The Dead Zone (1983)

Christopher Walken: Johnny Smith

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Quotes 

• Johnny Smith : The ICE... is gonna BREAK!

• Johnny Smith : "Bless me"? You know what God did for me? He threw an 18-wheel truck at me! Bounced me into nowhere for five years! When I woke up, my-my-my girl was gone, my job was gone, my legs are just about useless. Bless me? God's been a real sport to me!

• Johnny Smith : What about my question?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Huh? Huh? Oh, you mean the one about Hitler?

  Johnny Smith : What would you do?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : I don't like this, John. What are you getting at?

  Johnny Smith : What would you do? Would you kill him?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : All right. All right. I'll give you an answer. I'm a man of medicine. I'm expected to save lives and ease suffering. I love people. Therefore, I would have no choice but to kill the son of a bitch.

  Johnny Smith : You'd never get away alive.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : It doesn't matter. I would kill him.

  [lifting drink] 

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Nasdrovia. Skol.

• [last lines] 

  Johnny Smith : Goodbye.

  Sarah Bracknell : I love you.

• Sarah Bracknell : You lost weight.

  Johnny Smith : They call it "coma diet". Lose weight while you sleep.

• [first lines] 

  Johnny Smith : [Johnny is reading "The Raven" to his class]  And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting, on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door, and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, and the lamp light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor, and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted... nevermore.

• Johnny Smith : I keep thinking about a line from a book. It's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"; the last thing I gave my class to read before... the accident. Ichabod Crane disappears.; the line goes: "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head about him anymore."

  Sarah Bracknell : Is that what you're afraid of?

  Johnny Smith : That's what I want. It's what I want.

• Johnny Smith : [touching the mother of a serial killer]  You knew? Didn't you?

  Henrietta Dodd : You... you're a devil, sent from Hell!

• Johnny Smith : [to Stillson, having "seen" the photo of him using a little child as a human shield on the cover of a magazine]  It's over. You're finished.

• Johnny Smith : Amy.

  Nurse : Amy is my daughter's name.

  Johnny Smith : Your daughter's screaming. The house is burning. Your daughter's in the house. It's not too late.

• Johnny Smith : [John has "seen" Stillson become President and trigger WW3, and now is making up his mind how to prevent Stillson's holocaust]  If you could go back in time to Germany, before Hitler came to power, knowing what you know now, would you kill him?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Is that why you sent for me, to ask me this, uh... this question?

• Johnny Smith : I've been tutoring this boy named Stuart. In the vision, I saw him drown. But that's not the point. In the vision, something was missing.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : How - how do you mean?

  Johnny Smith : It was like... a blank spot, a dead zone.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : First of all, tell me, did the boy, in fact, drown?

  Johnny Smith : His father wanted him to play hockey. I talked him out of it. The boy's alive.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Ah. Yes. Don't you see how clear it is? Not only can you see the future, you can...

  Johnny Smith : I can change it.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : You can change it, exactly. Here. Yes, John. That is your... your "dead zone." The possibility of... of altering the outcome of your premonitions. It's fascinating. Let me make a note.

• Johnny Smith : Your father says there's something wrong with you, he wants me to bring you out of your shell. I don't know what to do.

  Chris Stuart : You don't have to do anything. It's my dad that lives in a shell, not me.

• Sarah Bracknell : I never should have let you go that night.

  Johnny Smith : It was my idea, remember? What a jerk.

  [he laughs] 

• Dr. Sam Weizak : What about the boy? You keep saying "The boy is safe. The boy is safe." What boy?

  Johnny Smith : You. You're the boy.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : I am the boy?

  Johnny Smith : She saved you. She's alive, Sam.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Who?

  Johnny Smith : Your mother.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : No, that is not possible, John.

  Johnny Smith : She survived.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : John, my mother is dead.

  Johnny Smith : She's alive. I know her name. I know where she lives.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : That is not possible, John. How could you know that? How...?

  Johnny Smith : I'm scared, Sam. What's happening to me?

• Johnny Smith : What's on your mind, Sam?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : You were right, John, about my mother. I got the number from Information. There it was, right in the phone book.

  Johnny Smith : Did you talk to her?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : No, I didn't. I, um... she came to the phone, but I-I just couldn't talk to her. I... I hung up.

  Johnny Smith : Why?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Why? Because it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't meant to be.

• Johnny Smith : I saw him. I was there. I saw him. I stood there. I saw his face.

  Sheriff Bannerman : Who?

  Johnny Smith : I stood there and watched him kill that girl. Dodd.

  Sheriff Bannerman : Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What are you saying?

  Johnny Smith : I did nothing. I stood there and watched him kill that girl.

  Sheriff Bannerman : What are you talking about?

  Johnny Smith : Dodd. I stood there. I did nothing.

  Sheriff Bannerman : Dodd?

  [no response] 

  Sheriff Bannerman : Dodd, get up here.

  Deputy #1 : He just, uh, took off in your car, Sheriff.

  Johnny Smith : I saw his face. I saw his face.

• Vera Smith : It's a miracle, John.

  Johnny Smith : I know. I was lucky. Lookit. Not a scratch.

  Vera Smith : The Lord has delivered you from your trance.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Remember what we discussed, Mrs. Smith, please.

  Johnny Smith : What's she talking about?

  Herb Smith : [trying to comfort Vera]  Shh, shh.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : You've been in a coma Johnny, not a trance.

  Johnny Smith : Coma? For how long?

  Herb Smith : We're just glad to have you back, son. That's all that matters.

  Johnny Smith : How long... dad? How long?

  Vera Smith : Five years. Five long years, John. Lost for five years. And now reborn unto me.

  Johnny Smith : Five... years? What about Sarah?

  Vera Smith : Cast her from your thoughts, John. She's turned her back on you. She cleaves now unto another man, a husband.

  Johnny Smith : Husband?

• Sheriff Bannerman : I guess I've come to you with what you could call a proposal, John. Uh, it has to do with these murders we've been having. The Castle Rock Killer. I'm sure you've heard of him.

  Johnny Smith : Sure.

  Sheriff Bannerman : I don't know whether it's true or not, uh, John, about these... psychic powers of yours. But if it is true, John, I could use your help.

  Herb Smith : John, maybe you should give him, uh...

  [he trails off seeing Johnny's look] 

  Sheriff Bannerman : Take a minute to think about it. But bear in mind some decent young women from homes just like this met with terrible, terrible deaths. Now, I'm at my wits' end. I've exhausted about every conventional method of approach to this situation. I've come up with nothing. I feel you can help me, John.

  Johnny Smith : You made a mistake.

  Sheriff Bannerman : Mmm. I was sorry to hear about your mother's death, John, Mr. Smith. I understand she was a good woman. Christian woman. I'm not a religious man myself, I'm sorry to say. But I will say this. If God has seen fit to bless you with this gift, you should use it.

• Roger Stuart : [watching Greg Stillson on TV]  Do you believe this guy? He's just getting warmed up. Gonna vote for him, John?

  Johnny Smith : I'm not even registered.

  Roger Stuart : You're not registered?

  Johnny Smith : No.

  Roger Stuart : Well, get registered, pal, and vote against this turkey. He's dangerous.

  Greg Stillson : ...my opponent. And I see all around me so many unemployed. What are you people doing here in the middle of the day? Middle of a workday! You're standing out in the cold! Look around. Look at each other. How do you feel about each other? Are you proud of your communities? Would you send the guy next to you to the U.S. Senate? Huh? You can't even trust your own local people. You don't feel good about yourself!

  Roger Stuart : A real man of the people. Jesus, what an act. Can't they see through this guy?

  Johnny Smith : I'm mixed up. You both acted like you were friends this morning.

  Roger Stuart : Guys like Stillson, you got to walk a thin line. You can't get too close, 'cause if they lose, they'll drag you down with 'em. On the other hand, if he wins - and this turkey just might - you got to make sure you're thought of as a good friend.

• Dardis : [asking Johnny to demonstrate his abilities]  Now, touch my hand. Okay, John, touch my hand. Tell me. Is... is my house on fire, John?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Do you want me to stop this?

  Johnny Smith : No, it's okay. Tell you about your house?

  Dardis : Mm-hmm.

  Johnny Smith : What do you wanna know? Do you wanna... you wanna know the future? You wanna know if you're gonna die? Is that it? You're gonna die. I'm gonna die. You wanna know if you're gonna die tomorrow. Is that right?

  [taking his hand] 

  Johnny Smith : You wanna know... why your sister killed herself.

  Dardis : All right. What are you doing? Let go!

  Johnny Smith : It's not all right.

  Dardis : It's okay.

  Johnny Smith : It's not okay.

  Dardis : Okay.

  Johnny Smith : I could tell you now.

  Dardis : [wrenching his hand free]  I'm not gonna talk about that. Let go of me. You fucking freak!

• Sarah Bracknell : Please don't look at me like that.

  Johnny Smith : What am I gonna do? For you, five years have come and gone. For me, it's just about the next day. My feelings haven't changed yet.

  Sarah Bracknell : Oh, Johnny. Why did it have to happen like this?

  Johnny Smith : Bad luck.

• Sarah Bracknell : Can teachers be expelled for kissing in the hallway?

  Johnny Smith : They get fired.

  Sarah Bracknell : Thank god it's Friday.

  Johnny Smith : You sound like one of my students. Why don't you carry my books? I hope you haven't made any plans for this afternoon.

  Sarah Bracknell : Ooh, where are we going?

  Johnny Smith : It's a secret.

  [cut to them laughing and screaming on a roller coaster] 

• Johnny Smith : How'd you find me? My father?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : I stopped off to see him, and he told me you moved to a new town. He's worried about you. And so am I.

  Johnny Smith : There's nothing to worry about. I'm taking care of myself. It's about time I started doing that.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : I'm still your doctor, John. You're still under my care. We have to stay in touch.

  Johnny Smith : Well...

  Dr. Sam Weizak : [indicating his gunshot wound]  How's the, uh...? All healed up now?

  Johnny Smith : The bullet went right through me. It's nothing.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Good.

  [He looks around] 

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Nice place you have here.

  Johnny Smith : It's home... Let me show you something, Sam.

  [He displays a closet filled with letters and packages] 

  Johnny Smith : My father passes these on to me. They're from people with lost family members, lost pets, lost friends, lost possessions... and lost lives.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : You haven't opened any of them.

  Johnny Smith : I don't need to. They all want the same things: reassurance, comfort, guidance, encouragement... things which aren't mine to give them.

• Dr. Sam Weizak : The first order of business is getting your body back into shape. Although you've been exercised regularly, the, uh, the ligaments have shorted a little during the coma.

  Johnny Smith : Am I gonna have to live in a wheelchair?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Not permanently, and not for very long. Not if I can help it. I, uh, I won't deceive you, John. Your therapy will be long and painful, but you will walk.

• Johnny Smith : They went over there and put it out, and that's... that's all there is.

  Dardis : Clement Dardis, WJGE-TV. Well, what happened to the little girl?

  Johnny Smith : I understand she's fine.

  Dardis : Well, would you call this a... psychic experience?

  Johnny Smith : No, I would not.

  Dardis : Ever had one of these experiences before?

  Johnny Smith : No.

  Dardis : How about a demonstration, John?

  Johnny Smith : A what?

  Dardis : You know, a demonstration. Um... you got any predictions? Uh, you think Greg Stillson is gonna unseat Senator Proctor?

  Johnny Smith : Who?

  Dardis : Greg Stillson?

  Dr. Sam Weizak : [Johnny turns to him, confused]  Uh, thank you, sir. No more.

  Dardis : [the other reporters clamor]  Hey. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. How about, John? How about the election?

  Johnny Smith : I don't even know who you're talking about.

• Dr. Sam Weizak : I don't approve.

  Johnny Smith : The press has been hounding me since I woke up. I wanna get it over with.

  Dr. Sam Weizak : Once you've set something like this in motion, it seems to me you never know where it'll lead.

  Johnny Smith : It's already in motion. I just wanna stop it.

• Sarah Bracknell : Everybody's talking about you. You're the talk of the town.

  Johnny Smith : 'Cause I got my head bashed in and I'm still here to talk about it?

  Sarah Bracknell : Because you have the power of second sight. Is it true, Johnny? The papers won't let up about it.

• Dr. Sam Weizak : Hello, John. My name's Weizak. I'm Dr. Sam Weizak. I'm the director of this clinic. You've been our guest here for a while.

  Johnny Smith : [hoarsely]  Guest? A funny way of putting it.

• Johnny Smith : No snow. It should snow for Christmas.

• Sarah Bracknell : You look wonderful. You lost the crutches, I see.

  Johnny Smith : Yeah. I still got the limp.

• Johnny Smith : [to his class]  Next I want you to read 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow', you'll love it, this school teacher finds himself being chased by a headless demon.