Guys like movies. Guys really like movies that kick ass. Kick ass movies feature tough guys, and tough guys always have snappy quotes, like these, which are the 5 Coolest Tough Guy Movie Quotes of all time…in my opinion.
“May the Force be with you.”
Most people attribute this line to the character Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the film Star Wars (1977), but in reality, this line is uttered by nearly every speaking character in the George Lucas film which created an industry of space movies that continues strong to this day. When I hear this line, it immediately takes me back to the first time I saw the movie. While I was too young to see it during it’s original theatrical run, I did catch it during a re-release in the early 80′s. I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve seen this movie since then, but if you add up the time spent watching this and the other Star Wars movies, it has probably taken up over 1,000 hours of my life. For my money, I like Ben’s quote better, which is featured in the video clip below.
“Who’s on first?”
This infamous line was spoken during one of the funniest, and most creative comedy routines ever to grace the silver screen. It has been analyzed and copied by hundreds of comics since it first ran in the film The Naughty Nineties in 1945 with Abbott and Costello. If you haven’t seen the original clip, it’s attached below, and well worth the watch. Genius in action, the likes we will not see again very soon.
“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
Dirty Harry, played by Clint Eastwood, has been lighting up the screen (and the bad guys) for thirty years. The original in 1971 introduced this famously snarky line, which was then followed up by several sequels, each with its own great tagline. Perhaps, only slightly less famous than the one mentioned here is the 1983 movie, Sudden Impact, where Harry Callahan cooly quips “Go ahead, make my day.”
However, what gets lost in the original punk quote is the first few lines Harry utters after running down the criminal and trapping him at gunpoint. In my opinion, they lead in is just as cool as the quote itself, and alludes to the cool scene which finishes the movie:
“I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five. Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being this is the 44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and can blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask your self one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys.”
Yes, men do cry, and this scene gets me every time. This line is spoken by John Keating played by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989). If you are a guy and you tell me you don’t cry every time you watch this movie I say you are big fat liar. I would take a bullet for Mr. Keating, and he’s not even a real person. Robin Williams has uttered some cool lines in his movie career, and was robbed of the Academy Award for this one, which is why he received it for Good Will Hunting, where he plays essentially the same character – but with a Boston accent. At the end of Dead Poets Society, Ethan Hawke’s character stands on the desk and says, “Oh captain, my captain!” sparking a revolution in the classroom and creating one of the coolest movie endings of all time. Check it out.
You can’t handle the truth!
This line was screamed by Col. Nathan R. Jessep played by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men (1992), one of my all time favorite movies. The film was written by Aaron Sorkin, probably the best film and television writer in the business; creator of The West Wing and the man behind the Social Network. I think Tom Cruise does his best work playing attorneys, including this movie and The Firm, based on the Grisham novel of the same name. Anyway, the scene below is the most famous one from the movie, and the one that sparked this great quote.
As a side note, A Few Good Men was also Demi Moore’s best work – with her clothes on, I mean.
