10 Greatest Pre-Kill Movie Lines
1. "And you will know, my name is the Lord! When I lay my vengeance upon thee!"
"I'm trying, Ringo. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd."
The success of the most iconic of all pre-kill lines in cinematic history is rooted in the fictional bible verse entitled Ezekiel 25:17. Fabricated by master director Quentin Tarantino, it is the choice pre-murder soliloquy for hitman Jules Winnfield; an indispensable staple of Tarantino's 1994 masterpiece, played by the one and only Samuel L. "Motherf*cking" Jackson.
Jules' sinister religious ramblings are heard every time he carries out a hit, making their first appearance as he and Vince execute hapless thief Brett and his accomplices. Jackson's voice gathers menacing intensity with each passing syllable before he reaches the conclusion of his ominous bible verse; he is practically shouting when he reaches the final sentences.
"And you will know, my name is the Lord! When I lay my vengeance upon thee!"
As Jackson elaborates later, if one hears that sentence with Pulp Fiction's continuity, "it meant your ass", as it does for Brett and Co. However, the fabricated scripture takes on a new and deeper meaning in Pulp Fiction's climactic diner robbery, as the previously merciless hitman finds himself poignantly pondering the symbolism behind his ice-cool parting shot, following a near-death experience he deems to be a get-out-of-jail-free card from the Almighty.
Is there a more badass way for a hitman to carry out hits than by quoting scripture at his victim? Soul searching musings aside, Jackson's foreboding monologue stands far and above its contemporaries as the greatest line preceding a kill in cinematic history.