Daily Dialogue — December 16, 2011
The four of them are riding in the elevator. As luck would have it, they have the car to themselves. Rinky-drink elevator Muzak is playing. They are all silent.
CLARENCE: Elliot.
ELLIOT: Yeah?
CLARENCE: Get on your knees.
ELLIOT: What?
Clarence hits the stop button on the elevator panel and whips out his .38.
CLARENCE: I said get on your fuckin’ knees.
Elliot does it immediately. Dick and Alabama react.
CLARENCE: Shut up, both of you, I know what I’m doin’.
Clarence puts the .38 against Elliot’s forehead.
CLARENCE: You must think I’m pretty stupid, don’t you? [No answer]. Don’t you?
ELLIOT: (petrified) No.
CLARENCE: Don’t lie to me, motherfucker. You apparently think I’m the dumbest motherfucker in the
world! Don’t you? Say: Clarence, you are without a doubt, the dumbest motherfucker in the whole wide world. Say it! Say it, goddamn it!
ELLIOT: You are the dumbest person in the world.
CLARENCE: Apparently I’m not as dumb as you thought I am.
ELLIOT: No. No you’re not.
CLARENCE: What’s waiting for us up there. Tell me or I’ll pump two right in your face.
CLARENCE: Stand up.
Elliot does. The .38 is still pressed against his forehead.
CLARENCE: Like Nick Carter used to say: I I’m wrong, I’ll apologize. I want you to tell me what’s waiting for us up there. Something’s amiss. I can feel it. If anything out of the ordinary goes down, believe this, you’re gonna be the first one shot. Trust me, I am AIDS, you fuck with me, you die. Now quit making me mad and tell me why I’m so fucking nervous.
Elliot still hasn’t answered.
CLARENCE: OK.
With the .38 up against Elliot’s head
ELLIOT: I don’t wanna be here. I wanna go home. I wish somebody would just come and get me ’cause I don’t like this. This is not what I thought it would be. And I wish somebody would just take me away. Just take me away Come and get me. ’Cause I don’t like this anymore. I can’t take this. I’m sorry but I just can’t. So, if somebody would just come to my rescue, everything would be alright.
Clarence puts down the gun and hugs Elliot.
CLARENCE: Sorry, Elliot. Nothing personal. I just hadda make sure you’re all right. I’m sure. I really apologize for scaring you so bad, but believe me, I’m just as scared as you. Friends?
— Clarence (Christian Slater), Elliot (Bronson Pinchot), True Romance (1993), written by Quentin Tarantino
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is elevators, suggested by Summertime. True Romance suggested by jwebb66.
Trivia: The trivia section in the DVD special features reports that Writer Quentin Tarantino sold this script for about $10,000. With this money he purchased the red Chevy convertible that Vincent Vega drives in Pulp Fiction.
Dialogue On Dialogue: The scene is actually cross-cut to cops listening in on Elliot’s wire, so it’s even more tense.