King Rat

Lt. Robin Grey:
Why do you think it is, Corporal, that you have so much and the rest of us so little? One day, Corporal, you're going to make a slip. All this wealth you've got isn't going to check against my list. And when you do; when that happens... I'll be ready. And you'll be in there... [points to the bamboo cage] in my cage. I'm not playing at being provost marshall, you know. And I've never yet heard of a run of luck that didn't run out. And yours will - depend on it - because you're like all criminals: you're greedy.

Cpl. King:
Lieutenant, I'd like to point out to you that I don't have to put up with this crap from you. I'm not in your two-bit army, I'm in our two-bit army. If you're looking for something to live for, when we get out of this you come looking for me and I'll hand you your head.

Cpl. King:
How's that chair feel?

Peter Marlowe:
Fine.

Cpl. King:
Cost me eighty bucks.

Peter Marlowe:
Did it? Yes, well I'd never have guessed.

Cpl. King:
You'da said more, huh?

Peter Marlowe:
No, I don't think so. I don't think I'd have said anything really. I've never been a great 'chair price guesser'.

[King asks Marlowe to say something in Malay]

Peter Marlowe:
What sort of thing?

Cpl. King:
I don't care. Anything, I just wanna hear you.

[Marlowe says a sentence in Malay]

Cpl. King:
Hey, that's pretty good. You hear that, Max?

[to Marlowe]

Cpl. King:
What's that mean?

Peter Marlowe:
Well, it doesn't really have a literal translation. But, uh, roughly speaking, it means, "When do I have to kiss thee on the ass?"

[all the other prisoners in the barracks turn and look]

Cpl. King:
After the egg. Never before meals.

[Lt. Grey has come into King's hut while Marlowe is there]

Lt. Robin Grey:
You're slumming aren't you, Marlowe?

Peter Marlowe:
Don't be a snob, old man. Never make a good policeman if you're a snob. Everyone looks the same with their knickers down.

[Dr. Kennedy and Stevens are bandaging Marlowe's wound]

Stevens:
What's the matter with you, Stevens?

Stevens:
Oh, nothing.

Dr. Kennedy:
You're a liar, Stevens. You shave your legs and you're a liar. But you care. You care; that's what saves you.

Stevens:
Saves me from what, sir?

Dr. Kennedy:
Yourself, Stevens, yourself.

Stevens:
I thought you were gonna say from a fate worse than death, sir.

Dr. Kennedy:
There's no such thing.

Cpl. King:
[to Marlowe] You know, before this, everybody had it made but me. The closest I ever got was to read it out of magazines. I used to watch those real fancy dolls getting out of the big cars going to eat the big dinner. And they're always with pigs. You know, real pigs. Fat old guys; but they had it made.

[last lines]

Peter Marlowe:
[speaking about King] It wouldn't have occurred to you would it, Grey, that you're only alive because of what he gave you?

Lt. Robin Grey:
What are you talking about? I never took anything from him. He never gave me anything.

Peter Marlowe:
Only hate, Grey. Only hate.

Cpl. King:
[while preparing meal] If you don't want to eat it, you can sit and watch, it's a free prison!

Col. George Smedley-Taylor:
The Senior Officers: I'll probably die of apoplexy... Trying to enforce insane laws imposed by incompetent administrators.

Yoshima:
The Japanese: I shall report your impertinence to to General Oshima

Col. George Smedley-Taylor:
The Senior Officers: Yes, please do... And ask him who gave the order that each man in the camp was to catch 20 flies a day, and that they should be collected and counted and delivered daily to your office personally by me.

Cpl. King:
[Having served Marlowe a fried egg] How 'bout that?

Peter Marlowe:
Not bad. Not bad at all.

Cpl. King:
[Looking slightly offended] What the hell are you talking about? The egg ain't been laid that tastes better than that.

Peter Marlowe:
Don't get excited, Fortnum. When we say "not bad", we don't mean "not bad". We mean it's bloody marvelous.

Cpl. King:
Yeah? What do you mean when you say "it's bloody marvelous"?

Peter Marlowe:
Bit dicey.

Cpl. King:
Forget it.

Jones:
[Trying to bribe Grey to keep him quiet about the tampered food ration weights] You'll get a pound of rice a week.

Lt. Robin Grey:
Is that all?

Jones:
Okay, two pounds. And half a pound of dried fish.

Lt. Robin Grey:
No sugar, or eggs?

Jones:
They both go to the hospital. You know that.

Jones:
[Long pause, while Grey mulls it over] What do you say?

Lt. Robin Grey:
I'll tell you what I say, Colonel. I'm gonna' go to Colonel Smedley-Taylor, and I'm gonna' tell him what you've just said.

Lt. Robin Grey:
[Holds up one of the tampered weights]...

Lt. Robin Grey:
And I'm gonna' show him this. And if there's a borehole party - and I pray there will be - I'm going ask to lead it. And I'm personally going to shove you down, but not too fast, because I want to hear you scream for a long, long time before you die.

Lt. Robin Grey:
You hypocrite. I think you're in with them. Well, you're none of you gonna' get away with it. I can't prove anything against you yet, but I've got proof against the other two because I've got this weight...

Lt. Robin Grey:
[Grey picks up the supposedly tampered weight from the table and feels it]...

Col. George Smedley-Taylor:
The Senior Officers: [Looks Grey coldly in the eye] What about the weight, Lieutenant?

Lt. Robin Grey:
[Grey suddenly notices that the weight he picked up is not the tampered one he took from Jones and Blakely earlier]...

Col. George Smedley-Taylor:
The Senior Officers: I said, what about the weight?

Lt. Robin Grey:
[Looking stunned and confused] It... This isn't the same. This isn't the one I gave you.

Col. George Smedley-Taylor:
The Senior Officers: You're wrong, Lieutenant. It's *exactly* the same one.

Lt. Robin Grey:
Where's the money?

Cpl. King:
What money, sir?

Lt. Robin Grey:
[Impatiently] The money from the sale of the diamond!

Cpl. King:
[Acting as if he doesn't know what Grey's talking about] What diamond, sir?

Lt. Robin Grey:
All right, all right, Corporal. The War will be over one day, and then you'll get yours!

Cpl. King:
[Condescendingly] All right, sir. I believe you... but until then... [He salutes half-heartedly and leaves]

Peter Marlowe:
[Very grateful] You know there's nothing I can say.

Cpl. King:
Well, you could say I'm a genius... a. you could say that.

Lt. Robin Grey:
Why do you think it is? Why do you think you have so much, and the rest of us have so little? One day, Corporal, you're going to make a slip. All this wealth you'e got won't check against my list, and when you do, when that happens, I'll be ready, and you'll be there in my cage. I'm not playing at being provost marshal. You know, I never yet heard of luck that didn't run out. Yours will. Depend on it. Because yours will run out. You will depend on it. Because like all criminals, you're greedy.

Cpl. King:
Lieutenant, I'd like to point out that I don't have to put up with this crap from you. I'm not in your two-bit army, I'm in our two-bit army. And if you're looking for something to live for, when we get out of this, you come looking for me, and I'll hand you your head.