Pulp Fiction (1994): “A feared crime boss attempts to retrieve a briefcase containing his soul, which he previously sold to the devil.”
In Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, there are essentially two MacGuffins. In filmmaking terms, that’s the thing the character is seeking that drives the plot forward and frames the action. Here, the MacGuffins are a gold watch – which features in the storyline of Butch (Bruce Willis) – and a mysterious briefcase. The briefcase, being the MacGuffin in the storyline of Jules (Samuel L Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta), features in each character’s storyline, because each storyline intersects with the two hit-men at various points. The question that remains unanswered is:“What is in the briefcase?” There is an interesting interpretation that suggests the content is, in fact, a soul.
Crime boss Marcellus Wallace is seen from behind with a sticking plaster on the back of his skull. He sends hit-men Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield to retrieve the briefcase from Brett (Frank Whalley) and his two accomplices. As gunfire breaks out, Jules recites a passage from the Bible, and the three transgressors (or soul brokers?) are killed. Jules eventually feels that God must have saved him and Vincent from being shot, and because of that, he plans to retire once they finish this job. Many incidents occur in the process of returning the briefcase to Wallace, and much blood is shed. At one point, Vincent opens the briefcase and is seen stunned by the beauty of the content, which emits a golden glow.
The interpretation implies that Wallace previously sold his soul to the devil, in order to achieve power in the criminal underworld, but sees an opportunity to retrieve it when it is in transit with incompetent brokers. Re-watching the movie with this in mind lends a new perspective to the character of Jules, in particular, and his Bible-quoting hit-man.