The Deer Hunter (1978)

Robert De Niro: Michael

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Quotes 

• Michael : Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain't something else. This is this. From now on, you're on your own.

• Michael : A deer has to be taken with one shot. I try to tell people that but they don't listen.

• Nick : I don't think about that much with one shot anymore, Mike.

  Michael : You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it's all about. A deer's gotta be taken with one shot.

• Stan : Alright you guys, whoever took my boots, I want them back.

  Axel : I got a boot for you, Stan, right up your ass!

  Stan : Hey Mike, lemme borrow your spears, eh?

  Michael : No, Stan.

  Stan : No? What do you mean no?

  Michael : Just what I said, no. No means no.

  Stan : Some fuckin' friend. You're some fuckin' friend, you know that?

  Michael : You gotta learn, Stanley. Every time you come up here, you got your goddamn head up your ass.

  Axel : Maybe he likes the view from up there.

  [John and Axel laugh] 

• Michael : We gotta play with more bullets.

  Nick : What?

  Michael : More bullets...

  [gunshot] 

  Michael : I gotta get more bullets in the gun.

  Nick : What?

  Michael : We gotta play with more bullets.

  Nick : More bullets in the gun?

  Michael : More bullets in the gun.

  Nick : How many more bullets?

  Michael : Three. That means we gotta play each other.

  Nick : More bullets against each other?

  Michael : We gotta do it!

  Nick : What? Are you crazy?

  Nick : Nicky, it's the only way. I'll pick the moment. The game goes until I move. When I start shootin', go for the nearest guard, get his gun, and zap the fucker!

  Nick : I'm not ready for this!

  Michael : You gotta listen to me... You wanna stay down here and die? Go on. It's up to you. Now it's up to you.

  Nick : NOOOOOOOO!

  Michael : Hey! Him against me! Side by side! Side by side!

  Nick : Get away! Get away!

  Michael : Side by side! Me and him! Me against him!

• Nick : I sound like some asshole, right?

  Michael : I tell you, Nick, you're the only guy I go hunting with, you know. I like a guy with quick moves and speed. I ain't gonna hunt with no assholes.

  Nick : Well, who's an asshole?

  Michael : Who's an asshole? Who do you think is an asshole? They're all a bunch of assholes. I mean, I love 'em, they're great guys, but, you know, without you, I hunt alone. Seriously, that's what I'd do.

  Nick : You're a f*ckin' nut! You know that, Mike? You're a maniac. A control freak.

  Michael : I just don't like no surprises.

• Michael : [after he sights the deer but points the rifle upward and fires so that the deer just looks at him]  Okay? Okay?

• [last lines] 

  Michael : Here's to Nick.

  Steven : [whispering]  To Nick.

  [All] : To Nick.

• Michael : Sh*t! I must be outta my f*ckin' mind! I must be outta my mind. Everything's going so fast. Man, oh man. Hey, Nick, do you think we'll ever come back?

  Nick : From 'Nam?

  Michael : Yeah.

  Nick : You know something, the whole thing, it's right here. I love this f*ckin' place. I know that sounds crazy. If anything happens, Mike, don't leave, don't leave me over there. You got, you gotta, hey, just don't leave me. You gotta promise me that, Mike. No, man, you gotta, you gotta promise, definitely.

  Michael : Hey, Nick, you got it, man.

• Michael : Every time he comes up, he's got no knife, he's got no jacket, he's got no pants, he's got no boots. All he's got is that stupid gun he carries around like John Wayne.

• Michael : You wanna play games? All right, I'll play your fucking games.

• Michael : You okay?

  Linda : Did you ever think life would turn out like this?

  Michael : No.

• Michael : Come on, Nicky, come home. Just come home. Home! Talk to me. You just talk to me. Nicky. Nicky.

• Michael : What kind of beer would you like?

  Linda : What? I don't know. I don't care. Any kind.

  Michael : I'll get you a Rolling Rock.

  Linda : Okay.

  Michael : It's a good beer, it's the best around.

• Michael : Nicky! Nicky! Nicky! Nicky! Nicky! Nicky! Nick! Nicky! Nicky! No! Nick! Nooooo! Nooo! No! Nicky! Nicky!

• Michael : I'll tell ya one thing, if I find out my life had to end up being in the mountains, it'd be all right, but it has to be in your mind.

  Nick : What? One shot?

  Michael : Two is pussy.

• Michael : I feel a lot of distance, and I feel far away.

• Nick : You trying to look like a prince?

  Michael : What do you mean, "trying?"

• Stan : Where the hell's my boots? Anybody seen my boots? Somebody took my boots. I bought 'em special. All right. All right, you guys. Whoever took my boots, I want 'em back.

  Axel : I got a boot for you, Stan, right up your ass.

  [jokingly throws a kick near his rear to which he responds by playfully pointing his gun at him] 

  Axel : Hey, Mike. Hey, Mike, let me borrow your spares, huh? Your extra pair?

  Michael : No, Stan.

  Stan : [taken aback]  No? What do you mean, "No?"

  Michael : Just what I said. No. "No" means no.

  Stan : [getting upset]  Some fuckin' friend. You're some fuckin' friend, you know that?

  Michael : You gotta learn, Stanley. Every time you come up here, you got your goddamn head up your ass.

  Axel : Maybe he likes the view from up there, huh?

  [the group laughs at him] 

  Michael : Every time he comes up, he's got no knife, he's got no jacket, he's got no pants, he's got no boots. All he's got is that stupid gun he carries around like John Wayne. That ain't gonna help ya.

  Axel : Oh, what the hell, Mike. Give him the boots.

  Michael : No way. I ain't giving him no boots no more. No more. That's it.

  Stan : You're a fuckin' bastard, you know that? Huh?

  Michael : [holds up a live round]  Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain't somethin' else. This is *this.* From now on, you're on your own.

  Stan : [appalled, angry]  I fixed you up a million times!

  [to the group] 

  Stan : I fixed him up a million times! I don't know how many times I must have fixed him up with girls! And nothin' ever happens! Zero! Hey, you know your trouble, Mike? Huh? Nobody ever knows what the fuck you're talking about. Huh? "This is this!" What the hell is that supposed to mean? "This is this!" I mean, is that some faggot-sounding bullshit or is that some faggot-sounding bullshit?

  Nick : Shut up, Stan, will ya?

  [Stan shoves him] 

  Nick : Hey, man, you're outta line.

  Michael : Watch out with that gun, Stan.

  [more strictly] 

  Michael : Watch out with the gun.

  Stan : [yelling]  There's times - do you know what I think? There's times I swear I think you're a fuckin' faggot!

  John : Hey! Come on, you guys!

  [Michael smirks in amusement] 

  Stan : Last week - last week, he could've had that new redheaded waitress down at the Bowladrome. He could've had it knocked and look what he did. Look what he fuckin' did. Nothin', that's what.

  John : Shut up, Stan. Huh? Would ya SHUT UP? Just shut up. Just take - take Michael's goddamn boots and SHUT UP!

  [takes the laced boots and places them on Stan's shoulder] 

  John : Otherwise, I'm goin' home!

  Michael : [Stan starts to walk away with Mike's boots]  Hey, Stosh.

  [Stan turns to look at him] 

  Michael : I said, "No."

  Stan : What, are you gonna shoot me? Huh? Here...

  [opens a gap in his shirt to make a target for him, Mike just stands there staring at him; knowing this will go nowhere, Stan takes the boots and throws them aggressively at Mike, walking away] 

  Nick : [walks over, picks up the boots, says to Mike:]  What's the matter with you?

  [walks over to Stan] 

  Nick : Stan.

  [gives him back the boots] 

  Axel : [Mike puts the live round into his rifle, takes aim and vents his anger by firing it out into the woods, then looks at the group to see their bewildered reactions] 

• Stan : How does it feel to be shot?

  Michael : Don't hurt. That's what you wanna know. And how it's been? Doing OK?

  Stan : Yeah, same thing. Nothing's changed. I'm getting more ass than a toilet seat, and Axel here, he's getting fatter than ever.

• Michael : Holy shit, you know what those are? Those are sun dogs. It means a blessing on the hunter sent by the Great Wolf to his children. It's an old Indian thing.

• Stan : What do you think of her, Michael?

  Michael : I don't know.

  Stan : No, come on. On the level. On the level.

  Michael : I don't know.

  Stan : Is she, is she beautiful? Is she beautiful? Is she?

  Michael : Truth?

  Stan : Yeah!

  Michael : No.

  Michael : Well, do you think she's intelligent?

  Stan : No.

  Michael : Neither do I!

• Michael : Put an empty chamber in that gun!

• Michael : Nicky, do you remember the trees? Remember all the different ways of the trees? Remember that? Remember? Huh? The mountains? Do you remember all that?

  Nick : One shot?

  Michael : One shot! One shot.

  Nick : [Smiles]  Yeah.

• Steven : You get a deer?

  Michael : Nah, man.

  Steven : C'maaan! You didn't get a DEE-E-EAH?

• Steven : Where is a guy like Nick gettin' money like this?

  Michael : I don't know. Cards maybe. Listen, Steven, I'm gonna take you home.

  Steven : [Resisting]  Aw, sh*t, Mike, you promised me. Come on. I don't fit. Look! Hey!

  Michael : I'm gonna take you home.

  Steven : Man, look, you promised me man. I don't fit! Mike, I'll - hey. I'm sorry. You do as your heart tells you.

• Angela : [Last lines]  It's been such a gray day.

  John : [Humming]  Mm-Mm-Mm-Mm-Mm-Mm

  [singing] 

  John : Stand beside her and guide her. La-la-dee da-da-da...

  Angela : [singing]  God bless America, land that I love.

  Angela , John , Linda , Axel , Michael , Stan , Steven : Stand beside her and guide her / Through the night with a light from above. / From the mountains, to the prairies / To the oceans white with foam. / God bless America, my home sweet home. / God bless America, my home sweet home.

  Michael : Here's to Nick!

  Steven : To Nick!

  Angela , John , Linda , Axel , Michael , Stan , Steven : To Nick!

• Michael : Angela, I heard Steven was alive. Where is he? Where's Steven? Where is he? Just tell me where he is. Angela, where is Steve? Just tell me where he is. Where is he? Where is he? Please? You've got to tell me. Now, where is he? Do you know? Where is he?

• [first lines] 

  Michael : Hey, watch out, Axel. We'll be calling him old fireballs after tonight.

  Axel : Fuckin' A.

  Michael : Not bad.

• Michael : Hey, Stosh. I said no.

• Linda : Mike, why don't we go to bed? Can't we just comfort each other?

  Michael : No, I can't. Not here. I gotta get outta here. I'm sorry. I just gotta get out. I'll be... I-I don't know, I feel a lot of distance and I feel far away. I'll see you later.