what's the greatest movie speech ever?

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 67,320
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    gashead wrote: »
    From Braveheart. I love the whole scene this comes from, but the last line of Wallace's speech is particularly stirring

    Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you'll live...at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade all of that from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freeeedoooomm!

    Aye this for me is the greatest speech in movie history! I always get pumped up when i hear this just so epic!
  • Peter VenkmanPeter Venkman Posts: 1,769
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    Can I ask you how you feel about a new Ghostbusters?

    I would be very disappointed if Bill Murray is not in it, which is looking to be the case :(

    Other than that, I'm quite excited about it. Just hope the script is better than part two.
  • Chief_WahooChief_Wahoo Posts: 1,454
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    Several of my favourites have already been posted,things from Blade Runner,Usual Suspects,Scarface,Glengarry Glenross...and I personally LOVE the Independence Day speech!

    Also,Morgan Freeman in Shawshank,his speech at the parole hearing "do what you like,I don't give a shit",before being released.And Peter Finch as the maniacal broken down prophet of doom broadcaster Howard Beale in Network.The scene where he tells the viewers to go to their windows,stick their heads out and scream at the top of their voice,"I'm mad as hell,and I'm not going to take this anymore!"Just an amazing movie scene.
  • Ted CTed C Posts: 11,730
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    Form one of the best courtroom drama's ever made, Paul Newman's summation speech from the end of the movie...


    "Well...You know, so much of the time we're just lost. We say, "Please, God, tell us what is right. Tell us what is true."

    I mean there is no justice. The rich win; the poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time we become dead, a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims -- and we become victims. We become weak; we doubt ourselves; we doubt our beliefs; we doubt our institutions; and we doubt the law.

    But today you are the law. You are the law, not some book, not the lawyers, not a marble statue, or the trappings of the court. See, those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are, in fact, a prayer, I mean a fervent and a frightened prayer.

    In my religion, they say, "Act as if you had faith; faith will be given to you."

    If we are to have faith in justice we need only to believe in ourselves and act with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts."
  • sinbad8982sinbad8982 Posts: 1,627
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    Lathamite wrote: »
    Rocky Balboa: Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!

    Good one such an expectedly great film, didn't quite manage it with Rambo 4 though.

    Steve Buscemi tipping speech from Reservoir Dogs and also Quentin Tarantinos speech about Chris Penn's (Nice guy Eddie) sister in law!!
  • mgvsmithmgvsmith Posts: 16,452
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    As a lot of my fav speeches have already been quoted including the Paul Newman closing speech from The Verdict, here's Monty Python' s statement on the Meaning of Life.

    Exec #1: Item six on the agenda: "The Meaning of Life" Now uh, Harry, you've had some thoughts on this.

    Exec #2: Yeah, I've had a team working on this over the past few weeks, and what we've come up with can be reduced to two fundamental concepts. One: People aren't wearing enough hats. Two: Matter is energy. In the universe there are many energy fields which we cannot normally perceive. Some energies have a spiritual source which act upon a person's soul. However, this "soul" does not exist ab initio as orthodox Christianity teaches; it has to be brought into existence by a process of guided self-observation. However, this is rarely achieved owing to man's unique ability to be distracted from spiritual matters by everyday trivia.

    Exec #3: What was that about hats again?

    And James Earl Jones from 'Field of Dreams' using Baseball as a metaphor for American history.

    Terence Mann: Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.
  • Johnny ClayJohnny Clay Posts: 5,315
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    This wonderful, creepy monologue from Boris Karloff in Targets sprang to mind first.

    A mere 1:40, but a great little chiller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88wMrLGch9w

    The film's great too, btw.
  • lola_skyelola_skye Posts: 21,328
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    "And always remember, that this is the day you almost caught Jack Sparrow " - Johnny Depp
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 8,510
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    I would be very disappointed if Bill Murray is not in it, which is looking to be the case :(

    Other than that, I'm quite excited about it. Just hope the script is better than part two.

    Me too, but hes not at his best these days :(
  • JackappleJackapple Posts: 854
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    axlgod wrote: »
    USS Indianapolis speech in Jaws.

    Utter perfection.

    Yup I'd go with that.
  • DUNDEEBOYDUNDEEBOY Posts: 109,641
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    Choose Life Ewan McGregor Trainspotting
  • dreadnoughtdreadnought Posts: 1,783
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    Froggie72 wrote: »
    Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V"

    St Crispin's Day speech, with a little help from Shakespeare of course, but the delivery is exceptional :)

    Also his speech when the Dauphin sends him a mocking gift of tennis balls, the way Branagh delivers it, full of controlled rage which promises terrible retribution:

    "And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his
    Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones; and his soul
    Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance
    That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows
    Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands;
    Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down;
    And some are yet ungotten and unborn
    That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn. "
  • Bedsit BobBedsit Bob Posts: 24,344
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    "I want people in our simulators, working re-entry scenarios.

    I want you guys to find every engineer, who designed every switch, every circuit, every transistor and every light bulb that’s up there, then I want you to talk to the guy on the assembly line, who actually built the thing.

    Find out how to squeeze every amp out of both of these goddamn machines.

    I want this mark all the way back to Earth, with time to spare.

    We've never lost an American in space, we're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch.

    FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"
  • finkfink Posts: 2,364
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    Bedsit Bob wrote: »
    "I want people in our simulators, working re-entry scenarios.

    I want you guys to find every engineer, who designed every switch, every circuit, every transistor and every light bulb that’s up there, then I want you to talk to the guy on the assembly line, who actually built the thing.

    Find out how to squeeze every amp out of both of these goddamn machines.

    I want this mark all the way back to Earth, with time to spare.

    We've never lost an American in space, we're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch.

    FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"

    I love Apollo 13, but the bits that really grate are those explain-the-obvious-to-the-dumb-audience lines, such as

    "The ship's bleeding to death!"
    "It's like flying with a dead elephant on our back!"
    "The Lunar Module just became the lifeboat"
    "They won't even know which way they're pointing. That's a bad way to fly"
  • finkfink Posts: 2,364
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    "What....we've got here is, failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don't like it, any more than you men.
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
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    fink wrote: »
    "What....we've got here is, a failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don't like it, any more than you may do"
    I believe this is the correct quotation
    What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/quotes?item=qt0303196
  • finkfink Posts: 2,364
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    degsyhufc wrote: »
    I believe this is the correct quotation

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/quotes?item=qt0303196

    Thanks for that.
  • shelleyj89shelleyj89 Posts: 16,292
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    I highly doubt any of thes one below are the greatest movie speeches, but one of my favourite movies is Jack. And these are a couple I love from it -

    Louis: [reading his essay to the class] "I want to be just like my best friend when I grow up. He's only ten but he looks much older. He's like the perfect grown-up because on the inside, he's still just a kid. He's not afraid to learn things or try things, or to meet new people the way most grown-ups are. It's like he's looking at everything for the first time - because he is. And most grown-ups aren't like that. Most grown-ups just wanna go to work and make money and show off for the neighbors. And more than anything, he knows how to be a great friend, more than most people that look like adults. So I might not know what I wanna be when I grow up, and right now I really don't care. But I do know who I wanna be like. I wanna be like the giant. The big guy. My best friend. Jack. Thank you."

    Jack: "I got it, Eric. I'm cool... I don't have very much time these days so I'll make it quick. Like my life. You know, as we come to the end of this phase of our life, we find ourselves trying to remember the good times and trying to forget the bad times, and we find ourselves thinking about the future. We start to worry , thinking, "What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna be in ten years?" But I say to you, "Hey, look at me!" Please, don't worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you're ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness, turning night into day... make a wish and think of me. Make your life spectacular. I know I did. I made it, Mom. I'm a grown up. "

    And I love this one from Forrest Gump -

    Forrest Gump: "You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doing just fine. About to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth every day. Teaching him how to play ping-pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And every night, we read a book. He's so smart, Jenny. You'd be so proud of him. I am. He, uh, wrote a letter, and he says I can't read it. I'm not supposed to, so I'll just leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away."

    I also love the end speech from Deep Impact -

    President Beck: "We watched as the bombs shattered the second comet into a million pieces of ice and rock that burned harmlessly in our atmosphere and lit up the sky for an hour. Still, we were left with the devastation of the first. The waters reached as far inland as the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. It washed away farms and towns, forests and skyscrapers. But, the water receded. The wave hit Europe and Africa too. Millions were lost, and countless more left homeless. But the waters receded. Cities fall, but they are rebuilt. And heroes die, but they are remembered. We honor them with every brick we lay, with every field we sow, With every child we comfort, and then teach to rejoice in what we have been re-given. Our planet. Our home. So now, let us begin."
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,787
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    American Psycho is full of them.

    "I live in the American Gardens Building on W. 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I'm 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself and a balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine. In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion."
  • bingbongbingbong Posts: 2,439
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    I want to say how happy I am to be in the studio making a picture again. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you. and I promise you I'll never desert you again because after 'Salome' we'll make another picture and another picture. You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!... All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.

    The final scene in Sunset Boulevard.
  • Bedsit BobBedsit Bob Posts: 24,344
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    fink wrote: »
    I love Apollo 13, but the bits that really grate are those explain-the-obvious-to-the-dumb-audience lines, such as <snip>

    I think the worst one, is where some guy is explaining how, if they hit the atmosphere too shallow, they'll skip off into space and never get home.

    And he's explaining this to, none other than, the Flight Director. :rolleyes:

    The other bit of complete nonsense, is during Transposition and Docking, where the guy says "If Swigert can't dock this thing, we don't have a mission".

    If Swigart couldn't dock it, there were two other people on board who could.
  • finkfink Posts: 2,364
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    Bedsit Bob wrote: »
    I think the worst one, is where some guy is explaining how, if they hit the atmosphere too shallow, they'll skip off into space and never get home.

    And he's explaining this to, none other than, the Flight Director. :rolleyes:

    The other bit of complete nonsense, is during Transposition and Docking, where the guy says "If Swigert can't dock this thing, we don't have a mission".

    If Swigart couldn't dock it, there were two other people on board who could.

    Yeah, they're cringeworthy. I get why they're in there, you're trying to explain techie stuff to the audience, but they don't half annoy. :D
  • bidleybipbidleybip Posts: 214
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    Got to be Rutger Hauer's tears in rain speech in Blade Runner.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 55
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    Agree with the posters quoting the Charlie Chaplin (Great Dictator), Liam Neeson (Taken), Jack Nicholson (Few Good Men), and Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) speeches.

    I would add Brad Pitt, Fight Club. It's not the greatest speech ever, but it's quite memorable:

    Tyler Durden: Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! Third rule of Fight Club: someone yells "stop!", goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: No shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 55
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    Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting):

    Sean: So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my ****ing life apart. You're an orphan right?
    [Will nods]
    Sean: You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some ****in' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.
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