|
August 14, 2008
|
"Go ahead, make my day." "Hasta la vista, baby." "Yippie-kai-yay, motherf**ker."
These are the tough guy movie lines so near and dear to our hearts. We love them because we wish we had said them. Like that time the kid in second grade stole our milk money. Or when the boss passed us over for that promotion. Or that time when we mowed down a gang of Crips with an uzi on the way to a Phil Collins concert.
The Movie: The classic dystopian sci-fi Blade Runner
The Tough Guy: Brion James as the Replicant thug Leon
The Situation: After chasing Rachael (Sean Young) through the rain-drenched futuristic Los Angeles streets, Deckard (Harrison Ford) runs into Replicant Leon who pulls him against a car and proceeds to rough him up. Just before Leon is about to kill Deckard, Leon drops this infamous line (later to be replicated by Rutger Hauer at the movie's end) only moments before being smoked by Replicant Rachael himself.
What Makes It So Tough: James' exceptionally disturbing reading of the line is what landed it in the annals of movie history. He sounds like the world's most deadly alarm clock. More than that, there's a certain bloodthirstiness there. Leon doesn't even want to give Deckard the benefit of dying in his sleep. He wants him wide awake and lucid when he lays down that final blow.
