Tuesday
01Jul2008
Some Famous Famous Last Words
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 5:21PM
If you've seen
Wanted, you know that for all the special
effects wizardry and incredible action, what's likely to stick with you is the
film's closing speech by Wesley Gibson (James
McAvoy). We won't spoil the fun for you if you haven't seen it, but
it's quotable, easy to remember, and fits almost any occasion.
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, he's gone.” - The Usual Suspects, 1995
Reader Comments (20)
where's maltese falcon: "the stuff dreams are made of." "huh"
I'm Finished! (There Will Be Blood)
you know colin, it occured to me that "bond, james bond" are famous first words (Dr No) and famous last words (Casino Royale). Of course that record goes down the tubes when the next picture opens, I guess, but for now it has a certain frightful symmetry, yes?
Gangsters and gangster pictures had the best tags
I ain't so tough--Public Enemy
All right, fellas... let's go and say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could. --Angels With Dirty Faces
He used to be a big shot.--The Roaring Twenties
Mother of Mercy! Is this the end of Rico? --Little Caesar
Indeed, Henry, some great symmetry. I think we could make an exception for Casino Royale in this instance.
I feel the need... the need for speed! (Top Gun)
"I hope" from Shawshank Redemption.
And PS "I ain't so stuff" in Public Enemy is not actually the last words in the film, and they aren't even Cagney's last words. So you're stretching it a bit.
Sorry "I ain't so TOUGH."
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" from "Gone With The Wind" is quite memorable even after about 60 years!
But misremembered as the film's final words. Those are good, too, but that's a different list.
"Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown." (Chinatown)
"I love you, Marge." "I love you, Norm." "Two more months." "Two more months." (Fargo)
"Top...men." (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
"Well, I'm back..." (LOTR: ROTK)
"Now. Where was I?" (Memento)
"As you wish." (Princess Bride)
"Silencio." (Mulholland Dr.)
"You're a swine." (A Hard Day's Night)
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" (Pirates of the Carib.)
I also like "I'm going to go home and sleep with my wife" from Clue.
"Frankly, my dear" is not the last line from Gone With the Wind, but "After all, tomorrow is another day" is.
Two other possibilities: Is "Tell me I'm a good man" the last line from Saving Private Ryan, or does his wife say "You are" after that? I can't remember. Also, does anyone in Jerry Maguire say anything after "You had me at hello"?
I think there's some mumbling after the Chinatown line, when the camera pans to look down the street, but other than that, those are some great selections. Thanks!
what about:
“Nothing’s really changed, has it? You know what they say: ‘My son’s my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter’s my daughter all of her life.’ All of our life.”
from Father of the Bride?????
oh, and
“I was to think of these days many times. Of Jem and Dill and Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson - and Atticus. He would be in Jem's room all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.”~to kill a mocking bird
or
"If not Arizona, then a land not too far away . . . where all parents are strong and wise and capable, and all children are happy and beloved. I don't know. Maybe it was Utah."~Raising Arizona
or
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?”~Stand By Me
or
“Think it's gonna rain.”
“It is raining.”
“Yeah.” ~ Sex Lies and Video Tape
You be careful, John Book! Out among them English!
from Witness
Colin, Great post.
Amike, There's a whole scene after "You had me at 'Hello'." The final scene, outside in the park. But that's not even the end. Dickie Fox says, "To be truthful, I've failed as much as I've succeeded. But I love my wife, I love my life, and I wish you my kind of success."
One more bit on Jerry Maguire: after Tom Cruise says "Hello," Rene Zelwegger looks anything but 'had.'
"How do I look?"
"Terrific."
Elevator door closes. Kramer vs. Kramer
"Some like it Hot" . The last line you hear in the film is Joe E. Brown's "Well, nobody's perfect". But behind that (inaudible, [music comes up]) Jack Lemmon says something. I have always thought that he mouths "now what?" ... but is that the line, in the script?
"Some like it Hot" . The last line you hear in the film is Joe E. Brown's "Well, nobody's perfect". But behind that (inaudible, [music comes up]) Jack Lemmon says something. I have always thought that he mouths "now what?" ... but is that the line, in the script?
You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell! (Planet of the Apes)
Terminator last lines:
Sarah Connor: What did he just say?
Gas Station Attendant: He said there's a storm coming in.
Sarah Connor: [sighs] I know.