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30 Killer Movie Closing Lines

Cinema's snappiest sign-offs...

BY Andy Lowe Nov 16th 2009 11:11AMFILED UNDER: Features

 

30. "You met me at a very strange time of my life..."

Fight Club (1999)

The ultimate sucker-punchline.

Bye-bye, financial district. Nighty-night, millennium...

Suggested by @gomark

 

29. "Not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people..."

Manhattan (1979)

Woody's cherubic ingenue grows up as the teacher/pupil roles reverse.

Aaaand... cut to Gershwin!

 

28. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

Casablanca (1942)

Bogey's into-the-sunset bonhomie has become an iconic byline for sly partnerships. Mind yer backslaps, though.

Suggested by @danlight

Next: 27 - 25

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Comments (31)

1: darjeelingmike says

Not just some of the greatest closing lines, but also some of the best scenes from some of the best movies ever. TF, this is easily one of your best lists and has made me want to revisit a whole number of films. Thanks for now taking up my whole afternoon!

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 1:08PMAlert a moderator

2: darjeelingmike says

Not just some of the greatest closing lines, but also some of the best scenes from some of the best movies ever. TF, this is easily one of your best lists and has made me want to revisit a whole number of films. Thanks for now taking up my whole afternoon!

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 1:08PMAlert a moderator

3: Agent69 says

What in the hell is The Dark Knight doing on this list?

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 3:48PMAlert a moderator

4: McMeiks says

You had me until you called Back to the Future Part II 'limp'. For shame.

Still, I do loves me some Bobby and Al bro'mance set to a bit of Moby.

T2 ends on a humdinger, too. Pity Sam Worthington and co. sandblasted most of my fond Arnie memories away with the monumentally s****y Salvation.

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 5:34PMAlert a moderator

5: apbgreen says

What about 'I steal...' from I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. A forgotten classic, years ahead of it's time that sends shivers up the spine. Awesome.

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 6:04PMAlert a moderator

6: ASHORT says

Have you not noticed that they manage to squeeze The Dark Knight onto just about every list?

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 7:01PMAlert a moderator

7: joker16 says

Heat = Powerful
There Will Be Blood = Robbed of Oscar

Posted: Nov 16th 2009 // 9:22PMAlert a moderator

8: mitchsn says

John Carpenter's The Thing should be on this list:

Childs: "Well, what do we do?"
McReady: "Why don't we wait here for a while. See what happens..."

Posted: Nov 17th 2009 // 3:01AMAlert a moderator

9: Gadfly22 says

Nice list. But really "Dark Knight"?

Try "King Kong" instead:

"It was beauty killed the beast."

Posted: Nov 17th 2009 // 9:13PMAlert a moderator

10: nbuskirk says

Seriously? No Road to Perdition? That final line from Paul Newman is killer.

"I'm glad it was you."

GAAAH! :) That movie rules.

Posted: Nov 17th 2009 // 9:39PMAlert a moderator

11: Meatgortex says

Good list, but as mitchsn mentions above leaving off Carpenter's The Thing is criminal.

Posted: Nov 17th 2009 // 10:43PMAlert a moderator

12: leefie says

What about the original 'Taking of the Pelham 123'???
Sneeze
"gesundheit"
Da dunn dunn dunn! (best theme ever.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 6:34AMAlert a moderator

13: Apathygrrl says

I agree with your list, including the Dark Knight, and especially Memento & Usual Suspects.
I would add Princess Bride's "As you wish." as said by Peter Falk.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 12:03PMAlert a moderator

14: buddylove says

"Autumn."
Best closing line in 2009.

Dark Knight was good but I'll go
with Batman Begins (paraphrasing):
Gordon: I never said 'Thank you.'
Batman: And you'll never have to.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 2:04PMAlert a moderator

15: RayAnselmo says

One more to include: H.I. McDonough's wistful final soliloquy in "Raising Arizona."

"Maybe it was Utah ..."

If you're going to pick only one Coen Bros. final line, this one kicks "No Country's" butt and takes its lunch money.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 3:20PMAlert a moderator

16: RickDVD says

What about the final line in Take the Money and Run "Is it raining out?" or Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* but were afraid to ask, when Tony Randall says, "We're going for seconds!"

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 5:30PMAlert a moderator

17: RickDVD says

Or, the final line of A Clockwork Orange... "I was cured all right!" There are a lot of good final lines in other Kubrick films, as well, like Nicole Kidman's X rated comment at the end of Eyes Wide Shut. How apropos that the Master's final word in a film is the F word!

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 5:36PMAlert a moderator

18: RickDVD says

What about Alex's final words in A Clockwork Orange. "I was cured all right!" or another Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut, where Nicole Kidman utters the F word. Apropos that the Master's final word in a film would be that one!

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 5:38PMAlert a moderator

19: PutneySwope says

I am sorry, the greatest closing line of all time was from, Network:

"This was the story of Howard Beale: The first known instance of a man who was killed because he had lousy ratings."

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 6:22PMAlert a moderator

20: jeffhayford says

Great list. I agree that Dark Knight should be nixed I don't think it can stand up to stuff like Casablanca. I would submit that American History X should be on this list somewhere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unJ7Kvu2syk). Otherwise nice job.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 6:29PMAlert a moderator

21: NewJerSea says

Good movies selection for the exception of back to the Future, but your missing two great ones!

Dead Poets Society - Oh Captain, my Captain!!

Field of Dreams - "Hey Dad, wanna have a catch"?

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 6:33PMAlert a moderator

22: normal1 says

I've always loved the ending to Death Race 2000. Frankenstein and his new bride still being bothered by one of the Bill O'Reillys of the world. Before they can drive off into the sunset, they have to deal with this parasite. Bride to Frankenstein: Do we have to listen to this? Frankenstein: No. And the parasite is gone.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 6:34PMAlert a moderator

23: thirdperson says

The Untouchables.

Scoop: Word is they're going to repeal Prohibition. What'll you do then?

Eliot Ness: I think I'll have a drink.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 7:21PMAlert a moderator

24: TheFormer786 says

I'm glad you included Psycho, that is a great, great ending line.

I don't know if I agree with the #1 line on your list as the best one, but it's a good list.

http://theformer786.blogspot.com/

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 8:06PMAlert a moderator

25: Lizzie says

In the 70th anniversary year of Gone with the Wind, I would have included "Tomorrow is another day." But then all list like this are subjective. We all have our favorites.

Posted: Nov 18th 2009 // 9:10PMAlert a moderator

26: Tommyt says

How did Casablanca find its way to the absolute end of this list?? If it hadn't been for that line many of our subsequent films wouldn't have been planned for a great closing line!

But I was mostly happy w/the rest of the choices.

Posted: Nov 19th 2009 // 12:18AMAlert a moderator

27: Harp0 says

One of the best films of 09 Inglourious Basterds, had a very interesting last line:

Lt. Aldo Raine: "You know somethin', Utivich? I think this might just be my masterpiece."

It had the obvious meaning that Raine was proud of the "job" he just finished. Also it was a reference to the hype that this film was going to be Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. Funny stuff in a very dark humor kind of way.

Posted: Nov 19th 2009 // 6:46AMAlert a moderator

28: Harp0 says

Another great final quote was from the 1949 film, White Heat. (James Cagney)

Cody Jarrett: Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Posted: Nov 19th 2009 // 6:53AMAlert a moderator

29: eatyourbeets says

Not as great of a movie (although deserved better box office than it got), but the second greatest--I'll concede "Nobody's perfect" as number one--closing line ever was "Ain't life a m***f***r!" from F. Murray Abraham in An Innocent Men. I'd go for Princess Bride as third.

Posted: Nov 19th 2009 // 6:57AMAlert a moderator

30: Cartonofmilk says

Ok good, someone already mentionned Carpenter's the Thing cause i was going to. But what about The Terminator:

Gas station attendant: there's a storm coming.

Sarah Connor: I know....

Chilling.

Posted: Nov 19th 2009 // 7:45AMAlert a moderator

31: Jetblack927 says

Think the parting line from "Pulp Fiction" should have made this list, but I'm thankful that "Heat" made the top 5.

Posted: Dec 11th 2009 // 3:12PMAlert a moderator

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