What was in Marsellus Wallace's briefcase??

[RickJay]

*Originally posted by RealityChuck *
**To identify Macellus Washburn.

Look, in the early part of the film, you only see the back of his head. Then, suddenly, Bruce Willis sees Washburn crossing the street. **

Actually, it’s Marcellus Wallace.

[Badtz_Maru]

I like to think it’s the diamonds from Reservoir Dogs. I know that’s not an official answer, but it fits.

[A_wizard_song_for_thee]

I’m not entirely sure, because I’ve never seen it in its pure form, but I believe that was Artsy Contrivance…

[musicguy]

Columbian Gold, perhaps

[Blackeyes]

*Originally posted by RealityChuck *
**To identify Macellus Washburn.

Look, in the early part of the film, you only see the back of his head. Then, suddenly, Bruce Willis sees Washburn crossing the street. That’s the first time we see his face, and it’s essential to to plot that the audience understand who that man crosssing the street is, otherwise the scene loses all its impact.

So you put a band-aid on the back of Marcellus’s neck. The man crossing the street is instantly identified.

This is so obvious that I keep wondering why people still continue to ask why. **

You see him earlier than that. In the beginning of Bruce’s story he’s there with Vincent and Mia, fuming after the fight that Bruce had killed the guy and is now making a run for it with all the money.

[professorbiscuit]

I was always under the impression it was a device for hunting tigers in Scotland.

[Leechboy]

a 1920’s style deathray

[Loopus]

Snopes on the subject:

And from Rober Ebert’s Questions for the Movie Answer Man comes the following statement by Pulp Fiction co-author Roger Avery:

Originally the briefcase contained diamonds. But that just seemed too boring and predictable. So it was decided that the contents of the briefcase were never to be seen. This way each audience member would fill in the blank with their own ultimate contents. All you were supposed to know was that it was “so beautiful.” No prop master can come up with something better than each individual’s imagination. At least that was the original idea. Then somebody had the bright idea (which I think was a mistake) of putting an orange lightbulb in there. Suddenly what could have been anything became anything supernatural. Didn’t need to push the effect. People would have debated it for years anyway, and it would have been much more subtle. I can’t believe I’m actually talking about being subtle.

[Anonymous_Coward]

Pie. Lots and lots of pie.

[lissener]

Hah! I was right! My theory has always been that it contained the viewer’s “greatest desires.”

[F.U.Shakespeare]

I always assumed it was the thing that Billie Joe McAllister was throwing off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

[voxnihili]

kind of a hijack, but people often say ‘marcellus’ soul because it says that the devil removes souls through the back of the neck’ and the whole band-aid on the neck thing. is there anywhere in the bible or folklore that says the soul is removed through the back of the neck?

[Scumpup]

Ham.

[Larry_Mudd]

No, and there’s no symbolic reason for the band-aid to be there, either.

Ving Rhames has a prominent keloid scar back there, is all.

[DreadCthulhu]

Ah, its a 1920’s style “Death Ray.”

[Rainbowthief]

*Originally posted by RealityChuck *
**To identify Macellus Washburn.

Look, in the early part of the film, you only see the back of his head. Then, suddenly, Bruce Willis sees Washburn crossing the street. That’s the first time we see his face, and it’s essential to to plot that the audience understand who that man crosssing the street is, otherwise the scene loses all its impact.

So you put a band-aid on the back of Marcellus’s neck. The man crossing the street is instantly identified.

This is so obvious that I keep wondering why people still continue to ask why. **

Larry Mudd already beat me to it, but he’s right. Tarantino has stated in numerous interviews that Rhames had a scar on his neck that Tarantino feared would be too distracting in the scene, so he had Rhames wear a band-aid over it.

[Winston_Bongo]

It’s a sports almanac from the year 2015.

[Blackeyes]

It’s Plutonium H25.

[Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew]

It’s the third word that ends in “gry.”

…and the missing dollar.

[Horseflesh]

It was an overpriced bug zapper, nothing more.

Or it may have been the same stuff that was in the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark – the wrath of God. Or maybe it was the Wrath of Kahn, I always get them mixed up.