I like movies with badasses. Most badasses have courage, conviction, determination, focus, toughness, and a mission. They often exhibit leadership and never quit. My favorite movie badasses are often those that might not be the best people in the world. They may be flawed, but they have some kind of underlying goodness about them. Sometimes they start out as model citizens, but something pisses them off, and they turn badass. Other times the person might be a jerk, but in the end, their goodness shows through. Typically, they are very human, but also heroic.
Here are some of my favorite movie badasses and some badass quotes (in order of actor’s last name):
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) – Batman Begins
Henri Ducard: “Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.”
Bruce Wayne: “That’s why it’s so important. It separates us from them.”
King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) – 300
King Leonidas: “You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps. You insult my queen. You threaten my people with slavery and death! Oh, I’ve chosen my words carefully, Persian. Perhaps you should have done the same!”
Messenger: “This is blasphemy! This is madness!”
King Leonidas: “Madness? THIS… IS… SPARTA!!!”
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) – Law Abiding Citizen
“I’m just getting warmed up. This is von Clausewitz shit. Total fucking war. I’m gonna pull the whole thing down. I’m gonna bring the whole fucking diseased, corrupt temple down on your head. It’s gonna be biblical.”
Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) – Army of Darkness
Old Witch: “I’ll swallow your soul!”
Ash: “Come get some.”
Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner) – Wyatt Earp
Lynch mob leader: “You arrogant son of a bitch. You think you can stop all of us?”
Wyatt Earp: “You boys can get me. That won’t be any problem with all the guns you got here. But I’m taking 10 or 12 of you with me. Starting with you, Dick Gird. And you, McGee. Maybe you, too, Harvey. So if any of you want Tommy… and you want me… come up front with these brave men… and we’ll all go together.”
Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) – Dirty Harry series
“I know what you’re thinking: ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) – Gran Torino
“Yeah, I blow a hole in your face and then I go in the house. And I sleep like a baby. You can count on that. We used to stack fucks like you 5 feet high in Korea, use ya for sand bags.”
The Stranger (Clint Eastwood) – High Plains Drifter
“You’re going to look pretty silly with that knife sticking out of your ass.”
William Munny (Clint Eastwood) – Unforgiven
“You better bury Ned right!… Better not cut up, nor otherwise harm no whores… or I’ll come back and kill every one of you sons of bitches!”
William Wallace (Mel Gibson) – Braveheart
“Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.”
Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) – The Crow
Albrecht: “You’re the guy that murdered Tin-Tin.”
Eric Draven: “He was already dead. He died a year ago the moment he touched her. They’re all dead. They just don’t know it yet.”
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) – Fight Club
“All the ways you wish you could be, that’s me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.”
Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) – Pulp Fiction
“What now? Let me tell you what now. I’ma call a coupla hard, pipe-hittin’ niggas to go to work on the homes here with a pair of pliers and a blow torch. You hear me talkin’, hillbilly boy? I ain’t through with you by a damn sight. I’ma get medieval on your ass.”
John J. Rambo (Sylvestor Stallone) – First Blood series
“I could have killed ’em all. I could kill you. In town, you’re the law. Out here, it’s me. Don’t push it. Don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe. Let it go. Let it go.”
Rocky Balboa (Sylvestor Stallone) – Rocky series
Clubber Lang: “I’m going to bust you up.”
Rocky Balboa: “Go for it.”
Alex Murphy/RoboCop (Peter Weller) – RoboCop
“Dead or alive, you’re coming with me.”
I’m sure there are plenty more.
Who are some of your favorite movie badasses?
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