MacGuffin

He pioneered and perfected the MacGuffin device, using seemingly important plot objects that ultimately prove irrelevant to build suspense and misdirect audiences.

The Coen Brothers frequently employ MacGuffins as central narrative devices that drive character actions while remaining thematically hollow, as seen in 'The Big Lebowski' and 'No Country for Old Men'.

His films consistently feature mysterious objects or goals that motivate the plot but remain ambiguous or secondary to character development and dialogue, exemplified by the briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction'.