“The greatest line in R-rated history”, according to David Fincher
A recurring theme among the lines generally regarded as the most iconic, best-written, or greatest in cinema history is that they’re entirely palatable to a family audience. That doesn’t seem fair, since some R-rated exchanges are worthy of consideration, something David Fincher wholeheartedly agrees with.
Gone with the Wind‘s “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” The Godfather‘s “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” Sudden Impact‘s “Go ahead, make my day,” Casablanca‘s “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid,” and Taxi Driver‘s “You talkin’ to me?” are all legendary in their own right, but that shouldn’t exclude some swearier examples from making the cut.
One of the most obvious is Die Hard‘s “Yippee Ki Yay, motherfucker,” not to mention Goodfellas‘ “funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fucking amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?” which have been quoted for years, and it’ll stay that way forever.
For the most part, profanity is neither big nor clever, but when used in the right time in the right way and in the right movie, it’s a masterclass. Some films have dropped hundreds of f-bombs that barely registered, but as far as Fincher is concerned, one acclaimed horror flick has deployed a “fuck” better than any “fuck” that’s ever been fucked in the fucking cinema.
In Zach Cregger’s Weapons, Josh Brolin’s Archer Graff experiences a surreal dream while grappling with the mystery of Maybrook’s 17 disappeared children, including his son, Matthew. It’s a trippy sequence that made the audience feel as uneasy as the character, and when Archer wakes up, all he has to say about it is a suitably bemused, “What the fuck?”
“You know, Fincher told him it’s the greatest line in R-rated history,” the actor told Kevin McCarthy, with Cregger seeking the Fight Club and Seven filmmaker’s advice and expertise ahead of the film’s release. “Which I love,” Brolin added. “Fincher fucking said that.”
It isn’t written as a joke, it’s not the punchline to a lengthy build-up, and it’s not part of a lengthy monologue; Weapons‘ what-the-fuckery is little more than a reaction shot in the grand scheme of the picture, and it’s that simplicity, as well as the way Brolin delivered the line, that the man of a thousand takes instantly fell in love with.
“He actually said that, because Zach is close with him, and he went through the film, and he had very little notes,” Brolin explained. “You know, Zach said, ‘Will you please just watch it and tell me what you think?’ And he had very, very few things to say. I think it was more like, ‘You could cut out two frames here, two frames there’. It’s almost like nothing.”
Even if Fincher had extensive notes to pass on to the fast-rising auteur, there’s no chance he’d ever allow him to cut Brolin’s exasperated “What the fuck?” from Weapons, robbing the industry of its greatest-ever R-rated line. According to him, anyway.
