Miller's Crossing

Johnny Caspar:
You never say, "I told you so."

Tom Reagan:
Think about what protecting Bernie gets us. Think about what offending Caspar loses us.

Leo O'Bannion:
Oh, come on, Tommy. You know I don't like to think.

Tom Reagan:
Yeah. Well, think about whether you should start.

Verna:
What're you chewin' over?

Tom Reagan:
Dream I had once. I was walkin' in the woods, I don't know why. Wind came up and blew me hat off.

Verna:
And you chased it, right? You ran and ran, finally caught up to it and you picked it up. But it wasn't a hat anymore and it changed into something else, something wonderful.

Tom Reagan:
Nah, it stayed a hat and no, I didn't chase it. Nothing more foolish than a man chasin' his hat.

Leo O'Bannion:
You hear about Rug?

Tom Reagan:
Yeah, RIP.

Leo O'Bannion:
They took his hair, Tommy. Jesus, that's strange, why would they do that?

Tom Reagan:
Maybe it was injuns.

Tom Reagan:
Tell Leo he's not God on the throne, he's just a cheap political boss with more hair tonic than brains.

Tom Reagan:
So what's the deal, you get to live and Verna has to be Leo's girl?

Bernie:
I have nothing to do with that, she'll sleep with anyone Tom, you know that! She even tried to teach me a thing or two about bed antics once. Some crackpot idea about saving me from my friends. She's a sick twist all right.

Tom Reagan:
She speaks highly of you.

Bernie:
Yeah, well, you stick by your family.

Tom Reagan:
I am awake.

Tad:
Your eyes are shut.

Tom Reagan:
Who you gonna believe?

Tom Reagan:
All in all not a bad guy - if looks, brains and personality don't count.

Verna:
You better hope they don't.

Eddie Dane:
Where's Leo?

Hitman at Verna's:
If I tell you, how do I know you won't kill me?

Eddie Dane:
Because if you told me and I killed you and you were lying I wouldn't get to kill you *then*. Where's Leo?

Hitman at Verna's:
He's moving around. He's getting his mob together tomorrow night. Whisky Nick's.

Eddie Dane:
You sure?

Hitman at Verna's:
Check it. It's gold.

Eddie Dane:
You know what, yegg? I believe you.

Tom Reagan:
If you want me to keep my mouth shut, it's gonna cost you some dough. I figure a thousand bucks is reasonable, so I want two.

Eddie Dane:
How'd you get the fat lip?

Tom Reagan:
Old war welt. Acts up around morons.

Bernie:
Look in your heart! Look in your heart!

Tom Reagan:
What heart?

Tom Reagan:
If I'd known we were gonna cast our feelings into words, I'd've memorized the Song of Solomon.

Tom Reagan:
I didn't ask for that and I don't want it.

Eddie Dane:
You are so goddamn smart. Except you ain't.

Tom Reagan:
Nobody knows anybody. Not that well.

Leo O'Bannion:
So you wanna kill him...

Eddie Dane:
For starters.

Johnny Caspar:
It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust? For a good return, you gotta go bettin' on chance - and then you're back with anarchy, right back in the jungle.

Verna:
You think you've raised hell.

Tom Reagan:
Sister, when I've raised hell, you'll know it!

Leo O'Bannion:
You ain't got a license to kill bookies and today I ain't sellin'. So take your flunky and dangle.

Bernie:
Don't smart me! See I wanna watch you squirm; I wanna see you sweat a little, and when you smart me... it ruins it.

Tom Reagan:
You're a fickle boy, Mink. The Dane finds out you got another "amigo," well, I don't peg him as the understandin' type.

Mink:
Find out? We ain't event been talkin'! Jesus, Tom! Dammit! Jesus!

Verna:
Shouldn't you be doing your job?

Tom Reagan:
Intimidating helpless women is my job.

Verna:
Then go find one, and intimidate her.

Leo O'Bannion:
I figure I can still trade body-blows with any man in this town

Leo O'Bannion:
Except you Tom.

Tom Reagan:
And Verna.

Verna:
What you doing?

Tom Reagan:
Walking...

Verna:
Don't let on any more than you have to.

Tom Reagan:
...in the rain.

Tom Reagan:
Close your eyes ladies! I'm comin' in!

Verna:
Leo's got the right idea. I like him, he's honest and he's got a heart.

Tom Reagan:
Then it's true what they say. Opposites attract.

Leo O'Bannion:
Seein' you mope around here ruins my, whaddya call it, "joy de veever"?

Tom Reagan:
"Joie de vivre".

Eddie Dane:
I am gonna send you to a deep, dark place and I am gonna have fun doing it!

Verna:
That's you all over, Tom. A lie and no heart.

Eddie Dane:
You understand that if we don't find a stiff out here, we leave a fresh one.

Tic-Tac:
C'mon, Tom. Boss wants to see ya. He didn't have time to engrave nothin' formal.

Tom Reagan:
Rug Daniels is dead.

Verna:
Gee, that's tough.

Tom Reagan:
Don't get hysterical.

Verna:
Why don't we just pick up and leave town? There's nothing keeping you here. I know there's nothing keeping me.

Tom Reagan:
What about Bernie?

Verna:
He could go with us.

Tom Reagan:
You, me and Bernie; where would we go, Verna? Niagara Falls?

Johnny Caspar:
You think that I'm some guinea, fresh off the boat, and you can kick me! But I'm too big for that now. I'm sick a' takin the scrap from you, Leo. I'm a' of marching into this goddamn office to kiss your Irish ass. And I'M SICK A' THE HIGH HAT!

Johnny Caspar:
Yiz fancy pants, all a yiz.

Leo O'Bannion:
Johnny, you're exactly as big as I let you be, and no bigger, and don't forget it, ever.

Johnny Caspar:
That's right, Leo. You're the big shot around here, and I'm just some schook likes to get slapped around.

Tom Reagan:
Tell Lazar no hard feelings.

Eddie Dane:
Up is down, black is white.

Mink:
Hey Tom, what's the rumpus?

Eddie Dane:
Oh, cool under fire, I like that.

Eddie Dane:
You dumpn' Leo for the guy who put a bullet in your brother?

Eddie Dane:
Do you know who I am?

Verna:
Yeah, you're Johnny Caspar's shadow, what, did he stay in bed today?

Eddie Dane:
Jeez, I open my mouth and the whole world gets smart.

Tic-Tac:
I told you to put one in his brain, not in his stinkn' face!

Johnny Caspar:
You can't say, "I told you so."

Tom Reagan:
I don't say that and I don't like people who do.

Johnny Caspar:
What is this, the high hat?

Verna:
I thought you said you didn't care about Leo no more.

Tom Reagan:
I said we're through. There's a difference.

Johnny Caspar:
Have you been to college? 'Cause we ONLY take yeggs what's been to college.

Tic-Tac:
It's hanky time!

Tom Reagan:
I'll think about it.

O'Doole:
Jesus, Tom, I was just speculatin' about a hypothesis. I know I don't know nothin'.

Tom Reagan:
Hello, Brian. Still fighting the good fight?

Cop - Brian:
Hello, Tom! Neither rain nor wind nor snow...

Tom Reagan:
That's the mailman!

[Referring to Bernie]

Leo:
So you wanna kill him...

Eddie Dane:
For starters.

Leo:
I reckon I can still trade body-blows with any man in this town.

[Tom looks at him]

Leo:
Except you Tom.

Tom:
And Verna.

Lazarre's Messenger:
Hey, horses got knees?

Tom:
I don't know... fetlocks

Lazarre's Messenger:
Well if I was a horse, I'd be down on my fetlocks praying you don't bet on me.

Verna:
That's not why you came, either.

Tom:
Tell me why I came.

Verna:
[seductively] The oldest reason there is.

Tom:
There are friendlier places to drink.

Bernie:
Tommy, you can't do this! You don't bump guys! You're not like those animals back there. It's not right, Tom! They can't make us do this. It's the wrong situation, they can't make us different people than we are. We're not muscle, Tom. I... I... I... never killed anybody. I used a little information for a chisel, that's all. It's my nature, Tom! I... I... I... can't help it, somebody gives me an angle, I play it. I don't deserve to die for that. Do you think I do?

[Tom doesn't answer, he just keeps walking]

Bernie:
I'm... I'm... I'm just a grifter, Tom. I'm... I'm... I'm... I'm... I'm an nobody! But I'll tell you what, I never crossed a friend, Tom. I never killed anybody, I never crossed a friend, nor you, I'll bet. We're not like those animals! This is not us! Th... th... this is some hop dream! It's a dream, Tommy! I'm praying to you! I can't die! I can't die... out here in the woods, like a dumb animal! In the woods, LIKE A DUMB ANIMAL! Like a dumb animal! I can't... I can't... I CAN'T DIE OUT HERE IN THE WOODS!... like a dumb animal. I can't... die!

[Bernie falls to his knees, praying]

Bernie:
I'm praying to you! Look in your heart! I'm praying to you! Look in your heart! I'm praying to you! Look in your heart! I'm praying to you! Look in your heart...

[Tom slowly aims his gun at Bernie]

Bernie:
I'm praying to you! Look in your heart. I'm praying to you... look in your heart... look in your heart! You can't kill me... look in your heart.

Tom:
[on finding someone sitting in the dark in his apartment] Hello Bernie

Bernie:
Hey Tom. How'd you know it was me?

Tom:
You're the only one I know who'd knock and then break in.

Bernie:
Your other friends wouldn't break in, huh?

Tom:
My other friends want to kill me so they wouldn't've knocked.

Tom Reagan:
You don't hold elected office in this town. You run it because people think you do. They stop thinking it, you stop running it.

Tom Reagan:
[to Bernie] Shut up. You're dead, get me?

Tom Reagan:
[to Caspar] My chin's hanging out right next to yours. I'd worry a lot less if I thought you were worrying enough.

Johnny Caspar:
I'm talkin' about friendship. I'm talkin' about character. I'm talkin' about - hell. Leo, I ain't embarrassed to use the word - I'm talkin' about ethics.

Johnny Caspar:
You got references? You been to college? We ONLY take yeggs what's been to college, ain't that right, Dane? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I'm joking, of course.

Johnny Caspar:
Shut you son of a b*tch! Son of a b*tch! You stupid son of a b*tch.

Johnny Caspar:
That son of a b*tch! I had a feeling about this son of a b*tch! We silence him! And we do the same to Mink this very night!

Johnny Caspar:
It's like I tell all of my boys. [Casper shoots Eddie Dane] Always put one in the brain!

Johnny Caspar:
You double-cross once - where's it all end? An interesting ethical question.

Eddie Dane:
You killed Mink you son of a b*tch! You killed Mink,and by God I'll hear you say it!

Eddie Dane:
Ever noticed how the snappy dialog dries up once a guy starts soiling his union suit?

Eddie Dane:
Then I wondered "Why would Einstein want to talk to a gorilla?" So I grab the gorilla and I beat it out of him.

Eddie Dane:
Do you know who I am?

Eddie Dane:
Jesus, I open my mouth, the whole world turns smart.

Eddie Dane:
Go ahead and run, sweetheart. I'm gonna cut down all of you whores.

Verna:
Maybe that's why I like you, Tom. I've never met anyone who made being a son of a b*tch such a point of pride.

Tic-Tac:
You gotta remember to put one in his BRAIN. Your first shot puts him down, then you put one in his BRAIN. Then he's dead. Then we go home.