Touch of Evil

"Mort Mills - Al Schwartz, district attorney's assistant"

"We are both after the same exact thing, Captain. If Vargas goes on like this, shooting his face off...Somebody's reputation has got to be ruined. Why shouldn't it be Vargas's?"

"Marcia Linnekar: I guess that's my father. I'm not acquainted with my father's girlfriends."

"Pete Menzies: [to Vargas, about Quinlan's bad leg] He got it in a gun fight...He was wounded stopping a bullet that was meant for me."

"Pete Menzies: [to Vargas, about Quinlan] Sure. You can smear him. Ruin his whole life's work. Vargas, I-I don't even know what he is. That's what you've done to him....He's on an important case and he's disappeared. Good and drunk probably."

"Charlton Heston - Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas"

"Janet Leigh - Susan 'Susie' Vargas"

"Orson Welles - Police Captain Hank Quinlan"

"Akim Tamiroff - 'Uncle' Joe Grandi"

"Marlene Dietrich - Tana"

"Joseph Calleia - Police Sergeant Pete Menzies"

"Ray Collins - District Attorney Adair"

"Dennis Weaver - Mirador Motel night manager"

"Valentin de Vargas - Pancho, Grandi hood"

"I understand very well what he wants...Tell him I'm a married woman, and that my husband is a great big official in the government, ready and willing to knock out all those pretty front teeth of his."

"Of course, even on his honeymoon, the chairman of the Pan-American Narcotics Commission has a sacred duty to perform."

"Until he gets out, who's running this outfit?...Oh, what a set-up to work with! One brother in jail, two others dead, and nobody left to carry on the business for the bunch of nephews."

"We're gonna get him where it really hurts and without laying a hand on him. He's got a reputation. He's got a young bride. He's gonna leave this town wishing he and that wife of his had never been born."

"There are all kinds of policemen, sir. I don't have to tell you that. A few take bribes... Most are honest, yes, but even some of the honest men abuse their power in other ways."

"Listen, I'm no cop now. I'm a husband! What did you do with her? Where's my wife?"

"How can I leave here until my wife's name is clean? Clean!"

"There's an old lady on Main Street last night picked up a shoe. The shoe had a foot in it. We're going to make you pay for that mess."

"Listen, I got a position in this town, a reputation...somebody's gonna be ruined."

"[about his wife's killer] I followed around after him...ate my heart out trying to catch him but I never did. That was the last killer that ever got out of my hands."

"30 years of pounding beats and riding cars, 30 years of dirt and crummy pay. For 30 years, I gave my life to this department. And you allow this foreigner to accuse me. Answer, answer, why do I have to answer him? No sir! I won't take back that badge until the people of this county want me back."

"[about Vargas] He's a drug addict. He's got that young wife of his hooked too, but good. If I hadn't seen that hypodermic myself...That's how come he happens to imagine all those crazy things. It's typical. What that wife of his was doing on that dive on skid row. Both a couple of junkies. Course he's using the job as a cover-up."

"[to Menzies] Look out. Vargas'll turn you into one of these here starry-eyed idealists. They're the ones making all the real trouble in the world. Be careful, they're worse than crooks. You can always do something with a crook."

"Don't you think I could have been rich? A cop in my position. What do I have...after thirty years, a little turkey ranch - that's all I got. A couple of acres."

"[Quinlan fires a pistol at Vargas, not hitting him] That wasn't no miss, Vargas. That was just to turn you 'round, so I don't have to shoot you in the back. Unless you'd rather run for it."

"[after being shot by Menzies] Pete. That's the second bullet I, I stopped for you."

"This isn't the real Mexico. You know that. All border towns bring out the worst in a country. I can just imagine your mother's face if she could see our honeymoon hotel."