"I always wanted a fine plantation, one that I could work for myself and for my family. This is the one I've been waiting for. They'll be the two of us, but my wife's a good sport. I always can count on her. She's not afraid of anything. And we'll have each other. That's the important thing, isn't it?"

"You've been the best wife a man could have...I've always loved you...Leslie, darling, if I could love you any more, I would now."

"[in court] No complicating motives, no possible pre-meditation. The jury is aware of the facts. And I'm convinced, gentlemen, there's no need for eloquence. If ever there was a simple, uncomplicated case, it's this one. Mrs. Crosbie killed a man, yes, but under circumstances where no courageous, self-respecting woman would hesitate for one instant to do the same thing. Nor is there need for me to extol Mrs. Crosbie's account. Her own testimony in the witness box, her bearing throughout this ordeal, stamped the character of this remarkable woman, more than any words of mine could possibly do. As for the prosecution's case, not one whit of evidence has been produced to refute the defendant's testimony. No, because such evidence couldn't exist in the light of truth. Gentlemen, in full faith and confidence, I place Leslie Crosbie's fate in your hands in the sure knowledge that justice will be done."

"Maybe it's my own sense of guilt, but I have an unpleasant feeling that I'm gonna be made to pay the piper for what I'm doing tonight. I'm jeopardizing my whole career and I have to rely on your discretion."

"[to Robert] It seems that Leslie wrote a letter to Hammond asking him to come to the bungalow on the night he was killed...She wanted his advice on something she was buying for your birthday...In the excitement, she forgot about the letter and then later on was afraid to say she made a mistake...This was a pretty serious mistake and she realized it....she (Hammond's widow) threatens to turn it over to the prosecution...Don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation....I think we must get hold of that letter...I don't think it's right but I think it's expedient. Juries can sometimes be very stupid and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with."

"Tell your friend to go to the devil...Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money, Ong, just to save some trouble."

"I wasn't thinking of the money. I don't know if you'll understand this, but I've always looked on myself as an honest man. You're asking me to do something which is no better than suborning a witness...A lawyer has a duty to his profession and to himself."

"[to Leslie] I wonder why your story never wavers from exactly the same words. It suggests either that you have an extraordinary memory...or you're telling the plain, unvarnished truth."

"[to Howard] Poor Robert, he doesn't deserve it. He's never hurt anyone in his life. He's so good and simple and kind and he trusts me so. I mean everything, everything in the world to him. It's gonna ruin his life. Oh, I know what you're thinking. You despise me."

"The boys take such good care of us. Funny the head boy running off tonight."

"He tried to make love to me and I shot him."

"Life goes on. A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiasms... Enthusiasms... What are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy? [grabs a baseball bat] Baseball! A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part of a team. Teamwork.... Looks, throws, catches, hustles - part of one big team. Bats himself the live-long day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and so on. If his team don't field... what is he? You follow me? No one! Sunny day, the stands are full of fans. What does he have to say? "I'm goin' out there for myself. But... I get nowhere unless the team wins." [Beats his henchman to death with his bat]"

"Patricia Clarkson - Catherine Ness"

"Billy Drago - Frank Nitti"

"Jack Kehoe - Walter Payne"

"Richard Bradford - Police Chief Mike Dorsett"

"Robert De Niro - Al Capone"

"Andy Garcia - Agent George Stone"

"Charles Martin Smith - Agent Oscar Wallace"

"Sean Connery - Jim Malone"

"Kevin Costner - Eliot Ness"

"What are you prepared to do?"

"The Chicago Dream is that big."

"AL CAPONE. He ruled Chicago with absolute power. No one could touch him. No one could stop him. - Until Eliot Ness and a small force of men swore they'd bring him down."

"Never stop fighting till the fight is done"

"[to Ness] You got nothing. You're nothing but a lot of talk and a badge! You hear me? Cause you got nothing! You got nothing in court, you don't got the bookkeeper, you got NOTHING! NOTHING! And if you were a man, you would've done it now! You don't got a thing, you punk!"

"[to reporters] I'm gonna tell you something. Somebody messes with me? I'm gonna mess with him. Somebody steals from me? I'm gonna say you stole, not talk to him for spittin' on the sidewalk. Y'understand? Now, I have done nothing to hurt these people, but they're angered at me, so what do they do? Doctor up some "income tax", for which they got no case. To annoy me. To speak to me like men? No. To harass a peaceful man. I pray to God if I ever had a grievance I would have just a little more self respect. I'll tell you one more thing. You got an all-out prizefight? You wait until the fight is over, one guy's left standing, and that's how you know who won."

"I want you to get this fuck where he breathes! I want you to find this Nancy-boy Eliot Ness, I want him dead! I want his family dead! I want his house burned to the ground! I wanna go there in the middle of the night and I wanna piss on his ashes!"

"I grew up in a tough neighborhood. And we used to say, "You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word." And in that neighborhood, it might've been true. And sometimes a reputation follows you. There is violence in Chicago, of course. But not by me, and not by anybody who works for me, and I'll tell you why: because it's not good business."

"[after being told about an article describing him as the mayor of Chicago in all but name] Well, I tell you, you know, it's touching. Like a lot of things in life, we laugh because it's funny, and we laugh because it's true. Some people say, reformers here say, "Put that man in jail, what does he think he is doing?" Well, what I hope I'm doing, and here's where your English paper's got a point, is I'm responding to the will of the people. People are gonna drink! You know that, I know that, we all know that, and all I do is act on that. And all this talk of bootlegging - what is bootlegging? On a boat, it's bootlegging. On Lake Shore Drive, it's hospitality. I'm a businessman!"

"[chasing a knife-armed thug out of his house with a shotgun] Isn't that just like a Wop? Brings a knife to a gunfight! Get outta here, you Dago bastard! Go on, get your ass outta here!"

"[to Ness, preparing for the liquor raid at the border] Take it easy...take it easy! It'll all happen in time. This is the job. Don't wait for it to happen. Don't even want it to happen. Just watch what does happen."

"[When asked about if a cop is trustworthy] Well, he'd better be - he's my cousin."

"[about finding a team member not under Capone's influence] If you're afraid of getting a rotten apple, don't go to the barrel. Get it off the tree."

"That's the second rule of police work. If you want to keep a secret, don't tell the boss."

"You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: Make sure when your shift is over, you go home alive."

"[to Ness] Welcome to Chicago. This town stinks like a whorehouse at low tide."

"I have foresworn myself. I have broken every law I have sworn to uphold, I have become what I beheld and I am content that I have done right!"

"The picture they were born for!"

"Louis Jean Heydt - Joe Brody"

"Elisha Cook Jr. - Harry Jones"

"Bob Steele - Lash Canino"

"Humphrey Bogart - Philip Marlowe"

"The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted !"

"Charles D. Brown - Norris (Sternwood's butler)"

"Charles Waldron - General Sternwood (final film role)"

"Regis Toomey - Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls"

"Peggy Knudsen - Mona Mars"

"Dorothy Malone - Acme Bookstore Clerk"

"Martha Vickers - Carmen Sternwood"