A goodactionmovie(and its hero) needs a good villain. An infallible, impenetrable protagonist needs a villain who’s at least half as good. Every Johnny Utah needs his Bodhi, just as every Batman needs his Joker. They complete one another.
And, like action heroes, action villains are pretty darn good with memorable one-liners. From Nakatomi Plaza to the streets of New York, these villains own their territory, and oftentimes they let the audience know that’sexactlythe case with a single sentence. Perhaps two at most. Here are 11 quotes from ‘80saction movie villains that nailed it.
11"We’re Going To Have Their Best Man Leading the Way - From the Neck Up! On the Hood of My Car!" — The Duke in Escape from New York (1981)
Long before he was voicing Chef onSouth Park, Isaac Hayes was The Duke in John Carpenter’sEscape from New York. Usually when Hayes was in a film it was for a short duration, but Carpenter and his version ofNew Yorkgives the late, great singer a lot to do as The Duke.
In fact, Duke is a presence in the film regardless of whether Hayes is on screen. But, when heis, Hayes nails The Duke’s obvious control over the criminal population of the now-exiled state. He even goes for an added visual element: A decapitated head on the hood of a car. Quite the parade.
10"I Always Tell the Truth. Even When I Lie." — Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma’sScarfaceis one of cinema history’s most quotable films, and Tony Montana is one of cinema history’s most narcissistic, sociopathic characters. In his mind, he can do absolutely no wrong, whether he’s drunkenly hollering in a coked-up rage in the middle of a restaurant or firing a grenade into a group of rival drug dealers.
He also seems pretty ignorant of this fact. That, or he’s so arrogant he doesn’t care that when he says “I tell the truth, even when I lie,” he’s announcing to the world his sociopath status.
Before he goes down in one ofthe movies’ best death scenes, Tony Montana causes a scene at a local ritzy restaurant. Feeling the effects of what is, to him, a standard Tuesday evening coke binge, Montana rants at fellow patrons of the restaurant in a half-hearted defense of his methods and lifestyle.
But they all know exactly who he really is, even if they don’t know his name or occupation for sure. Montana’s about as subtle as a hand grenade, so when he accuses strangers of immediately deeming him the “bad guy,” he’s basically saying he’s earned that title on several occasions.
8"Your Clothes…Give Them to Me, Now." — The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron’sThe Terminatoris anaction movie that basically doubles as a slasher. And from his first scene on, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 clearly announces himself as an antagonist.
After arriving in the past, the T-800 wanders over towards several thugs loitering at the Griffith Observatory. He makes short work of them (two of whom are the late Bill Paxton andCobra’s Brian Thompson), but not before he tries to do things the easy way with a simple question. It’s one of the few moments in the film where it doesn’t just reach for a gun right at the onset of a social interaction.
7"I’ll Be Back." — The Terminator (1984)
In ascene arguably more famous than the movieitself, James Cameron’sThe Terminatorhas Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 approach a police station, enter, speak to the guard on duty, get rejected for entrance, and get told to return. Then, with a slight lean forward, he iconically and coldly blurts “I’ll be back.”
What comes next is one of the longest shootouts (really, a slaughter) in cinema history. Yet, all the bullets and screaming don’t send a shiver up the spine quite as well as “I’ll be back.”
6"Ripley! You Know, I…I Expected More from You. I Thought You’d Be Smarter Than This." — Aliens (1986)
James Cameron’sAliensmanages to be a sequel that’s just about as good as its perfect predecessor and entirely different from its perfect predecessor. It’s also arguably the best example of how to expand franchise lore via perfect casting. Carrie Henn’s little Rebecca “Newt” Jorden is, of course, an icon (the scene where the alien emerges from the water behind her looks terrific to this day). But the same could be said for Michael Biehn’s Corporal Dwayne Hicks, Lance Henriksen’s Bishop, William Hope’s C.O. Gorman, the late Bill Paxton’s Hudson, and the insufferably dishonest Carter Burke, sinister corporation Weyland-Yutani’s chief rep.
It’s genuinely difficult to imagine anyone besides Paul Reiser in the smug, condescending role, which is odd considering he’s since become so ingrained in the comedy genre. And yet, he was the ultimate choice to portray a man who says “I’m giving you all of the truth” when he’s really giving you 15% of it at best.
5"Endo, Meet Mr. Martin Riggs. Endo Here Has Forgotten More About Dispensing Pain Than You and I Will Ever Know." — Lethal Weapon (1987)
Richard Donner’sLethal Weapon(like its first sequel) is heavily boosted by the strength of Shane Black’s script. In fact, it’s hard to say which of the first twoLethal Weaponsis the best, but advantage skews one if only for the fact that Gary Busey makes for a terrific secondary villain (See alsoUnder Siege).
He portrays Mr. Joshua, an ex-Special Forces soldier with a penchant for torture. And this is basically all that the audience knows about Mr. Joshua, which goes a long way towards making him this sinister, enigmatic figure who is apparently immune to the held flame of a lighter.
4"Can You Fly, Bobby?" — RoboCop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven’sRoboCopis perhaps his best film, and it spawneda franchise that continues to this day. That said, there’s a massive difference between Verhoeven’s masterfully-paced original and everything that came after (the films, specifically, range from soulless and lackluster to outright unwatchable). That is, save for everything Frank Miller did with the IP in comics.
It all comes down to writing (note that Miller’s screenplay forRoboCop 2was substantially altered from its superior original form, which, as referenced, he thankfully adapted to paneled pages later on). From RoboCop’s “Dead or alive you’re coming with me” to Clarence Boddicker’s “Guns, guns,guns!” it’s a ridiculously quotable (and intelligent) film. Yet, there’s just something about seeingThat ’70s Show’s Kurtwood Smith (the aforementioned Boddicker) leaning towards one of his own men, asking him if he can fly, then chucking him out onto the hued of an in-pursuit cop car.
3"‘And When Alexander Saw the Breadth of His Domain, He Wept, for There Were No More Worlds to Conquer.’ Benefits of A Classical Education." — Die Hard (1988)
The ultra-arrogant Hans Gruber was brilliant and devious, but he was still no match for New York City cop John McClane, one of themost unkillable action movie heroes in moviehistory. John McTiernan’sDie Hardwas responsible for some of action cinema’s most iconic lines and moments, and half of them wouldn’t exist were it not for Alan Rickman.
Rickman is every bit as important to the originalDie Hardas Bruce Willis, which is impressive considering the latter is definitvely the face of the franchise. Yet, after five films and even more villains, if one were asked to think of aDie Hardvillain, they would without a doubt jump to Rickman. And, given the smug nature of his smug Alexander the Great-referencing aside, it’s easy to see why he’s so hard to forget.
2"Where Are My Detonators?" — Die Hard (1988)
Of all the things that work aboutDie Hard, it’s being set on the upper floors ofskyscraper Nakatomi Plaza ranks high. Toss in an unstable thief with explosives and a high-rise is the last place someone would want to be.
Throughout the movie, at least once John McClane has temporarily gotten the upper hand, Hans Gruber asks “Where are my detonators?” When that question is read in the specific cadence of Alan Rickman’s voice, it’s both quotable as can be and legitimately intimidating.
