What the hell was in the briefcase?
Why do you think that?
Did Mr. Tarrantino ever tell us?
No, he won’t ever tell us. He likes to see questions like this posted all over the world.
I’m pretty sure it was a Vorlon.
It is too clear, and so it is hard to see.
I like the (totally unproveable) explanation that it was Wallace’s soul. It was cut out of the back of his head, leaving a bandaid (in the scene with him and Butch). It was beautiful and luminous. It was returned to him by the righteous man, Jules.
Other explanations are okay, too.
It was the two missing Oscar statues. Which is why it shines and why all the actors want them so much.
Oh, I forgot to say some people say it’s a reference to the movie “Kiss Me Deadly”, which also has a glowing suitcase (the suitcase glows because it contains an atom bomb.)
The briefcase contained the soul of Marcus.
Hell, even I knew that.
Marsellus. Get it right. 
I like the soul idea. But my personal fave: the briefcase contains the Grail.
-andros-
Oh yeah. Count me in. On the Vorlon one, that is.
Definitely a Vorlon.
Gold-Pressed Latinum
stoli
Well, blessed is just about everyone with a vested interest in the status quo,
as far as I can tell.
Also, The Snopes Urban Legends Page says that originally the briefcase was going to contain diamonds, but the director decided to have the viewers use their imagination instead.
And someone had already thought of my Oscar idea! It’s hard to be original.
Building on the diamonds idea, you might remember if you saw the movie ‘Reservoir Dogs’ that there are references to characters who later appear in both Pulp Fiction (Marsaleus Wallace) and True Romance (Alabama) when Harvey Kittel’s character (Mr. White) is talking to Joe. You may also recall that the diamonds go out the door at the end of the movie with Mr. Pink (Steve Bucshemi) who we quasi-hear getting shot in the background at the end of the movie. One could surmise that he either got away, or else the diamonds were later stolen from the police evidence room and made their way to the characters in Pulp Fiction.
How in the hell did his soul get in the briefcase, why was it in the briefcase, and why did those kids have it in their apartment??? Significance of case combo being 666 is? Marsallas = Satan??
I can not * believe * coming in here and getting to hear about two great movies two days in a row!! True Romance yesterday, and Pulp Fiction today!
I’ve always assumed what was in the briefcase was gold, why would those kids care about stealing Marsellus’ soul?? Gold, yeah, which is why it shone yellowish on Vince’s face.
The end scene when Jules is talking to the would be robber is my favorite part of the movie. His eyes are almost hypnotizing they are so intense.
Though, I still zoom through the drug scenes, I just LOVE vcr’s!
Judy
“Um, according to who? Nothing more than a high brow troll, though occasionally the bi polar personality swung in a constructive direction on innocuous topics.” Omniscient
I don’t think the object inside actually glowed. I think it was one of those briefcases that has a light that goes on when you open it, not unlike a refrigerator.
Also on the similar names line. Wasn’t Mr. Blonde, Vic Vega, and John Travolta’s character Vincent Vega. Are they supposed to be the same person? I think the name Skagnetti came up in a couple of Tarantino’s films as well.
Sorry to disappoint, but Tarantino never stated what was in the case, and I was under the impression he hadn’t decided himself.
It was not Marcellus Wallace’s soul; the plaster on the back of his neck only because the actor Ving Rhames has an unsightly scar there.
True, QT never said what it was supposed to signify-just that there was a 40-watt bulb in there. But, the soul thing is the most popular. Many say that Marcellus had sold his soul to the devil (hence the 666), but changed his mind, and sent his boys to get it back. Brad and his troops had recovered it, but were blackmailing him for it, causing their untimely end.
Other news:
The Vega boys (Vic and Vincent) were supposed to be together in a QT prequel, but the project never materialized.
Seymour Skagnetti is mentioned in both RD and QT, never positively (he was Vic’s parole officer in RD).
-sb
“This is going to take a special blend of psychology and extreme violence.”
Just one more similar name note. The cop in Resevoir Dogs was named Marvin, and the kid who had his head blown off by Vincent Vega was also named Marvin.
Also, did anyone else notice that the “Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!” scene was shown at both the beginning and at the end of the movie, but the lines weren’t the same? I wonder if this was a production blooper or if Tarantino just did that to screw with us.
Michael Madsen’s character in Reservoir Dogs is the brother of John Travolta’s in Pulp Fiction.
Can’t remember where I heard that - anyone else know that story?
All the softies out there had to go and vote for Forrest Gump. Pulp Fiction should have won Best Picture in 1994.
So, what’s QT working on now? It’s been a couple of years since Jackie Brown, surely he has something in the works.
New and Improved
Enright3