A History of Violence Quotes

[Richie talks to Joey about the business]
Richie Cusack: What am I gonna do? You bust up a made man's place. You killed some of his guys. You take his eye. Jesus, Joey... you nearly took out his left eye. Barbed wire, wasn't it? That's disgusting. You always were the crazy one.
Tom Stall: Not anymore.
Richie Cusack: Yeah, I

heard. You're living the American Dream. You really bought into it, didn't you? You've been this other guy, almost as long as you've been yourself. Hey, when you dream, are you still Joey?
Tom Stall: Joey's been dead a long time.
Richie Cusack: And yet here you sit... big as life. You know you cost me a lot of time and money. Before you pulled that

shit with Fogarty, I was a shoe-in to take over when the boss croaked. A shoe-in. It was made very clear to me, Joey. I had to clean up your mess, or nothing was ever gonna happen for me! You got no idea how much shit I had to pull to get back in with those guys. You cost me! A hell of a lot, Joey. A hell of a lot!
Tom Stall: Looks like you're doing all right over here.

Richie Cusack: Yeah, I am, I am. I'm still behind the eight-ball... because of you. There's a certain lack of respect, a certain lack of trust. The boys in Boston are just waitin' for me to go down.

[Mr. Fogarty tells Edie that her husband's real name is Joey Cusack]
Edie Stall: My husband does not know you. He wouldn't know you, somebody like you.
Carl Fogarty: Oh, he knows Carl Fogarty, all right. He knows me intimately. See?
[Mr. Fogarty points to his blind left eye]
Carl Fogarty: This isn't a completely dead

eye. It still works a bit. The problem is, the only thing I can see with it is Joey Cusack. And it can see right through him. Right through your husband, Edie. I see what's inside him, what makes him tick. He's still the same guy.
Edie Stall: No.
Carl Fogarty: He's still crazy fuckin' Joey. And you know it, don't you?
Edie

Stall: I know that my husband is Tom Stall. That's what I know.

[Richie tells Joey about the first day Joey came home as a baby]
Richie Cusack: You always were a problem for me, Joey. When mom brought you home from the hospital, I tried to strangle you in your crib. I guess all kids try to do that. She caught me, whacked the daylights out of me.
Tom Stall: I've heard that story.
Richie

Cusack: Well, what do you think? Better late than never?
Tom Stall: Richie... I'm here to make peace. Tell me what I got to do to make things right.
Richie Cusack: You could do something, I guess.
Richie Cusack: [Richie pauses as Ruben reaches into his sleeve behind Joey] You could die, Joey.

[Bobby picks on Jack by saying he's an embarrassment to his father]
Bobby Jordan: So, your old man's some kind of tough guy, huh? What's he think of his wimp son? You think he'd take this shit? You think he'd make jokes? Go on, bitch. Say something funny.
Judy Danvers: Bobby, leave him alone.
Bobby Jordan: Shut up, skank.

Bobby Jordan: [Jack turns to face Bobby] Uh-oh. He's gettin' mad.
Judy Danvers: Jack, let's just get out of here, okay? Jack, he's an asshole. You know that. He doesn't mean shit. Let's just go. Let's just get out of here, okay?
Bobby Jordan: Yeah, puss. Run away. Goddamn, I bet your daddy would be real ashamed by you.

Bobby Jordan: [Jack gets in Bobby's face] Go ahead, bitch. Say something funny.
Bobby Jordan: [Bobby whispers in Jack's ear] Make me laugh.

[Tom talks to Edie in bed after making love to her]
Edie Stall: What is it? Huh?
Tom Stall: I remember the moment I knew you were in love with me. I saw it in your eyes. I can still see it.
Edie Stall: Of course you can. I still love you.
Tom Stall: I'm the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive.

Edie Stall: You are the best man I've ever known. There is no luck involved.

[Bobby picks on Jack for winning the baseball game]
Jack Stall: Bobby, it's just a game, okay? It's just stupid gym class.
Bobby Jordan: Who are you calling stupid?
Jack Stall: [Jack clears his throat] No, I said gym class was stupid.
Bobby Jordan: 'No, I said gym class was.' Listen to this little

faggot!
Jack Stall: [Bobby pushes Jack in the back, as Jack turns around to face Bobby] Yeah, you're right. I'm both little and a faggot. You got me dead to rights.
Bobby Jordan: Come on, chicken shit, let's do this!
Jack Stall: [Bobby pushes Jack] What would be the point? I mean, you win. You win, you win. You've established

your, uh, alpha male standing; uh, you've established my unworthiness; but doing violence to me just seems pointless and cruel, don't you think?
Bobby Jordan: Let's do this, you punk bitch!
Jack Stall: Shouldn't that be, 'little, punkass, chickenshit, faggot bitch'?
Bobby Jordan: [Bobby grabs Jack's shirt and pushes him again]

God!

[Tom gets a phone call in the middle of the night]
Tom Stall: Hello?
Richie Cusack: [voice] Hey, Bro-heem. You're still pretty good with the killing. That's exciting.
Tom Stall: Richie?
Richie Cusack: [chuckles; voice] Yeah, it's Richie. What do you say, Joey? Are you going to come see me? Or do I have

to come see you?

[Jack confronts his dad after he knows the truth about his secret identity]
Jack Stall: So, what am I supposed to call you now?
Tom Stall: You're supposed to call me Dad. That's what I am... your Dad.
Jack Stall: Are you really? So, you're some kind of closeted mobster... Dad? I mean, if I go rob Mr. Millikan's drug store,

will you ground me if I don't give you a piece of the action? What, Dad? You tell me.
Tom Stall: Please, son. Don't...
Jack Stall: Tell me. If I talk to Sam about you, will you have me whacked?

[Richie asks Joey about having a farm]
Richie Cusack: So, you like that farm life? Milking cows and shit?
Tom Stall: I don't have a farm.
Richie Cusack: [chuckles] No? Fogarty thought you lived on some kind of farm. He said you could smell pig. How that old fart would know what a pig smells like, I don't know, but that's what

he said.

[Bobby and his buddy drink in their car when they see Jack]
Bobby's Buddy: Hey, isn't that that Stall faggot?
Bobby Jordan: Yeah.
Bobby's Buddy: You should go kick his ass.
Bobby Jordan: I'm going to.
Bobby's Buddy: [Bobby turns his car sharply to head toward Jack, when he gets

cut off by Leland and Orser, slowly, Leland drives off] Who the fuck was that?
Bobby Jordan: I don't know, and I don't want to know.

[Sam tells Tom and Edie who Mr. Fogarty and his men are]
Sheriff Sam Carney: Charles Roarke, Philadelphia. Indicted on three counts of murder. Frank Mulligan, out of New York, indicted on one count of murder. Questioned in relation to dozens of acts of violence that you don't want to hear about. Both men work for Carl Fogarty. That's the fella with the eye. He spent 15

years in prison on several counts of assault. He's suspected in half a dozen murders, and more disappearances. Tom, these guys are organized crime from the East Coast. Now, they're the real thing. They're bad men. I have to ask you a question...
Edie Stall: Jesus. Jesus, honey.
Sheriff Sam Carney: I have to ask you a question. Are you in some kind of

witness protection plan?

[Jack and Judy talk about life when sitting outside together]
Judy Danvers: You ever wonder what kids did for fun on a Saturday 100 years ago?
Jack Stall: [Jack sighs] I don't know. I guess I always figured they got into their parents' wagon and went cruising up and down their main drag playing loud banjo music and acting like idiots.

Judy Danvers: [Judy laughs] So, you think this is as good as it gets?
Jack Stall: For us? Yeah. For now. Eventually, we - We grow up, we get jobs, we have affairs, and we become alcoholics.
Judy Danvers: You know, sometimes, you depress me.
Jack Stall: [Jack laughs] Hey, that's what I'm good at.

[Mr. Fogarty tells Edie to question Tom about his past]
Carl Fogarty: Yeah? Well, why don't you ask "Tom" about his older brother Ritchie?
Edie Stall: [rolls her eyes] He doesn't have...
Carl Fogarty: [cutting her off] Ask "Tom" about how he tried to rip my eye out with barbed wire. And ask him, Edie, how come he's so good...

at killing people?