Popcorn Proverbs II

by Robert Lopresti  

 I did this once at the old address:  quotations from movies in our genre.  They are in alphabetical order by the film's title, and I will list the sources next week.  By the way, I have decorated the page with posters from some of my favorite flicks, but only one is from a movie quoted below.  Oh, extra credit: which actor is quoted three times?

And if you want a nice lesson in the difference between private eye movies and film noir, consider quotations 7. and 20.

1.  -Well, I also feel it's about time someone knocked the Axis back on its heels.

-Excuse me, Baby. What she means it's about time someone knocked those heels back on their axis.

2.  Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. And these twelve people are asked to judge another human being as different from them as they are from each other. And in their judgment, they must become of one mind - unanimous. It's one of the miracles of Man's disorganized soul that they can do it, and in most instances, do it right well. God bless juries. 

3.  -If we wanted applause, we would have joined the circus. 

-I thought we did.

4.  Exactly how many laws are we breaking here?
-You don't want to know.

5.  -Your demands are very great under the circumstances.

-Why shouldn't they be?  Fat Gut's my best friend, and I will not betray him cheaply.

6.  - I'm a brother shamus!
-Brother Shamus?  Like an Irish monk?

7.  -Why did you have to go on?
-Too many people told me to stop. 

8.  Of course, you won't be able to lie on your back for a while but then you can lie from any position, can't you? 

9.  Saddam? His name's Saddam? Oh, that's real good, Bruce. Yeah, I'm gonna pin a medal on an Iraqi named Saddam. Give yourself a raise, will you?

10.  Freedom is overrated. 

11.  -Will two hundred dollars be enough in advance, Mr Reardon?
-Two hundred, I'd shoot my grandmother.
-That won't be neccessary.
-Never can tell. In my last case, I had to throw my own brother out of an airplane.

12.  There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand?

13.  I am Nikita!

14.  -My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.
-Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed.
-Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?

15.  When you think of what they have to carry, all those jimmies and toches and skeleton keys, it's a miracle anyone ever gets burgled at all.

16.  Locked, from the inside. That can only mean one thing. And I don't know what it is.

17.  You know, this'll be the first time I've ever killed anyone I knew so little and liked so well.  

18.  Well, you take a big chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street, or sticking your face in a fan. 

19.  -It's a mess, ain't it, sheriff?
-If it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here.

20.  -Is there a way to win?

-There's a way to lose more slowly.

21.  At least meet her. Maybe she'd be someone you'd like to kill. 

22.   He's a fanatic. And the fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt.  

23.  On TV is where we learn about who we really are.  Because what's the point of doing anything worthwhile if no one's watching?  And if people are watching it makes you a better person. 

  24.  - I need your help. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we're gonna hurt some people.
- Whose car are we gonna' take?

25.  The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.