First Line or Last Line: Name That Movie!

Blade Runner (1982)

Fun fact: Rutger Hauer largely improvised this monologue on the day of filming. The original script had a much longer speech, but Hauer cut it down and added the "tears in rain" line himself. It's widely considered one of the greatest moments of improvisation in cinema history. Hauer said the words just came to him and he wrote them the night before the shoot.

Goodfellas (1990)

Fun fact: This line, spoken by Ray Liotta, sets the tone for the entire film in a single sentence. It tells you immediately that the story is told from the perspective of someone who chose this life. The real Henry Hill approved of the portrayal and reportedly said Liotta captured his personality perfectly.

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Fun fact: Vivien Leigh delivers this iconic final line as Scarlett O'Hara. The line comes directly from Margaret Mitchell's novel. The film was the highest-grossing movie of all time for 25 years, and when adjusted for inflation, it remains the highest-grossing film in history with an estimated $3.7 billion in today's dollars.

The Godfather (1972)

Fun fact: These four words, spoken by the undertaker Bonasera, open one of the greatest films ever made. The camera slowly pulls back during this monologue to reveal Don Corleone's face. Francis Ford Coppola deliberately started with someone asking the Godfather for a favor to establish the character's power before we even see him speak.

Black Swan (2010)

Fun fact: Natalie Portman trained in ballet for a year before filming, practicing 5–8 hours a day. She lost 20 pounds and suffered a dislocated rib during production. The final line is devastating because it's unclear whether it represents artistic triumph or complete psychological collapse — exactly as Darren Aronofsky intended.

Fight Club (1999)

Fun fact: This opening line is brilliant in hindsight because of the film's twist. Edward Norton's narrator is asking the audience a question about a person who turns out to be himself. David Fincher shot 1,500 rolls of film for this movie — three times the normal amount for a feature film.

King Kong (1933)

Fun fact: This closing line has been repeated in virtually every remake and adaptation of King Kong. The original 1933 film used groundbreaking stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien. It was one of the first films to feature a fully realized soundtrack composed specifically for the movie rather than using stock music.

Rebecca (1940)

Fun fact: This is the only Alfred Hitchcock film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The opening line comes directly from Daphne du Maurier's novel and is considered one of the most famous opening lines in both literature and cinema. Joan Fontaine's character is never given a first name in the entire film.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Fun fact: Kevin Spacey won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verbal Kint. The famous final reveal, where detective Kujan realizes the truth while looking at the bulletin board, was shot in one take. The line about the devil is often attributed to the French poet Charles Baudelaire.

Se7en (1995)

Fun fact: Morgan Freeman ad-libbed this final voice-over line. Director David Fincher almost cut it but decided it perfectly captured the film's bleak worldview while leaving a sliver of hope. The original ending had Somerset shooting John Doe, but the studio and Fincher agreed that Brad Pitt's character pulling the trigger was more devastating.