The Cinematic McGUFFIN: What Drives Hollywood’s Stories

It was popularized in the 1930s by his collaborator, none other than the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, whose The 39 Steps is built around the use of this narrative device. Why “McGuffin”? No one knows for sure, but the famous director always explained the origin of the word with an anecdote about two Scotsmen traveling on a train. One asks the other about a strange piece of luggage, to which the other replies:

Ah, that’s a McGuffin.
But what’s a McGuffin?
A McGuffin is a device used to catch lions in the mountains.
But there are no lions in our mountains!
Then it’s not a McGuffin!

Silly, but it perfectly illustrates the concept of a McGuffin, which is simply something that drives the plot, around which the entire intrigue revolves, but which ultimately… doesn’t really matter. For the characters, the McGuffin is everything and nothing at the same time. It’s a pretext that filmmakers often neither try to explain nor even show. Below are some of the more interesting examples of McGuffins in cinema, with minor spoilers included.

The Jewel

The Heart of the Ocean from the blockbuster Titanic is not the only example but perhaps the best and most famous variant of a “shiny” McGuffin—a glittering trinket desired not only by women. It’s also one of the rare instances where no one ultimately manages to lay hands on the legendary treasure. For decades nestled in Rose’s décolletage, it sinks joyfully to the bottom of the ocean alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Unlike him, however, it doesn’t resurface, leaving the male portion of the audience genuinely teary-eyed in the finale.

The Rabbit’s Foot

This item is unique to Mission: Impossible 3 but noteworthy nonetheless. While the entire series relies to some extent on McGuffins (in the first film, it’s the NOC list; in the sequel, Chimera, and so on), in the third installment, the creators went all in, dubbing this plot element… a lucky charm. Even by the end, we don’t find out what the rabbit’s foot actually is or what it’s supposed to do (or if it indeed brings luck). However, the charming graphic on its casing makes us somehow curious to know more.

The Plans

These are, of course, primarily the Death Star schematics in A New Hope, which serve as the Rebellion’s… well, only hope. There’s an added paradox here since R2-D2, the droid carrying the plans in his metallic innards for most of the movie, can also be considered a McGuffin. Moreover, unusually, the existence of the plans is authentically utilized in the film, and their discovery (also by the audience) significantly contributes to the happy ending, meaning they do hold actual importance. It’s a pity that subsequent attempts to replicate this trick in the same universe didn’t work out as well—yes, I’m looking at you, Rogue One!

The Statue

The Maltese Falcon statuette from the eponymous film is still a textbook example of a McGuffin (though the various artifacts from the Indiana Jones saga also qualify). We only see it in the final scene, having heard various stories about it beforehand. This might lead to disappointment among contemporary audiences regarding its actual appearance—especially since the film is in black and white. But that’s part of the trick: what seems invaluable—or even priceless—to the characters turns out to be just an ordinary prop. The item could be replaced by any other “dark object of desire,” and the effect would remain the same. The magic of cinema.

The Mystery

Rosebud, the enigmatic name/model/type of sled in Citizen Kane, is undoubtedly one of the first McGuffins to have such a profound impact on cinematic history. Initially a mythical word, it turns out to be a remarkably absurd twist—not just due to the expectations of the characters chasing it, seeking a sensation worthy of the 20th century. At some point, they themselves admit that the word holds no real significance and that uncovering its origins would bring them nothing.

The Identity

This, of course, brings to mind any movie about Jason Bourne, who initially sought his own identity (and once he found it, all he wanted was peace). Liam Neeson does the same in Unknown. There, however, uncovering his identity usually brings more problems, tasks, and goals. The best and purest example is therefore Bryan Singer’s crime masterpiece The Usual Suspects, which revolves entirely around answering the question: who is Keyser Söze? The cherry on top (yes, there are also cakes with cherries!) is the answer itself—banal in its genius yet deliciously satisfying.

The Briefcase

Perhaps the most popular McGuffin among filmmakers. Characters have chased after a crucial briefcase in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Kiss Me Deadly, Ronin, and Pulp Fiction. The last two remain the most famous briefcases in modern cinema history. The first is silver, heavy, and unwieldy. The second is a standard black attaché case that glows golden when opened. The contents of both remain an enigma that the creators clearly couldn’t care less about, while audiences, even years after the films’ releases, continue to craft inventive theories about what might be inside.

Missing in Action

Why chase after an object when the goal can be… a person? Surprisingly, this is a relatively rare device, though almost always devilishly effective. What would The Hangover be without the search for poor Doug, and what would be the point of Saving Private Ryan without the mission to bring the titular character home? Steven Spielberg’s film uses this McGuffin particularly well, cleverly misdirecting the audience so that for two-thirds of the movie, we not only don’t know what Ryan looks like but also doubt whether he’s even alive. Interestingly, Matt Damon (yes, yes—him…) would go on to repeat this role in a few later films, though there he wasn’t exactly a McGuffin per se.

Buried Money

Cash, dough, loot, moolah, bucks, greenbacks, riches… money has served as a McGuffin in many productions. However, when we think of buried treasure, the first movie that comes to mind—or at least should—is the zany, star-studded, truly epic comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. There, we learn the location of hidden cash and all the details in the very first scene. From then on, we simply watch as the characters practically kill each other in a mad dash to see who gets there first. This race-against-time for a massive fortune was also featured in Rat Race, though there, the prize wasn’t actually money but the thrill of the challenge itself. Well, that works too.

As always, feel free to expand this list in the comments—let them become our very own McGuffin!