Please note: this video is NSFW!
It’s not enough to simply kill a man, to “take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have,” not when you can also make sure his final moment on earth includes one final witty barb. Because nothing says “murder” quite like a well-placed pun.
The folks at Burger Fiction they put together this montage of 100 of the greatest one-liners in movie history from right before someone gets killed. There are some absolutely iconic lines and scenes here. If you tried to come to a consensus on which one is the best ever, you’d have 30 nominations from just this collection.
There are some recurring trends though that really stand out when you pile these together.
- Many times when someone is about to kill another person they also wish the person goes to Hell, so their punishment is eternal. Seems extreme.
- People can’t fly, leading to many deaths.
- A bad pun can really drive home the predicament a soon to be murdered person finds themselves in.
- That whole “Thou shall not kill†thing seems open to broad interpretations by Christian characters.
- Bombs are not efficient, but they get the job done.
(Side note: they included Storm‘s line from X-Men, right before she kills Toad, which I will always think was the greatest missed opportunity in one-liner movie murder history. She says, “You know what happens when a toad gets struck by lightning?”and paused.
My friend at the theater with me leaned over and said, “It croaks.”
I groaned because it was so obvious, but then she finished it with, “The same thing that happens to everything else.”
What the hell is that? “It croaks.” was right there! You can’t miss that lay-up!)
If we’re putting together the first class for the “Best Line Before a Kill†Hall-of-Fame, I’m voting in Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, and, the Babe Ruth of them all, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Though, my personal favorite will always be the late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper‘s memorable line from They Live. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubblegum.”
What’s your personal favorite? Tell us in the comments below. You can use more than one line.
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Featured Image: Tristar Pictures
Images: Universal Pictures
