# Your best guess WRT the suitcase in Pulp Fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908 "2014-05-21T09:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/41 "2014-05-21T20:59:14Z")
My theory is gold or diamonds. Probably diamonds, a decent amount of gold would be heavy. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/42 "2014-05-21T21:07:20Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > But the golden arches are only in France. In Tarantino’s world they eat at Big Kahuna Burger. If McDonalds is only in France, why does anyone care what their name for a quarter pounder is? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/43 "2014-05-21T21:07:32Z")
I’m more interested in what the hell went down between those idiot white boys and Marcellus. We know the connection is probably Marvin. Did Marvin manipulate them into trying to fuck over Marcellus so Marcellus could off them without losing any street cred? I have a hard time believing the ‘boys’ came up with the BRILLIANT idea of screwing over Marcellus, knowing that their connection, Marvin, is down with Marcellus. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/44 "2014-05-21T21:17:56Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Did Marvin manipulate them into trying to fuck over Marcellus so Marcellus could off them without losing any street cred? Man, I don’t even _have_ an opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/45 "2014-05-21T21:22:27Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Man, I don’t even _have_ an opinion. That ties into my theory of ‘the miracle’ and how God shot Marvin for sitting on the railpost. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/46 "2014-05-21T21:29:35Z")
It’s a picture of Marcellus and Mia standing in front of his brand new legitimate business venture: “Dead N\*\*\*\*\* Storage” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/47 "2014-05-21T21:47:00Z")
My take on Brad with the Big Brain and Co. was that they were a crew within the Marcellus empire. Probably dealing drugs for the most part. They double crossed Marcellus and kept the briefcase when they were supposed to deliver it or something. Marvin stayed true to the boss and ratted them out. Then Vincent and Jules paid a visit. Note that Marvin let them in without warning the others or anything. As to the “underwear” line. Jules is a liar. He can’t even keep his Bible quotes right. He lied about what happened between Tony Rocky Horror and Mia. He also _did_ hit a bump causing Marvin to be separated from his brains. Plus you know he eats pork. Just like he’s supposed to be a vegetarian but still eats Brad’s Kahuna burger. (It’s possible to also conjecture that he and Butch planned things together to fake the fix. The story about “wandering the Earth” was a setup so that people wouldn’t get suspicious later. This requires that he and Butch knew about the planned fix before they showed up at Marcellus’s club. Note that Jules didn’t go with Vincent to Butch’s place or anything.) The briefcase has something glowing golden in it. Too light to be solid ingots. Could be something gold-covered like a piece of art or other artifact. But the glow is too bright. Artwork in museums are well lit in many cases. Maybe the person who put the artifact in the case added some lighting feature to show it off when the case was open, to impress potential buyers and all that. Crews in a crime family have to pay tribute to the boss. Maybe they stole the briefcase themselves, and decided to keep it instead of reporting it to Marcellus (and paying him a share). Marcellus would have heard of its theft, knew who got it (maybe via Marvin or a fence), and decided to show them who’s boss. Who could they have stolen it from in the latter scenario? Some Hollywood bigwig? A memento from a classic film? (But definitely not the Maltese Falcon of the film.) Leia’s bra from _RotJ_? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/48 "2014-05-21T22:13:10Z")
> [@](#): > > (It’s possible to also conjecture that he and Butch planned things together to fake the fix. The story about “wandering the Earth” was a setup so that people wouldn’t get suspicious later. This requires that he and Butch knew about the planned fix before they showed up at Marcellus’s club. Note that Jules didn’t go with Vincent to Butch’s place or anything.) He didn’t go because he had quit by that point (before the fight.) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/49 "2014-05-21T22:13:28Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Not the Golden Arcs? Serving the Big Mc rather than the Big Mac? > > You know, our buns don’t have seeds. Everyone loves a good [Coming to America](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898/?ref_=rvi_tt) reference! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/50 "2014-05-22T12:41:49Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > He didn’t go because he had quit by that point (before the fight.) Which is the point I was making. He needed to setup an alibi _in advance_ for getting out of Dodge. If he was at the fight and hadn’t yet told Marcellus he was quitting, the boss would be righteously angry at having him walk out at such a time. The non-sequential nature of the film masks a lot of this. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/51 "2014-05-22T13:11:50Z")
Butch doesn’t need Jules help to stab Marcellus in the back. WTH did Jules do for Butch? Rub his feet after? ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/52 "2014-05-22T13:19:20Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Which is the point I was making. He needed to setup an alibi _in advance_ for getting out of Dodge. If he was at the fight and hadn’t yet told Marcellus he was quitting, the boss would be righteously angry at having him walk out at such a time. > > The non-sequential nature of the film masks a lot of this. First…Nit Pick - It wasn’t Brad…It was Brett. Second - Marcellus is shown giving Butch the money to throw the fight after Jules has decided to quit. How could Jules be in on something with Butch before Marcellus paid him off? And why wouldn’t Jules be helping Butch to get out of town afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/53 "2014-05-22T16:47:58Z")
> [@edwards\_beard](#): > > First…Nit Pick - It wasn’t Brad…It was Brett. > > Second - Marcellus is shown giving Butch the money to throw the fight after Jules has decided to quit. How could Jules be in on something with Butch before Marcellus paid him off? And why wouldn’t Jules be helping Butch to get out of town afterwards? Oops. Brett it is. Jules could have known about Marcellus’ plan before the meeting with Butch. Jules is smart and devious. Thinking several steps ahead. The coordination with Butch could be minimal. They place their bets separately, etc. Jules was in a position to go off the grid before the fight, unlike Butch. I think the keying of Vincent’s car tells it all.😉 ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/54 "2014-05-22T17:03:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Oops. Brett it is. > > Jules could have known about Marcellus’ plan before the meeting with Butch. Jules is smart and devious. Thinking several steps ahead. The coordination with Butch could be minimal. They place their bets separately, etc. Jules was in a position to go off the grid before the fight, unlike Butch. I think the keying of Vincent’s car tells it all.😉 Butch keyed Vincent’s car because of their interaction at the bar. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/55 "2014-05-22T21:21:11Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Everyone loves a good [Coming to America](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898/?ref_=rvi_tt) reference! Baby… when I say the boy has got his own money, I mean the boy has got his OWN **MONEY!** ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/56 "2014-05-23T00:30:48Z")
> [@edwards\_beard](#): > > Butch keyed Vincent’s car because of their interaction at the bar. Vincent’s car is keyed well before meeting Butch. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/57 "2014-05-23T00:37:46Z")
Not so. Tarantino has said before that Butch was the culprit. From [here:](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/7012) > [@](#): > > Oh, two more things. Someone asked, and he confirmed that Butch was the guy who keyed Vincent Vega’s car – which is a damn cool detail to keep in mind when you’re watching the movie. Also, the black-tie party that Wolf was attending (at 8:30 in the morning) when his beeper went off was an underground, behind-closed-doors-type casino party. ETA: I think it’s the jumbled nature of the film that leads to the confusion. It happens earlier in the movie (Vincent mentions it), but the scene where he meets Butch comes before the scene with Lance, chronologically. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/58 "2014-05-23T05:39:40Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Not so. Tarantino has said before that Butch was the culprit. From [here:](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/7012) > > ETA: I think it’s the jumbled nature of the film that leads to the confusion. It happens earlier in the movie (Vincent mentions it), but the scene where he meets Butch comes before the scene with Lance, chronologically. Ahh. I was misremembering and thinking he told Jules that his car had been keyed. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/59 "2014-05-23T05:55:27Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > As to the “underwear” line. Jules is a liar. He can’t even keep his Bible quotes right. He lied about what happened between Tony Rocky Horror and Mia. He also _did_ hit a bump causing Marvin to be separated from his brains. Plus you know he eats pork. Just like he’s supposed to be a vegetarian but still eats Brad’s Kahuna burger. Actually, Jules is only “pretty much” a vegetarian. His girlfriend is a vegetarian. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Jules: Well, if you like burgers give 'em a try sometime. I can’t usually get 'em myself because my girlfriend’s a vegetarian which pretty much makes me a vegetarian. But I do love the taste of a good burger. Mm-mm-mm. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908/60 "2014-05-23T14:34:01Z")
It was the [Fruit of Laurelin](http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100219195630/lotr/images/a/aa/TwoTreesofValinor.jpg). ‘Ye! Utuvienyes, motherfucker!’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-guess-wrt-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/688908.md?page=4)