in the briefcase

Sgt_btb

He has keloids on the back of his head!!!

Zakaboy

I believe marcel wallace is meant to actually be the devil due to the band-aid on the back of his neck, its says in the bible that the devil has the numbers 666 striked on the back of his neck. and i believe he covers it with the band-aid, also the combination of his brief case has the numbers 666. I also think that in the brief case are souls of the the tortured ie marcels soul.
This is my opinion.

revilo2517

This is from an informal essay I once wrote on Tarantino:

Pulp Fact or Fiction?

The briefcase in Pulp Fiction is one of the most oft-debated topics of the movie. Tarantino himself has stated that the briefcase contains whatever the viewer wants it to. The two most common theories are that it contains the diamonds from the Resevoir Dogs heist or that it contains Marcellus Wallace's soul. Although the latter argument is often ridiculed, there are several points in its favour: The mysterious orange light that emanates from the briefcase (and that also appears when Brad is shot- perhaps his soul floating away?-) looks more like we would imgine a soul to look than the reflection of diamonds. Also, Ringo's look of utter shock and disbelief ("Is that what I think it is?" he states in singular, not "Are those what I think they are?", which would make more sense if there were numerous diamonds in the case) would be more appropriate if he were encountering something as rare as a human soul, rather than some diamonds, which as a high-profile thief he would encounter on a fairly regular basis. The general outline of the theory is this: Marcellus Wallace sold his soul to the devil, but bought it back using Brad and his team as couriers. Brad got hold of the soul in a briefcase (the combination number of which is 666- the sign of the devil) but tried to keep it, causing him to be killed by Jules and Vincent. In fact, perhaps the reason that God saves them from being shot in the same appartment later on is that they are now the guardians of something as precious as a human soul. Later on, Vincent even refers to the "item" in the briefcase as "my boss's dirty laundry", maybe referring to the tainted nature of the soul of a man as corrupt as Marcellus. It is even possible that the reason that Marcellus later forgives Butch is that, with his soul returns, even he is capable of kindness. Finally, there is the long scene where Marcellus is assigning Butch with going down in the fourth round. This entire speech is accompanied by a shot of the back of Marcellus's neck, on which there is a plaster, over the exact spot that according to certain ancient philosophies the soul can be sucked out of (the plaster is actually covering a genuine cut that Ving Rhames sustained before filming, but who is to say that this itself was not the inspiration for Tarantino's idea? Why else would the plaster feature so prominently?). Other theories as to what's in the briefcase include a nuclear device, Elvis's gold suit, gold bricks (supposedly how Marcellus cleans his gangster income (launders his dirty laundry): by investing in gold) and the Holy Grail, but, despite several objections, I still subscribe to the soul theory.
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