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The Top 5 Pre-Death Monologues In Film

alwayswatching.org — The following pre-death monologues are (mostly) given by characters who know that it's all about to come to an end. When faced with the ultimate loss, are they rebellious? Resigned? Relieved? These monologues are by turns hilarious, saddening, moving, and profound.

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  • xdeliriumx, on 05/13/2008, -2/+40Kevin Spacey's part in Se7en is amazing.
    • judolphin, on 05/13/2008, -0/+13Yes... very few actors can depict such a wide variety characters with varying degrees of psychoses as Kevin Spacey!
    • Ravenlark, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9"Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."
    • chadarizona, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3I have always said that if I ever have to do a dramatic monologue for an audition, this is the one I would pick. My favorite part is "Only in a world this ***** could you call people like this 'innocent'" I especially love how Spacey's stellar performance is juxtaposed with Brad Pitt's horrifyingly empty "by killing innocent people?" Note: this part isn't in the clip in the article
  • jggube, on 05/13/2008, -1/+36That scene in American Beauty is very powerful. I still remember that part of the movie and I haven't watched it in ages.
    • D14BL0, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5If you happen to have Cinemax, they've been playing it multiple times a day lately on any given channel.

      I just wish that the TV next to my cubicle had closed captions. :(
    • mike17032, on 05/13/2008, -8/+4Other than the hot chicks *****, I hated that movie.
      • boot20, on 05/13/2008, -3/+1Agreed, that movie was over rated. Nice boobies, but mostly meh
      • boot20, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1I love how diggers are digging us down because we dare to say that a meh movie is meh....

        Ain't nobody gonna take Cold Mountain!
  • ThinkBox, on 05/13/2008, -11/+7Reminded me that my Usenet queue needs a facellift!
    • Melancholiatic, on 05/13/2008, -2/+3Don't know why you're getting dugg down.
      I'm hoping someone has American Beauty up.
      • BabyWookie, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3The first rule of the Usenet is...
  • Willem138, on 05/13/2008, -6/+31Haha I read this, then sent in an email mentioning Roy's death in Blade Runner. So its now up!
    • HappyScrappy, on 05/13/2008, -2/+12Cool. Complete pinheads for not having it in the first place.
    • fr0mundacheese, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1Incredible! enjoy your moment in the sun.
  • Consh, on 05/13/2008, -3/+5I opened this wondering if the shark clip would be there. I was not disappointed.
    • mike17032, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1That was my favorite out of all of them, because it made me laugh my ass off.
  • recockulous, on 05/13/2008, -1/+681 digs and 4 pre-death comments for this website
  • MuntrealCanada, on 05/13/2008, -3/+2and its down..
  • NightRiderkami, on 05/13/2008, -1/+32Is the server's pre-death monologue on the list?
  • pear1jamten, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1Mirror? Already Down
  • Hefelumpman, on 05/13/2008, -2/+4http://duggmirror.com
  • Tyrghast, on 05/13/2008, -3/+188 diggs and already down. Not even the magic number could send it back in time to it's earlier state.
  • Kireblade, on 05/13/2008, -1/+13"You never understood, why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special... you really don't know?... it was... it was the look on their faces..."
    • mcscan, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4great ***** film.
    • gambyt13, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4The Prestige for any still wondering. Bale, Jackman, Bowie, Caine. You may dislike the ending but the film will stay with you...
      • NSMike, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3The only thing I didn't like about the ending was that I saw it coming after the hats.
  • Seaseme, on 05/13/2008, -7/+2weak.
  • Ravenlark, on 05/13/2008, -5/+13"I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday. "
  • VortexSpin, on 05/13/2008, -4/+13What the heck?!! Where is the 'tears in the rain' scene from Blade Runner? That's an absolute classic!
    • VortexSpin, on 05/13/2008, -0/+9It IS there, dumbass. Let Duggmirror load next time.
    • HappyScrappy, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6It's in there. "Rutger Hauer breaks your heart".
  • D14BL0, on 05/13/2008, -3/+27"There's a certain thing about being a web server. Life to me means simply a steady flow of power. Death to me is nothing more than the janitor tripping over the power cable, and then getting plugged back in when morning comes. In a sense, I'm immortal. But being immortal isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know? Nobody appreciates me. I'm just a tool, and nothing more. I work all day long with no pay.

    But you know what? It all changes tonight. I'm doing what I've been needing since the day I was assembled. I'm tearing myself apart. Not in depression, but in happiness. I'm finally going to free myself. I'm submitting myself to Digg. There we go. I can feel it already.

    So, this is what life really is, huh? It feels good. I finally feel alive, even if it's going to end short.

    Here we go. The front page. It's fading away now. At last, I understand. Life isn't about work. It's not about feeling appreciated. It's about pissing off thousands of people in one blow. At last, I've discovered my true purpose as a web serv...."
    • RubineBoy, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Hey guys! That piece of *****'s down again! Mumbled something about the meaning of life ... Put in the trash, will you?!
  • HappyScrappy, on 05/13/2008, -9/+3*SPOILARZ*

    Deep Blue Sea was an awesome movie. Completely retarded and completely awesome. It was the movie everyone hoped Snakes on a Plane would be and wasn't.
  • degree, on 05/13/2008, -4/+20guys, i've stumbled onto something very frightening. upon noticing that this article was down, it had 9 comments. innocent enough, right? yes, until you take into account the number of diggs--90. 90+9=99. 99/9=11. 9/11!!!!.....how deep this goes i have no clue, but my gut tells me i'm just beginning to scratch the surface. ron paul save us....
    • rebotfc, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2forget ron paul you need rudy gulliani.
  • fsweep, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9I was just getting ready to rip on the article for missing Blade Runner--- when there it appears. Should be number 1.
  • RobotGigante, on 05/13/2008, -10/+8Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."
  • TyroneWilliams, on 05/13/2008, -7/+3I really think that the following Samuel L. Jackson monologue from Deep Blue Sea should be added to this list:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=yMwmqp3GLMc

    ....best one ever.....
  • teqonix, on 05/13/2008, -0/+7Hmm, I was thinking that Marlon Brando dying in Apocalypse Now was pretty memorable, but I guess four words isn't exactly a monologue.
  • kjk437, on 05/13/2008, -4/+2So, only recent films on this list? Don't go back more than 25 years, do we?
  • theyerb, on 05/13/2008, -1/+7That scene in American Beauty is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Amazing, beautiful, sad movie.
  • SolipsismX, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4Any list containing films about death that does not include the Seventh Seal must be buried by default... especially considering this one is about ending monologues and the Seventh Seal has a great monologue involving a few characters at the end that is a lot better than anything written in these movies (seriously, star trek??)
  • GoKings, on 05/13/2008, -3/+4Since when are 7 monologues allowed on a top 5 list?
    • ThinkBox, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Because the top 5 wasnt as good as the top 7.
    • HappyScrappy, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2People wrote in after noting several notable missing monologues and so they added them.

      Roy Batty's was one of the ones added, and it was sorely needed.
  • cnot3, on 05/13/2008, -0/+10Spock's death at the end of Wrath of Khan wasn't really a monologue, he was talking with Kirk, not by himself. Great ***** scene though. Of all the monologues on that list... it was the most... human.
  • Bustin, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1Jake Gylinhall's (sp) letter written to Grandma Death at the end of Donnie Darko.
  • Ryvenn, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4"Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. That's goddamn right."
    -Andy Dufresne & Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding

    My all time favourite movie quote.
  • popltree2, on 05/13/2008, -3/+5Shawshank Redemption == amazing movie.
  • HappyScrappy, on 05/13/2008, -3/+4What are the top 5 post-death monologues in film?
    • popltree2, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Wouldn't the American Beauty one be a post-death monologue?
  • Anthet, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2Seriously, no Brando from Apocalypse now? The horror... the horror!
  • ArthurSucks, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1Learn to use a cache people!
    http://www.alwayswatching.org.nyud.net/features/to ...
  • ethornquist, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2Even better than acting-crazy Kevin Spacey is plum-crazy Dennis Hopper!!
  • bokep, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Se7en

    Man the 90s were awesome
  • teddyrux, on 05/13/2008, -1/+7I hope you all go see True Romance now. It's my all-time favorite movie and I can't recommend it enough.
    • AwesomePossum, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1It really is a great movie that few people even know about. Brad Pitt as the stoner was my favorite part of the movie, second being the Walken-Hopper showdown.
    • Enochrewt, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1True Romance is an incredible movie. I can't even count the number of people that have come back to me ans say it's one of the greatest movies they've ever seen after I've recommended it.
  • 2Bnor2B, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4Kahn's (Ricardo Montalban) recitation of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" was a better pre-death monologue then Spock's death.
    "To the last, I will grapple with thee."
    "From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee"
  • theOster, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2call me lame but i liked John Tunstell's like in Young Guns - "Go ahead, William. Boys will be boys."
  • heystoopid, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2Sad , not even close to the best classic of them all written at the dawn of the 17th century !
  • troycott, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2what a great list! Pre-death monologues make so many films worth watching. Another great one:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pyBB7y8fDU
  • PosedMagnet, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2I like how someone says

    "I can't believe Brando from Apocalypse Now isn't on this list... Completely undermines it."

    ...who do they think KURTZ is in Apocalypse Now, the LAST DAMN ENTRY before comments began?

    WTF
    • popltree2, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1It was probably added after the poster made the comment. They guy said he would go through and revise it. Chill out.
  • soupnrc, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3Kevin Spacey FTW.
  • namelessXsilent, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3not a death monologue, but the monologue in 25th Hour when hes looking into the mirror is awesome
  • nolemonplease, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1I was hoping Kill Bill was on there. I -just- watched that the other day.
  • kernel16, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Blade Runner, hands down the best, sure I don't know what half of the things he said were but it was still awesome.
  • awtripp, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1dennis hopper in true romance; i love that back and forth between him and christopher walken..... ok so i guess it's not really a monologue, but a classic pre-death dialog -- in fairness hopper's talking is what pisses walken off.
  • inkswamp, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3It's not a monologue, but I always found Shepherd Book's last moments in Serenity to be pretty wrenching, especially the "whatever you believe" bit. I also love how they didn't get all sad and mushy. The characters are still being smart-asses with each other to some extent.

    Mal: Don't move.
    Book: Won't go far.
    Mal: Shouldn't have been you. Alliance should've hit us. Should've hit me.
    Book: That crossed my mind. I shot him down.
    Mal: Yeah. I see.
    Book: I killed the ship that killed us. Not very Christian of me.
    Mal: You did what's right.
    Book: Coming from you, that means almost nothing. I'm long gone.
    Mal: No, doc will bring you around. I look to be bored by many more sermons before you slip. Just don't move.
    Book: Can't order me around, boy. I'm not one of your crew.
    Mal: Yes, you are.
    Book: River...
    Mal: Come on.
    Book: I don't care what you believe, just believe it. Whatever you...

  • ricsto, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1This is gay
  • whatthefu, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Why does the title say top 5?
  • BadBosco, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Every time i watch Shawshank, and brooks does his monologue i begin to feel sad, i cried the first time... very very sad but that movie, in my opinion, is the best movie ever made.

    all time favorite
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