War films play host to some of the most quotable movie characters of all time. Flexing their verbal dexterity, charismatic personalities, and lighting-quick wit through an array of memorable and instantly quotable soundbites, these standout characters have featured in virtually every brand of genre offering that one could think of, ranging fromacclaimed films about lesser-known warsto war movies that are renowned forshowcasing the camaraderie between soldiers.
This status quo comes down to the film’s writing; great quotable characters couldn’t exist without a superb script. As such, it’s hardly surprising that many of the genre’s most quotable characters can be found in thebest war movies of all time, leveraging the potential afforded by a first-rate set of lines to the absolute maximum. The genre houses an array of standout examples when it comes to delivering a killer quote, numbering from legendary warriors of antiquity all the way to battle-hardened WWII soldiers.
Hacksaw Ridge
Cast
Hacksaw Ridge is a historical war film based on the true story of Desmond Doss, a soldier in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, who saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong due to his upbringing.
The wise-cracking commander of Desmond Doss' unit in 2016’sHacksaw Ridge, Vince Vaughn’s Sergeant Howell oversees basic training for Andrew Garfield’s charge before entering the fray with his recruits. This affords the character the opportunity for a horde of memorable one-liners througha classic drill sergeant-style stream of creative abuse that he directs towards his unfortunate subordinates,with"I have seen stalks of corn with better physiques!",“You son of an exhibitionist!”, and"How long have you been dead, son?“serving as memorable examples.
Andrew Garfield Defends Controversial Director Mel Gibson After Hacksaw Ridge Experience
Andrew Garfield argues for Mel Gibson’s right to direct movies after his positive experiences with the controversial director making Hacksaw Ridge.
Howell is also notorious for his deadpan response in the scene where he notes a knife stuck in Smitty Ryker’s foot during roll call, witheringly remarking"I am heartened by the knowledge that you did not place it there with intention.“The sergeant is even capable of producing a memorable one-liner after being wounded in the heat of battle. When Doss asks the stricken officer if he would like some morphine, Howell’s darkly comical response is"Hell, yes. That, or a bullet.”
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down recounts the harrowing true story of a U.S. military mission gone awry in Somalia. Tasked with capturing a warlord, elite soldiers find themselves in a fierce battle against Somali militia forces.
Arguably the most memorable character inBlack Hawk Down’sensemble cast, Eric Bana’s Sergeant First Class Norm"Hoot"Gibson is credited with a large portion of the movie’s best pieces of dialogue. One of the genre’s most quotable soldiers, Hoot’s"This is my safety"one-liner while motioning a trigger finger squeeze spawned countless memes that continue to this day.
Black Hawk Downboasts the feature film debut ofMad Max: Fury Roadstar, Tom Hardy.
A formidable, if rebellious, Delta Force operator,Bana’s charge acquits himself bravely during the Battle of Mogadishu. The larger-than-life soldier’s badass personality and battle-hardened attitude are further underlined by an array of pithy soundbites in the vein of"Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that s*** goes right out the window,“or"See you’re thinking. Don’t. ‘Cause Sergeant, you may’t control who gets hit or who doesn’t or who falls out of a chopper or why. It’s just war,“establishing him as one of the genre’s most quotable faces.
The protagonist of 1995’s Academy Award-winning historical dramaBraveheart,Mel Gibson’s William Wallace is one of the war genre’s most quotable characters,even if the vast majority of his soundbites do seem to revolve around the word"freedom.“Virtually synonymous with the film at this point in proceedings, Wallace’s iconic battle cry of”…they may take our lives, but they may never take our freedom!“and his impassioned roar of"Freedom!“on the executioner’s block are some of the most popular and widely celebrated quotes that cinema has to offer.
…Mel Gibson’s William Wallace is one of the war genre’s most quotable characters, even if the vast majority of his soundbites do seem to revolve around the word"freedom.”
However, Gibson’s protagonist still turns in several other memorable soundbites against the backdrop of one of popular culture’sfinest inaccurate biopic movies.Rousing numbers like"Give me the strength to die well,“and"Go back to England and tell them there that Scotland’s daughters and her sons are yours no more,“underline the indomitable nature at the heart of one of the silver screen’s most iconic and beloved rebels.
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this World War II drama follows Captain John Miller, portrayed by Tom Hanks, as he leads a group of U.S. soldiers on a mission to rescue Private James Ryan, the sole surviving brother of four, from behind enemy lines in German-occupied France.
The battle-hardened leader of the group of soldiers tasked with bringingSaving Private Ryan’stitular character home, Tom Hanks’ Captain John Miller is the voice behind many of the war genre’s most iconic soundbites. Turning in several ofSaving Private Ryan’s best quotes, Miller’s blend ofworld-weary cynicism, wry sense of humor, and a deep sense of responsibility towards his menis epitomized by pieces of dialogue like"When was the last time you felt good about anything?“or"He better be worth it. He better go home and cure a disease, or create a longer-lasting light bulb.”
Year of release
1941
1979
Empire of the Sun
1987
1993
1998
However, Hanks' charge’s most unforgettable quote comes during his final moments with a one-liner that exemplifies the heartbreaking nature of his sacrifice and the devastating cost of armed conflict. Barely able to speak as he clutches Matt Damon’s James Ryan, the captain croaks out"Earn this"to produce one of the genre’s most enduring and poignant soundbites with his dying breath.
Apocalypse Now
In Francis Ford Coppola’s classic Vietnam War film, loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, an army Captain is tasked with assassinating a rogue Colonel who has created a cult-like compound in the Cambodian jungle and is currently waging his own war outside the army’s purview. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando star as Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz respectively, with an ensemble cast that includes Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper.
The secondary villain of Francis Ford Coppola’sApocalypse Now,Robert Duvall’sLieutenant Colonel William “Bill” Kilgore is the man credited with most of the movie’s legendary soundbites.Summarizing his warmongering nature in a sentence, the soldier produces one of the most iconic quotes in cinematic history as he effusively praises a chemical weapon with the tone of somebody describing their favorite coffee blend;“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
“Charlie don’t surf!“in response to Willard’s concerns that a little R&R might not be suitable in a war zone is another iconic soundbite attributable to Duvall’s charge, underlining his credentials as one of the genre’s foremost quotable characters. While Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen both give him a run for his money against the backdrop of thebest war movie of the 1970s, the lasting cultural impact of Kilgore’s one-liners means he upstages his peers asApocalypse Now’smost quotable character.
Troy
Troy, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and released in 2004, is a historical epic based on Homer’s Iliad. The film chronicles the legendary Trojan War, focusing on the conflict between Achilles, played by Brad Pitt, and Hector, portrayed by Eric Bana. Starring Orlando Bloom as Paris and Diane Kruger as Helen, it explores themes of honor, betrayal, and the fates of the warriors involved in the siege of Troy.
Wolfgang Peterson’s historical epicTroyreceived middling reviews upon release, but near-unanimous praise was directed towards Brad Pitt’s portrayal of the legendary swordsman, Achilles. One ofPitt’s best war movie roles, the American’s nuanced take on the brooding Greek warrior afforded him the opportunity foran array of first-rate soundbites to underline his rebellious nature,mocking his alleged ruler with lines like"Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn’t that be a sight?”
Troyholds a rating of 7.3 on IMDb, but just a 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
A preternatural fighter with no equal, Achilles views himself as a unique individual, superior to all through his gift of violence. This status quo is underlined by his more memorable soundbites, like"There are no pacts between lions and men"when Hector pleads with him to allow funeral rites for the loser of their duel, or"That’s why no one will remember your name"in response to a small boy who advises him not to fight an enormous Thessalonian during the movie’s opening stages.
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds is a film set during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. It follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known as “The Basterds,” led by Lt. Aldo Raine, who engage in ruthless anti-Nazi efforts. Their actions intersect with a French-Jewish theater owner in a plot against the regime.
Brought to life in one of the greatestwar movie supporting rolesof all time, Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa is one of modern cinema’s most iconic and disturbing villains. A German SS Colonel who bears the fearsome moniker"The Jew Hunter,“Landa relishes his title, arguing that"I…love my unofficial title precisely because I’ve earned it”. His delight in his work is further evidenced in moments like where he tauntingly calls after Melanie Laurent’s charge when she flees for one of the movie’s most famous one-liners:“Au revoir, Shoshanna!”
Waltz’s Academy Award-winning performance as Landa is littered with the first-rate soundbites that one would expect from a Quentin Tarantino villain.
Landa is unique among his peers for his propensity to use seemingly innocuous dialogue to hide the true menace in his words,with apparently benign soundbites like"If the shoe fits…“or"That’s a bingo!“belying his status as a despicable and ruthless killer. A terrifying villain who can switch from civil to psychotic at the drop of a hat, Waltz’s Academy Award-winning performance as Landa is littered with the first-rate soundbites that one would expect from a Quentin Tarantino villain.
300
Loosely based on Frank Miller’s comic series of the same name, Zack Snyder’s 300 tells the legend of the historical battle of Thermopylae. It follows King Leonidas of Sparta (Gerard Butler) as he leads a small force of 300 Spartans against the amassed Persian army of 300,000. Meanwhile, his wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) remains in Sparta to negotiate reinforcements against political resistance.
The lead protagonist of Zack Snyder’s 2007 historical war drama, Gerard Butler’s Leonidas is to thank for a large portion of300’smost memorable quotes.The king’s impassioned roar of"This is Sparta!“as he kicks a Persian messenger into a pit is among the most iconic quotes in the history of cinema, with Butler turning in several more gloriously cheesy one-liners to underline Leonidas and the Spartan people’s warrior spirit.
300features the feature film debut ofInglourious Basterdsstar, Michael Fassbender.
Stirring quotes like"Spartans! What is your profession?!”, “Persians! Come and get them!“and"It won’t be long before they fear my spears more than your whips"serve to highlightthe indomitable nature of the Greek king and his status as one of the genre’s most quotable faces.Leonidas even goes out with a sizzling one-liner for the ages, evocatively crying out"My queen! My wife. My love…“before a hail of Persian arrows finally falls him.
2Lt. Aldo Raine
The laconic leader ofInglourious Basterds’titular band of Jewish-American soldiers, Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine is contentiously the accomplished actor’s finest body of work to date. Introducing himself with a bang, Raine’s monologue describing the Basterds' mission statement is stuffed with iconic one-liners like"We’re gonna be doing one thing, and one thing only…killing Nazis”,“Nazi ain’t got no humanity!”, or"Each and every man under my command owes me 100 Nazi scalps! And I want my scalps!”
One of Tarantino’s more darkly amusing characters,Aldo the Apache’s electrifying quotability carries into his other scenes.The sequence depicting Pitt’s charge trying to feign an ability to speak Italian duringInglourious Basterds’movie premiere never fails to elicit howls of laughter;“gorlami,“anyone? Aldo underlines his endless quotability by signing off with an immortal riposte for age, drawling"I’m gonna give you a little something you can’t take off"before carving a swastika in Hans Landa’s forehead.
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick, follows U.S. Marine recruits through rigorous boot camp training and onto the battlefields of Vietnam, highlighting the war’s impact on soldiers' psyches. Released in 1987, the film stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D’Onofrio, and R. Lee Ermey.
The foul-mouthed face of Stanley Kubrick’s seminal war outingFull Metal Jacket, R. Lee Ermey’s Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann is a walking, talking goldmine of quotable material. Relentlessly hurling profane abuse at his unfortunate recruits during flashpoints like the jelly doughnut incident, the vast majority of Hartmann’s quotes are too inappropriate to put into writing. For context,“You’re so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece!“or"Here, you are all equally worthless"stand as two of his decidedly politer examples.
Full Metal Jacket: How Much Of R. Lee Ermey’s Dialogue Was Improvised
It’s a common misconception that R. Lee Ermey ad-libbed all his lines as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. But he did improvise some.
One of thebest war movie villainsof all time, Hartmann’s litany of obscene one-liners is so creative that his merciless tirade of abuse plays out as a work of art onscreen; a state of affairs made all the more impressive by the knowledge Ermey ad-libbed a good portion of his own lines. A never-ending highlight reel of brutal insults,Full Metal Jacket’sunforgettable drill sergeant stands asthe most quotable war movie character of all time.
