Speech! Speech!

There are certain moments in life where a good speech can just tie everything together very nicely. Weddings, funerals, or maybe just rallying the Irish troops against the British (what? i can dream...). Movie speeches are very hard to pull off successfully because they are very cliche. Every once in a while, you get a great writer and director together and the speech can be an extremely high point in cinema. So here they are, the 6 Best Movie Speeches.



6. Choose Life
Spoken By: Ewen McGregor in Trainspotting
Memorable Because: Well, if you've seen the movie, then you know that the movie is pretty anti-establishment. McGregor's character, a heroin addict, gives a great opening speech about what what's expected of us in life. What we are expected to choose and how McGregor doesn't have any desire to choose that at all. In fact, he gives the same reason for choosing heroin instead of all those objects and commonalities of life that anyone could for choosing those: there is none. Who wants all that other crap? Choose what you want out of life. If you choose heroin, it's your own damn fault. Then you have the ending speech as well, in which he chooses the opposite of what he did at the start. But it's unclear if he's clean or just giving another one of those "we've heard that before" type speeches something like "Alright, this is my last cigarette and I'm clean." Or me saying I'm done with tequila. I actually laughed out loud writing that. (Sad, I know)
Here's the speech at the beginning:


And the one at the end:



5. Watch Up the Ass
Spoken By: Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction
Memorable Because: Chris Walken has a very distinctive voice and sometimes commanding screen presence. It's amazing how Walken expresses the importance and sacrifice surrounding Bruce Willis' fathers watch. Willis' father died in a POW camp trying to keep the watch so he could pass it down and Walken risked his trying to get it to him. I can explain what the speech is about and all but that's like explaining Shakespeare to an infant. So here's the video. Watch as Walken completely makes a somewhat ridiculous story and turns it into something great.


4. Napalm in the Morning
Spoken By: Robert Duvall in Apocolypse Now
Memorable Because: Are you kidding? Besides producing one of the most famous lines in cinema history, you have Duvall delivering a great speech while he makes a soldier surf in the middle of a battlezone. In this great speech, you can see what war does to people. It can make them almost senseless. I get chills when the speech is over and Duvall delivers the final line. Very telling and very powerful.


3. Freedom!
Spoken By: Mel Gibson in Braveheart
Memorable Because: One of the most recognizable moments in cinema ends this speech. Mel Gibson's speech to rally the Scots against the dirt English (Horray!!!!) shows you how effective a speech can actually be if done right. Gibson's scream is just the tip of the iceberg. God, I would have followed that anti-semetic bastard into war if he gave me this speech (especially if it was against the English).


2. Hoo Ahh!
Spoken By: Al Pacino in Scent Of a Woman
Memorable Because: Pacino's portrayal of a blind ex-war hero, which earned him an Oscar, culminates in this great speech about loyalty, trying to get his friend out of expulsion. Pacino takes over the movie at this point. Making references to war in regards to spirit and soul, he gives a great diatribe on how ridiculous the preceedings are. IF you've seen it, and if you haven't WTF, then you know Chris O'Donnell stays loyal to Pacino the entire day, honoring his wishes and even saving his life. Honor, loyalty, principle. He pretty much makes everyone against his friend look like a huge douchebag. Starting at 2:57, Pacino shows why he's one of the greatest actors of our time.


1. Shut Up Maggots!
Spoken By: R. Lee Ermy in Full Metal Jacket
Memorable Because: In this 5-minute profanity fest of hilarity, Ermy, maybe known to you as the actor who is typecasted as a guy who yells alot with a military background, pretty much destroys the spirit of everyone in the room by insulting them, their mothers, and their 2-year old children. If you need to add a few insults to your repertoire then just watch this clip of the movie. It is quite possibly one of the most vulgar, ridiculous, offensive, and awesome scenes in movie history. I could keep describing it but I wouldn't do it justice.


There you have it, some of the greatest diatribes put on to film. It compares little to the 2007 speech I gave for the independence of Tajikistan, but my public speaking skills are uncomparable. I hope you enjoyed my little list of speeches as my blog slowly becomes more and more like cracked.com, except it's not updated nearly as much. Maybe I'll do something political next time and give my blog a nostalgic taste. Until then, stay hungry boys and girls. (are there any girls that read this? psh, I doubt it)