Hello lovelies! In today’s Noirvember post I want to talk about my favourite quotes from noir movies!

I think witty writing is an essential element of good film noir. Due to the constraints of the Hays Code, scriptwriters had to be inventive in showing the dubious morality of their characters.

The Big Sleep (1946)

Vivian, not talking about horses: “Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. But I like to see them work out a little first, see if they’re front runners or come from behind, find out what their whole card is, what makes them run.”

Philip Marlowe: “Find out mine?”

Vivian: “I think so.”

Marlowe: “Go ahead.”

Vivian: “I’d say you don’t like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a little lead, take a little breather in the backstretch, and then come home free.”

Marlowe: “You don’t like to be rated yourself.”

Vivian: “I haven’t met anyone yet that can do it. Any suggestions?”

Marlowe: “Well, I can’t tell till I’ve seen you over a distance of ground. You’ve got a touch of class, but I don’t know how far you can go.”

Vivian: “A lot depends on who’s in the saddle.”

Double Indemnity (1944)

Phyllis Dietrichson, at their first meeting: “There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.”

Walter Neff: “How fast was I going, officer?”

Phyllis: “I’d say around 90.”

Neff: “Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket.”

Phyllis: “Suppose I let you off with a warning this time”

Neff: “Suppose it doesn’t take.”

Phyllis: “Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles.”

Neff: “Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder.”

Phyllis: “Suppose you try putting it on my husband’s shoulder.”

Neff: “That tears it.”

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

“Okay Marlowe,” I said to myself, ‘You’re a tough guy. You’ve been sapped twice, choked, beaten silly with a gun, shot in the arm until you’re crazy as a couple of waltzing mice. Now let’s see you do something really tough—like putting your pants on.”

Out of the Past (1947)

Jeff: “That’s not the way to win.”

Kathie: “Is there a way to win?”

Jeff: “There’s a way to lose more slowly.”

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

“We didn’t exactly believe your story, Miss O’Shaughnessy. We believed your two hundred dollars. I mean, you paid us more than if you’d been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it all right.”

Do you have your favourite quotes from movies? Maybe you’ve even used them in real life? Tell me in the comments!

Happy Noirvember!