Action movies must be seen as understood. Violence is the bulk of action films, but really, it's more complicated than that, because the mayhem arises organically from a worldview, an aesthetic, and moral standpoint that privileges kinetic problem solving. Also explosions. Action films run the gamut from complex explorations on the inevitability of conflict to very expensive, set-piece based, and ultimately plotless displays of bravado. But almost all of them feature a lead actor saying some cool shit.
An action hero is only as good as the lines he uses right after murdering someone, before murdering someone, or on his way to murder someone (while someone else is trying to murder him). We demand more of our action heroes than survival. We demand that they be human while doing inhuman (and sometimes inhumane) stuff, and the best way for them to achieve that is by being funny, ironic, or self reflective. There is, weirdly, wisdom in these one-liners. It's like Zen and the Art of Driving a Motorcycle Through Crossfire.
Here, for your consideration are the 34 sweetest lines in action movie history.
33) "Bless me, Father, for I have just killed quite a few men." - Desperado
32) "Then I realized maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in fucking Bruges. And I really really hoped I wouldn't die." - In Bruges
31) "Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" - Snakes on a Plane
30) "If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you." - Taken
29) "What business is it of yours where I'm from, friendo?" - No Country for Old Men
28) "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!" - Conan the Barbarian
27) "Is it true that there's a point on a man's head where if you shoot it, it will blow up?" - Hot Fuzz
26) "In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope to hold up pants." - The Karate Kid
25) "Don't let your mouth get your ass in trouble."- Shaft
24) "Go ahead, make my day." - Sudden Impact
23) "You tell 'em I'm coming. And Hell's coming with me, ya hear? Hell's coming with me!" - Tombstone
22) "They drew first blood, not me." - First Blood
21) "Yeah, but they were all bad." - True Lies
20) "Are you not entertained?" - Gladiator
19) "Well, kill them for me, bitch! What else you good for?" - The Long Kiss Goodnight
18) "Everyone's your brother till the rent comes due." - Ronin
17) "Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." - The Rock
16) "It's always the same thing. It's when you start to become really afraid of death that you learn to appreciate life. Do you like life, sweetheart?" - Léon: The Professional
15) "If that's not a drop, I'll open up a charge for you at Bloomingdale's." - The French Connection
14) "If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you love." - Point Break
13) "This shit just got real." - Bad Boys 2
12) "Water's wet, sky's blue, and women have secrets." - The Last Boy Scout
11) "Wiggle your big toe." - Kill Bill, Vol. 1
10) "It's like looking in a mirror, only not." - Face/Off
9) "Boards don't hit back." - Enter the Dragon
8) "Do you feel lucky, punk?" - Dirty Harry
7) "I eat Green Berets for breakfast. And right now, I'm very hungry!" - Commando
6) "We deal in lead, friend." - The Magnificent Seven
5) "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat, if you feel the heat around the corner." - Heat
4) "Say hello to my little friend." - Scarface
3) "I'm getting too old for this shit." - Lethal Weapon
2) "Bond. James Bond." - Dr. No
1) "Yippie ki-yay, motherfucker!" - Die Hard
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