Alien Nation (1988)

James Caan: Matthew Sykes

Photos 

Quotes 

• [after hearing some derisive comments about Sykes partner avoiding the beach] 

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Why don't you try standing next to an ocean of hydrochloric acid and see how well you surf.

• [Commenting on a "human" condom] 

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : And that fits?

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Well... Yeah, it's rubber. It stretches.

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : And still it fits?

• Cassandra : Tell me the truth. Have you ever... made it with one of us?

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : No... unless I got drunk and somebody didn't tell me.

  Cassandra : Mmm. A virgin! I find that very arousing. You sure you haven't?

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Um... there's lots of things I haven't done; that's not real high on my list. No... you know... don't take it personally. I'm a bigot.

• [Matt and George are showing each other pictures of their respective children] 

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : This is my son, Richard. He's four years old. We named him after your former president, Richard Nixon.

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [beat]  George, from now on, tell people that you named him after the director Richard Burton. Just trust me on this.

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : What is it?

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : Nothing.

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Come on, it's not nothing! When you talked to that coroner with that request it looked like you were about to shit peach pits... and it's not nothing now! Don't lie to me, George, you're real bad at it. That slag in there didn't die from just bullet wounds, am I right? Am I right? Tell me! You tell me and you tell me now. NOW!

  [punches the elevator wall screams goddamit] 

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [through restrained rage... George shoves him back]  The drug is called ja-bru-kha. It is a potent narcotic!

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [bewildered]  How potent?

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [annoyed]  More potent than any human drug you can imagine. The controllers regulated it, we would receive small amounts for our work in the mines.

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [stunned]  You? You were on this shit?

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [agitated]  Yes! We all were! We were engineered as slave laborers. It was our only means of pleasure... allowed! The harder you worked the more you got, the more you got the harder you worked. Thousands of my people died, I lost my best friend. It is a nightmare! I will not let it happen again.

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [taking it in]  George... This Is Huge... Ok. You know, it was simple... I mean, all you had to do is tell me. I mean, why couldn't you let me know?

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [haughtily]  Your people don't know about this part of our past and they cannot know it, it would threaten our entire existence here.

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [looking at a pistol target]  That is pitiful! That is goddamn pitiful! How long you been shootin'? What are you going to do if you catch a perp running out of a liquor store, wave your written exam scores at him?

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [Sykes has just cornered Harcourt]  Hands Up!

  [Harcourt raises his hands, producing a tube of ja-bru-kha] 

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : You make one move and you're history.

  William Harcourt : Not history... ETERNITY!

  [consumes a big dose of the ja-bru-kha] 

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Tell me the joke.

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : Stop me if you have heard it before. Why did the chicken cross the road?

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [coughs uncontrollably]  I've heard it.

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : It's a good joke.

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Tugg, get out of there!

  Bill Tuggle : I Can't! Do you mind?

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : It's called procedure George

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [brief pause then bluntly]  Fuck Procedure

  [singing as he drives straight through several barriers] 

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : George Francisco... open your golden bridge... open your bridge and let me in

• Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : [after luring a mutated Harcourt onto a dingy attached to a boat now moving across the ocean]  Nice View Huh? You Sack Of Shit

  [stunned Harcourt looks about realizing he's been tricked] 

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Let's Talk... Let's Have A Cold One

  [knocks both of them overboard into the ocean, with the seawater affecting Harcourt like acid] 

• Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [after Harcourt mutates from an overdose of the ja-bru-kha]  He must not get away

  Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes : Why's that?

  Det. Samuel 'George' Francisco : [visibly distraught]  What if people found out what we are capable of becoming