From tearful runny noses to iconic improvised lines anyone can quote,
these monologues are pure movie magic!
Charlie Chaplin's speech in "The Great Dictator" is often listed among the great movie monologues,
and for good reason. It's hard to think of a better speech than this one, as it perfectly
encapsulates the hopeful spirit of the movie while also making an important political statement.
"The Great Dictator" is Chaplin's first sound film and is one of the greatest satires of all
time. Chaplin plays two characters –- a Jewish barber and former soldier and a Nazi dictator
named Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Adolf Hitler. The Barber and Hynkel look alike,
of course, and at one point in the film Hynkel's men mistake him for
the Barber and arrest him, causing the Barber to take Hynkel's place.
The famous monologue comes at the end,
as the Barber, dressed as Hynkel, makes an impassioned speech to the public.
"Do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed,
the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress."
He urges the soldiers to rise up and defy their masters,
the people of the world to embrace kindness instead of hate, and those
currently in bondage to have hope. The fact that the film was released in 1940 –- after
the Nazis had already risen to power -– makes this scene even more impactful, but Chaplin's
message is just as important today as it was back then. It's a perfect speech and true movie magic.
"If I'd have put him down I'd have had a title shot. I was ready that night."
Marlon Brando is a master of the monologue, so it's no surprise that two of his films
feature on this list. One of his most famous pieces of dialogue comes from a film in the
early days of his career, 1954's "On the Waterfront." Brando plays Terry Malloy,
a former champion boxer who now works as a longshoreman in New Jersey. His career
went up in smoke when mob boss Johnny Friendly convinced him to throw a fight,
and now he's mustering up the courage to testify against Friendly in court.
In the most famous scene in the film, Terry is in the back of a car with his older brother,
Charley. Terry reminds Charley that he was the one who told Terry to throw
the match on behalf of Friendly, something he still blames him for.
"I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody."
Despite Brando's slurred drawl, the lines are crystal clear,
and the despair in his voice is right there on the surface. The scene is quite brief,
but Brando reveals everything we need to know about the character here -– his bitterness,
his longing for a different life, and how he's been living all this time with a broken heart.
Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is often considered one of the great American novels,
and the film adaptation is held in similarly high regard. Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a single
father, and principled lawyer. Finch takes on the case of Tom Robinson, a Black man accused
of raping a white woman. Finch knows Robinson has very little chance of winning the case due to the
deep-seated racism of the South, but he puts up an impassioned effort to get him off anyways.
In his final speech to the courtroom, Finch knows he's fighting a losing
case and he's all but lost the jury. He's successfully proven Robinson's
innocence but is struggling to change the hearts and minds of his fellow citizens.
"In our courts, all men are created equal."
He urges the jury to do their duty and follow the evidence,
not their prejudice, though he knows they very likely will not.
It's a powerhouse performance by Peck, and it's considered some of his best
work. The Guardian reports that novelist Harper Lee was so happy with his take on
Finch –- who was based on her own father –- that she gave him her father's old
pocket watch. This powerful courtroom scene proves what an impressive actor
Peck is and why the film deserves its elevated status in the cinematic canon.
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
The making of Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" is legendary. Bruce the shark kept malfunctioning,
there was major tension on set, and the film went way over budget. Still, despite these troubles,
the film contains one of the greatest movie monologues of all time, a scene that is also
a favorite of Spielberg's, according to Den of Geek. The monologue is delivered by Quint,
the grizzled, Captain Ahab-like shark hunter who joins Hooper and Brody on their boat, the Orca.
Sitting in the cabin one evening, Quint shares the harrowing real-life story of
the USS Indianapolis, an event that mirrors their own predicament. He describes the 1945 disaster,
"1,100 men went in the water, 316 men come out, and the sharks took the rest."
Spielberg explained in a documentary that the scene was a "Rosetta Stone
for Quint's entire character" because it reveals
all of his motivations and why he feels so strongly about sharks.
The scene is delivered with a perfectly garbled drawl by Robert Shaw, who,
according to co-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, actually re-wrote much of the scene himself.
As evidenced by the shocked faces of Hooper and Brody, Quint's tale has a distressing
effect on his companions, as they can only imagine the horrors he's experienced. It's
the most grounded, restrained scene in a movie that is often said to have invented
the crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster, and it's among Spielberg's best work.
"Network" is one of the great films of the 1970s,
and its brilliant take on the dissolution of television ethics is still relevant today. The
film follows old-school news anchor Howard Beale, who's forced into retirement after
a drop in the ratings. Beale is incensed and goes on a televised rant in front of
the nation. The most popular monologue in the film is probably Beale's famous tirade:
"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!"
Still, the most compelling monologue in the film comes closer to the end when
Beale meets with Arthur Jensen, the chairman of the conglomerate that owns the network.
Jensen tries to convince Beale to abandon his anti-capitalist sermon by teaching him
how the world really works. Jensen, at the far end of a very long table, tells Beale,
"You have meddled with the primal forces of nature Mr. Beale and I won't have it!"
He adds that there is only one natural force that rules the world: money. It's an extremely bleak
sentiment, but his booming voice and the unique way the scene is shot –- with the camera getting
closer and closer to Jensen as the monologue goes on — makes it impossible to tear your eyes away.
Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" is one of the most famous movies ever,
perhaps partly because the behind-the-scenes drama has become so legendary. Still,
despite the harrowing circumstances of the film's production, Coppola was able to capture some of
the greatest scenes in film history. There are a number of celebrated moments in "Apocalypse Now,"
but one monologue, in particular, stands out. Marlon Brando was famously difficult
to work with on set, but all of that strife resulted in a scene involving Colonel Kurtz.
Bathed in shadow, the rogue Colonel Kurtz recounts the horrors of war,
reflecting on the circumstances that have brought him to the jungle where
he now rules his own small kingdom. Kurtz tells Martin Sheen's, Captain Willard,
"I've seen horrors. Horrors that you've seen. But you have no right
to call me a murderer, you have a right to kill me."
He goes on to describe these horrors in detail, explaining how he felt when he saw children who
had their arms chopped off and thrown in a pile. Having seen the worst of humanity,
Kurtz has abandoned his own sense of morality and descended into a kind of principled insanity. Much
of Kurtz's dialogue was based on Brando's own improvisations, and, despite the effort
that clearly went into the complicated performance, the scene feels effortless.
Film characters don't often have the chance to make philosophical speeches just before their
deaths, but in a world filled with robots, things work a little differently. The original "Blade
Runner" film gives us one of the greatest sci-fi monologues of all time, delivered by a replicant
-– a humanoid robot -– named Roy Batty. The film follows Rick Deckard, a former Blade Runner whose
job was to hunt down and kill replicants, who are now seen as a threat to humanity.
Batty is one of the rogue replicants that Deckard has been sent to kill,
and his final scene is one of the greatest sci-moments ever captured on film. Batty
saves Deckard's life and then, realizing his time is up, reflects on the nature of his existence.
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."
He describes the amazing things he's seen in his short lifetime,
summing up the experience by saying,
"All those moments will be lost in time. Like tears in rain."
The monologue itself is only 42 words long, but it packs an incredible punch,
aided by Rutger Hauer's magnificent performance and a quietly soaring
soundtrack. Hauer told Radio Times that he actually re-wrote parts of the scene himself,
including that iconic final line. It's arguably the most important moment in the movie,
as it proves just how human the replicants really are. One death scene to rule them all.
Wim Wenders' 1984 film "Paris, Texas" is about a man lost at sea. Well, more precisely it's about a
man lost in the desert, but the metaphor is still apt. Harry Dean Stanton plays Travis Henderson,
a man who has been missing for many years. The recently rescued Travis reconnects with
his brother and son but soon finds himself on a journey to locate the mother of his child, Jane.
He finds Jane in Houston at the peep-show club where she works. He sees her behind
a one-way mirror and decides to finally speak to her. Travis tells Jane their story,
starting with the time they met and fell in love and ending with the violent dissolution
of their union. The 10-minute-long scene is beautifully directed by Wenders,
who alternates between focusing the camera on Travis as he's telling the tale,
and Jane, who slowly begins to realize the story is about her.
"Sounds like they were very happy."
"Yes, they were. They were real happy."
It's a masterclass in empathetic storytelling as it's difficult not to feel for both characters,
even as Travis describes the terrible way he treated Jane. "Paris, Texas" won the Palme
d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984, and this scene is likely a huge reason why.
A slow-burning monologue filled with resignation and regret, it's an enormously affecting moment.
Many of the great monologues in film history come from equally great films,
but this isn’t always the case. In his storied career, Al Pacino has delivered
countless powerful speeches in movies like "The Godfather" and "Scarface." However,
one of his most celebrated monologues is from a film that is often forgotten — 1992's "Scent of
a Woman." Pacino plays Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, a blind, cantankerous Vietnam veteran
planning to end his life. Frank's niece hires Charlie, a prep student in trouble
for refusing to rat out his classmates, to look after Frank over Thanksgiving.
Frank spends much of the movie acting like a mean, angry old man, but he swoops in at
the end to save the day. Charlie is forced to sit through a hearing led by his crooked headmaster,
who thinks he should be expelled for refusing to inform on his peers. Frank then enters
the courtroom and gives an impassioned speech about the importance of courage and integrity,
qualities which seem to have been lost on the headmaster.
Pacino is known for turning things up to 11 in climactic moments — and his performance
here isn't exactly subdued — but he gives Frank's righteous speech a rousing dramatic flair. It's
a classic Hollywood monologue that stands the test of time, even if the film itself has not.
"I'll show you out of order! You don't know what 'out of order' is Mr. Trask."
Robin Williams is something of a master advice-giver in films, and nowhere is
this more apparent than in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting." Williams plays ​​Sean Maguire,
a therapist who is counseling a young genius mathematician named Will Hunting,
played by Matt Damon. Williams has several impactful monologues in just
this film alone, but there's one that stands out.
Though Sean has been working to break through Will's defense mechanisms and get to know the
real him, Will continues to treat therapy like a joke and even goes so far as to insult Sean
and his dead wife. Sean and Will sit together on a park bench one day and Sean takes Will to
task for his childish arrogance. He tells Will that he may know things about the
world from reading books, but he's never actually lived in the world, as Sean has.
"I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some f---ing book.
Unless you want to talk about you."
It's a talking-down-to that Will rightly deserves, and it eventually leads to the
famous therapy breakthrough scene later in the film when Will admits to being abused as a child.
"Look at me son. It's not your fault."
The latter scene is the more memorable one, but this earlier scene is an important building
block for the film as a whole, and Williams gives a typically wisened performance here.
Denzel Washington is one of the great contemporary masters of the movie monologue,
and you don't have to look far to find some legendary ones. From "Malcolm X" to
"Philadelphia" to "Macbeth," he's an actor of almost unparalleled strength and gravitas. One
of his very best monologues is not a political speech or a drawn-out soliloquy but a short,
volatile scene from the 2001 film "Training Day." Washington plays Alonzo Harris,
a crooked LAPD cop who’s forced to start working with a rookie, played by Ethan Hawke.
By the time we get to Washington's greatest monologue, Alonzo's time has
started to run out. Though he previously ruled the neighborhood with an iron fist,
his hold on the community is starting to slip, and the Russian mob has a hit out on him. He tries to
reassert his dominance by giving a threatening speech to the local gang members and onlookers.
"I'ma burn this motherf---er down. King Kong ain't got s--- on me!"
"Training Day" may be a gritty crime movie, but this scene feels very Shakespearian in
nature — which makes sense, considering Washington is a Shakespeare-trained actor. Though he's trying
to remain an alpha, you can hear the desperation behind his threats, and Washington's dramatic
rhythm is spot-on. Washington's work here is made all the more impressive when you consider
that he improvised the famous "King Kong" line, which marks the powerful climax in this speech.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a filmmaking legend with numerous beloved films under his belt,
but one scene, and one line of dialogue, stands above them all.
Daniel Day Lewis' delivery of this line from the 2007 film "There Will Be Blood" is one of
the most iconic lines of the 21st century and is a small part of a great cinematic monologue.
The line comes in the film's final scene as two rivals face off. Eli Sunday is a
preacher who has long tried to seize power from the megalomaniac Daniel Plainview.
Daniel holds a grudge against Eli because of the time Eli forced him into a baptism,
so when Eli comes to Daniel's door like a beggar, Daniel can't help but point
out his hypocrisy. Eli offers to sell a piece of his oil-rich land to Daniel,
and Daniel tells him he's already drained the land, leading to this famous line:
"I drink your milkshake"
Eli made a huge mistake coming to Daniel like this, as Daniel has
reverted into the worst version of himself –- misanthropic, cruel,
and bloated with wealth. While the milkshake line is incredible, the cruelest line comes earlier,
"You're just an afterbirth, Eli.”
“No.”
“You slithered out of your mother's filth."
The scene ends with Daniel killing Eli with a bowling pin,
completing Daniel's transformation into a man devoid of humanity. Chilling stuff.
Any movie monologue list needs at least one Viola Davis scene, and her performance in "Fences" is
among her best. If you weren't convinced of Davis' brilliance before this movie, you certainly will
be afterward. "Fences" is an adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name and follows a
married couple, Troy and Rose, along with their son, Cory. Troy never got over his dream of
becoming a professional baseball player, and he takes his frustrations out on his wife and son.
In one climactic scene, Rose confronts Troy about
his cheating and he tries to justify it by explaining how hard it's been,
"It's not easy for me to admit that I've been standing in the same place for 18 years.”
“Well, I've been standing with you!"
With tears streaming down her face and snot literally dripping into her mouth,
Rose lays out her desolation, explaining how she had to bury her wants and needs to stay married
to Troy and find a reason to keep living. Troy doesn't reflect on Rose's feelings,
of course, but she lays them out with devastating clarity.
"I took all my feelings - my wants and needs and dreams."
“I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom."
Davis gives a tour de force performance here –- the kind you have to remind yourself to
breathe while watching –- proving that she's really in a league of her own.