Quotes

Dialogue

Max: How do you like being a lawyer? Annie: What are you, psychic? Max: Little bit. There's the dark pin-stripe suit, elegant, not too flashy, that rules out advertising, plus a top-drawer briefcase that you live out of. And the purse. A Bottega. Anyway, a man gets in my cab with a sword, I figure he's a sushi chef. You: Clarence Darrow.

Dialogue

Annie: Well, how many cabbies do you know get you into an argument to save you money? Max: If there were two of us I'd have to kill the other one. I don't like competition.

Dialogue

Vincent: What's your name? Max: Max. Vincent: Max. I'm Vincent. Max: First time in L.A.? Vincent: No. Tell you the truth, whenever I'm here I can't wait to leave. It's too sprawled out, disconnected. You know? That's me. You like it? Max: It's my home. Vincent: 17 million people. This is got to be the fifth biggest economy in the world and nobody knows each other. I read about this guy who gets on the MTA here, dies. Max: Oh. Vincent: Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices.

Dialogue

Max Durocher: [Ramone Ayala's corpse falls onto the roof of Max's windshield, frightening him] OH NO!!! SHIT!!! [gets out of his cab] What the hell?! My man, are you alright?! [looks at the window where he fell] Fuck! [Vincent shows up] Hey, Hey. He fell on the cab! He fell from up there on the motherfucking cab! Shit, I think he's dead! Vincent: Good guess. Max Durocher: You...you killed him? Vincent: No, I shot him. The bullets and the fall killed him. [pulls out his gun and aims it at Max] Red light, Max! Max Durocher: Whoah, hold on, hold on. Vincent: Put your hands down. Put your hands down! Max Durocher: Okay, okay. Vincent: Okay, help me out. Pop the trunk. Max Durocher: What? Vincent: Pop the trunk. [Max opens up the trunk] Max Durocher: Come on. What are you doing? Vincent: I'm gonna roll him off the roof. Can't leave him here, so unless you want him upfront with you, but given the hygene...[rolls Ramone's corpse off the roof of Max's taxi] It's only a dead guy. Grab his hands

Dialogue

Vincent: Lady Macbeth, we're sitting here and the light's green. Leave the seats. You no longer have the cleanest cab in La-La Land. You gotta live with that. Focus on the job. Drive. 7565 Fountain. You know it? Max Durocher: West Hollywood. Vincent: How long you figure? Max Durocher: I don't know, man, 17 minutes. Why? Oh, no. No, no, no. Hold on, man. Vincent: I told you we had other stops to make tonight. Max Durocher: You said you had to go and visit some friends. Vincent: Well, they're somebody's friends. You drive a cab, I make my rounds, you might make it through the night, come out 700 bucks ahead. Max Durocher: I'm not trying to piss you off, but I can't do this. I can't drive you while you go around killing people. It ain't my job. Vincent: Tonight it is. Max Durocher: Look, you don't get it. I mean it. I mean it. I'm not up for this. Vincent: Okay, hey, hey, hey. You're stressed. I understand that. Now, you just keep breathing and stay calm. Okay, look, here's the deal. Man,

Dialogue

Vincent: Hands on the wheel. Max Durocher: Why? Vincent: Because I say so. (ties up Max's hands to the steering wheel with zip tie) Lenny: Max, Max! You out there you son of a bitch?! Vincent: Who is that? Max Durocher: That's Lenny. It's just dispatch. Lenny: Max, I know you're out there. Answer the goddamn call. Vincent: What happens if you don't? Max Durocher: He just keeps calling me. Lenny: Max, answer. Max Durocher: Yeah, Lenny, what's up? It's me. Lenny: Just got off the phone with the cops. Desk sergeant called to check if you brought the cab in? Max Durocher: Yeah, so? Lenny: So, aside from I hate talking to cops, they tell me you crashed the goddamn cab? Max Durocher: No, no, I got crashed into. I didn't... Lenny: Do I care what, where, why? You're paying. Vincent: [to Max] It was an accident. You're not liable. Max Durocher: It was an accident. I'm not liable. Lenny: Bullshit. I'm making you liable. It's coming out of your goddamn pocket. Vincent: [to Max] You tell him to st

Dialogue

Daniel Baker: No, now, see, I was about 19, bussing tables right here. The money wasn't shit, but that wasn't the point. It was about being around the music. And I was. I mean, take this one night. July 22nd, 1964. Who you think walks through that door? Miles Davis. That's right. I'm talking about, through those doors, the coolest man on the planet. Anyway, he had been at a recording session up at Columbia, up on Vine. So Miles comes through that door. Before you know it, he's up on the bandstand, jamming with the band. Vincent: I mean, it had to be. Daniel Baker: I mean, the dude was so focused, man. Plus, he was kind of a scary cat anyway, man. I mean, everybody and their mama knew that you don't just come up and talk to Miles Davis. I mean, he may have looked like he was chilling, but he was absorbed. This one young, hip couple, one of them tried to shake his hand one day. And the guy says, "Hi, my name is..." Miles said, "Get the fuck out of my face, you jive motherfucker. Take you

Dialogue

Vincent: [Visiting Ida] Flowers? Max: It's a waste of money. Won't mean a thing to her. Vincent: [Staring him down] She carried you in her womb for nine months. People buy flowers. Buy flowers.

Dialogue

Max: I brought you flowers. Ida: What'm I do with flowers? Max: Cheer up. Ida: How? By worrying that you spend money on stuff that's just gon' wilt and die? Max: [to Vincent] See what I mean? I didn't buy you flowers, Mom. He did.

Dialogue

Vincent: They project onto you their flaws, what they don't like about themselves. I had a father like that. Max: Mothers are worse. Vincent: Wouldn't know. My mother died before I remember her. Max: What about your father? Vincent: Hated everything I did. Got drunk, beat me up. In and out of foster homes, that kinda thing. Max: And then? Vincent: I killed him. I was twelve. Vincent: I'm kidding. He died of liver disease. Max: Well, I'm sorry. Vincent: No, you're not.

Dialogue

Fanning: [cops are in alley outside Ramon's apartment] Ramon went through that window... splat. Glass here, then tires rolled over it. Richard Weidner: Maybe he jumped. Fanning: Sure... he's depressed so he jumps four stories out of a window onto his head. "Wow, that feels better." Picks himself up. "Now I think I'll go on with the rest of my day."

Dialogue

Pedrosa: What's up? Why do you want to know about our case? Fanning: Any unusual activity tonight? Pedrosa: Like what? Fanning: That relates to a series of murders in Wilshire Central or West Hollywood? Pedrosa: All quiet on the western front. Various people are asleep. Various people are awake. They come and go in cars, pickups, taxis. Other than that, we watch the air move.

Dialogue

Max: How long have you been doing this? In case anyone asks? Vincent: Private sector? Six years. Max: Uh... you get health benefits? Pension...? Vincent: No, and no paid vacation. Quit stalling, and get in there.

Dialogue

Felix: Now you're here. Why? Max: I lost my stuff. The list. Felix: I want you to listen to me real well. Special groups put together the list of dedos. Max: Dedos? Felix: Fingers, informants. Signal interceptions with voice-recognition software, surveillance. A very expensive counter-intelligence worked up that list. An important list, wouldn't you say? And you lost it? Max: Yeah, I'm sorry. Sorry. Felix: Sorry? 'Sorry' does not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Dialogue

Felix: Do you believe in Santa Claus? Max: No. Felix: Nor do I. Nor do I, but my children do. They are still small. But do you know who they like even better than Santa Claus? His helper, Pedro el Negro. Black Peter. There's an old Mexican tale that tells of how Santa Claus got so very busy looking out for the good children that he had to hire some help to look out for the bad children. So he hired Pedro. And Santa Claus gave him a list with all the names of all the bad children. And Pedro would come every night to check them out. And the people, the little kids that were misbehaving, that were not saying their prayers, Pedro would leave a little toy donkey on their window. A little burro. And he would come back, and if the children were still misbehaving, Pedro would take them away, and nobody would ever see them again. Now, if I am being Santa Claus, and you are Pedro, how do you think jolly Santa Claus would feel if one day Pedro came into his office and said, "I lost the list."? Ho

Dialogue

Felix: What do you think? Max: I think... Max: I think you should you should tell that guy behind me to put his gun down. Felix: What? Max: I said I think you should tell that guy behind me to put his gun down, before I take it and beat his bitch ass to death with it.

Dialogue

Max: The fat man, the penthouse guy, the jazz man. That leaves two. Felix: Can you finish? Max: In six years, when have I not?

Dialogue

Fanning: [referring to Max] According to the cab company's dispatch unit, he's been driving that cab for twelve years. Pedrosa: So what? Fanning: So you're telling me the guy walks into a phone booth, and shazam, changes into a meat-eater super assassin? What's he do, squeeze them in between fares?

Dialogue

Vincent: Only thing didn't show up is the Polish cavalry. You're alive. I saved you. Do I get any thanks? No. All you can do is clam up. You wanna talk? Tell me to fuck off? Max Durocher: [mad at Vincent for killing Fanning] Fuck off. You had to kill Fanning? Vincent: Who the fuck is Fanning? Max Durocher: Fanning, the cop! Why did you have to kill him? He's probably got a family! Kids that are gonna grow up without him! He believed me! Vincent: Oh, I should've saved him because he believed you? Max Durocher: No, no, not that! Vincent: Yeah, that. Max Durocher: Well, yeah, that. What's wrong with that? Vincent: It's what I do for a living. Max Durocher: Some living. Vincent: Head downtown. Max Durocher: What's downtown? Vincent: How are you at math? I was hired for 5 hits, I did 4. Max Durocher: Why didn't you just kill me and get another cab driver? Vincent: Cause you're good. We're in this together. Fates intertwined. Cosmic coincidence. Max Durocher: You're full of shit. Vincent: I'

Dialogue

Max Durocher: Let her go. Vincent: Max? Why? What are you gonna do about it? [Max shoots a chunk out of Vincent's ear with Vincent's Heckler & Koch USP45]

Dialogue

Vincent: MAX! I DO THIS FOR A LIVING!!! [the lights turn off and Vincent and Max start shooting at each other. The lights come back on, Max hasn't been hit by Vincent, but Vincent was hit by Max. Vincent attempts to reload, but his magazine drops to the floor. He lowers his gun, accepts defeat and sits down. Max sits across from him] Max Durocher: We're almost at the next stop. Vincent: Hey, Max. a guy gets on the MTA here in L.A. and dies. Think anybody will notice? [Vincent succumbs to his wound and dies in front of Max and Annie]