10 Greatest Opening Lines In Movie History
First impressions count for a great deal.
The opening line of a film is without question, one of the most important pieces of dialogue in the entire cinematic effort.
It is also a disastrously easy concept to utterly butcher. Many movies opt to take the safer route and dispense with attempting to land an unforgettable opening line, using visual means or scattered, irrelevant dialogue as an alternative way to set the scene.
However, if executed correctly, the first quote often becomes synonymous with the film itself, sucking the viewers into the story and atmosphere of the picture from the very second that the last syllable of the soundbite has finished ringing out of the speakers. Get it wrong on the other hand, and it's a calamitous first impression, the cinematic equivalent of projectile vomiting while meeting your prospective in-laws.
The success of these utterances is dependent upon setting the tone appropriately for the movie. That is not to say that the entire plot needs to be given away in the opening salvo. Indeed, many opening quotes that have viewers wondering what in the f*ck is going on number amongst the more memorable offerings out there. In many ways, an opening line ultimately operates as an uncanny parallel with meeting someone for the first time; one just has a feeling whether they are going to like them or not.
10. "You Don't Like Flying, Do You?" - Die Hard
The quote that kicked off an action dynasty.
Bruce Willis' John McClane is flying into Los Angeles as the events of Die Hard begin. The detective's clear discomfort at flying leads to a rather overly friendly passenger advising him to make "fists with his toes" after he lands to combat his affliction - trust him, he's being doing this for years.
The unnamed passenger's immortal line sets up the sequence that truly set the scene for proceedings, as well as introducing McClane's signature dry wit to audiences. In a twist on what seemed to be a regular plane journey, the aforementioned gentleman understandably looks rather concerned as McClane stands to retrieve his bag, confronted with the sight of a pistol dangling from a shoulder holster. Spotting the man's unease, McClane reassures him that he is a cop, deadpanning with barely disguised amusement;
"Trust me, I've been doing this for eleven years."
Considering the explosive fanfare of events that follow Mr McClane touching down in LA, such a throwaway sentence appeared to be doomed to be lost in the endless library of cinematic opening soundbites. It seems bizarre that such a benign, everyday quote has such a lasting legacy. However, utter those words in the company of any action fan in the world and watch as their ears instantly prick up when they realize which film is being referenced.