Can I have one of those Chesterfields now?
Coccotti: You know, Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world. I’m Sicilian. My father was the world heavyweight champion of Sicilian liars. From growin’ up with him I learned the pantomime. There are seventeen different things a guy can do when he lies to give himself away. A guy’s got seventeen pantomimes. A woman’s got twenty, a guy’s got seventeen. But if you know ’em like ya know your own face, they beat lie detectors all to hell. Now, what we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don’t wanna show me nothin’. But you’re tellin’ me everything. I know you know where they are. So tell me, before I do some damage you won’t walk away from.
Clifford: Could I have one of those Chesterfields now?
Coccotti: Sure.
Clifford: You got a match? Oh wait no no, don’t bother. I got one.
Coccotti: You know, Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world.
I’m Sicilian. My father was the world heavyweight champion of Sicilian liars.
From growin’ up with him I learned the pantomime.
There are seventeen different things a guy can do when he lies to give himself away.
A guy’s got seventeen pantomimes. A woman’s got twenty, a guy’s got seventeen.
But if you know ’em like ya know your own face, they beat lie detectors all to hell.
Now, what we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don’t wanna show me nothin’.
But you’re tellin’ me everything. I know you know where they are.
So tell me, before I do some damage you won’t walk away from.Clifford: Could I have one of those Chesterfields now?
Coccotti: Sure.
Clifford: You got a match? Oh wait no no, don’t bother. I got one.
“True Romance” (1993)
This is one of my all-time favorite dialogues in the movies.
It was written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avery. Played by Christopher Walken (Don Cocotti) and Dennis Hopper (Clifford).
The scene is brilliant. I can watch it over and over again.
But it’s not about the movie.
I watch and listen to Russian politicians today and absolutely can’t tell when they tell the truth and when they lie.
It doesn’t matter whom do they represent – Kremlin or its opposition.
All speak smooth and nice.
Even logical.
All articulate their thoughts.
I just forgot the language of pantomime that Don Coccotti from “True Romance” learned so perfectly.
Perhaps, it’s been long time since I actually lived in Russia.
Could I have one of those Chesterfields now?
Original in Russian
October 4, 2012