28 Days Later (2003) - Quotes

The Struggle for Normalcy in Crisis

Taglines: Return to normality

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The Destructive Power of Human Rage

Taglines: ...people killing people." -Our rage is destroying humanity; whether on a large or small scale, slowly but surely.

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Awakening to Fear and Isolation

Taglines: His fear began when he woke up alone. His terror began when he realised he wasn't.

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Chronology of Infection and Destruction

Taglines: Day 1: Exposure - Day 3: Infection - Day 8: Epidemic - Day 20: Evacuation - Day 28: Devastation

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Gratitude Amidst Impending Loss

Taglines: Be Thankful For Everything, For Soon There Will Be Nothing...

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The Countdown Has Begun

Taglines: The Days Are Numbered

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Confrontation of Guilt and Survival

Major West: Who have you killed?

Jim: What?

Major West: Since it began, who have you killed? You wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't killed somebody.

Jim: I killed... I killed a boy.

Major West: A child?

Jim: Yeah.

Major West: But you had to kill him. Otherwise he'd have killed you. Survival. I understand. I promised them women.

Jim: What?

Major West: Eight days ago, I found Jones with his gun in his mouth. He said he was going to kill himself because there was no future. What could I say to him? We fight off the infected or we wait until they starve to death, and then what? What do nine men do except wait to die themselves? I moved us from the blockade, I set the radio broadcasting and I promised them women. Because women mean a future.

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Tension Among Soldiers in Crisis Situation

Private Jones: [shooting at infected onslaught] Mitch, I fucking got one!

Corporal Mitchell: What you want, a fuckin sweetie? Keep shootin', you cunt!

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Disappointment Over Bad Eggs in Rations

Major West: Jones, did you notice while cooking that these eggs were off?

Private Jones: I-I thought the salt might cover the taste, sir.

Major West: Get rid of it.

Private Bedford: What a fuckin disappointment. When I saw those eggs, I thought it was Christmas.

Private Bell: We'll have eggs again, soon as everything's back to normal.

Corporal Mitchell: Aw, you muppet. I mean, look at him, oi? He's still waiting for Marks & Spencer to reopen! Listen, mate, you don't know nothing-

Sergeant Farrell: [pauses] Well, I think Bell's got a point. When you look at the whole life of the planet, we- you know, man- has only been around for a few blinks of an eye. So if the infection wipes us all out- that is a return to normality. That what you meant, Bell?

Private Bell: [Laughter breaks out among the men] Uh, yeah- yeah.

Major West: [To Jim, Selena, and Hannah; Farrell, aware he is being mocked, scowls and says nothing.] Have you met our new age sergeant? Our spiritual guru? Tell me, Farrell, why exactly did you join the Army in the first place? This is what I've seen in the four weeks since infection: people killing people. Which is much what I saw in the four weeks before infection, and the four weeks before that, and before that, as far back as I care to remember- people killing people. Which, to my mind, puts us in a state of normality right now.

Selena: Hannah, you're not eating.

Hannah: I don't want to eat.

Major West: You must eat, Hannah.

Hannah: I don't want to eat. I want to bury my dad. He's one of the people you're talking about.

Sergeant Farrell: STAND TO! STAND TO!

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Learning from the Infected

Major West: [Mailer charges out at them but is held back by a chain; Major West casually introduces them to each other.] And lastly, meet Mailer. Mailer, Jim. Jim, Mailer. Got infected two days ago. Mitchell managed to knock him out cold, and we got a chain around his neck.

Jim: You're keeping him alive?

Major West: The idea was to learn more about infection. Have him teach me.

Jim: [Mailer completely ignores several open but untouched cans of food left out for him] And... has he?

Major West: [he kneels near Mailer, inducing a fit of groaning and thrashing] In a way. He's telling me he'll never bake bread, plant crops, raise livestock. He's telling me he's futureless. And eventually, he'll tell me how long the infected take to starve to death.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Reflections on Lost Creativity and Regret

Jim: Do you know what I was thinking?

Selena: You were thinking that you'll never hear another piece of original music, ever again. You'll never read a book that hasn't already been written or see a film that hasn't already been shot.

Jim: Um, that's what you were thinking.

Selena: No. I was thinking I was wrong.

Jim: About what?

Selena: All the death, all the shit, it doesn't really matter to Frank and Hannah, because... well, she's got a dad and he's got his daughter. So I was wrong when I said staying alive is as good as it gets.

Jim: See, that's what I was thinking.

Selena: Was it?

Jim: Mm-hmm. You stole my thought.

Selena: [she kisses him on the cheek] Sorry.

Jim: It's okay. You keep it.

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Survival Over Plans in Crisis Situations

Jim: How did you know? I mean, how did you know he was infected?

Selena: The blood.

Jim: Yeah... but there was blood everywhere. It was on me, it was on you —

Selena: Look, I didn't know he was infected, okay? He knew. I could see it in his face. Look, if someone gets infected you've got between ten and twenty seconds to kill them. It might be your brother or your sister or your oldest friend. It makes no difference. And just so you know where you stand — if it happens to you, I'll do it in a heartbeat... He was full of plans, Mark. Do you have plans, Jim? Do you want us to find a cure and save the world, or just fall in love and fuck? Plans are pointless. Staying alive's as good as it gets.

The Disappearance of Government in Crisis

Jim: What about the government? What are they doing?

Selena: There is no government.

Jim: Of course there's a government! There's always a government! They're in a... a bunker, or a plane!

Mark: No. There's no government. No army. No police. No TV, no radio, no electricity. You're the first uninfected person we've seen in six days.

Jim: What about your family?

Mark: They're dead. So is Selena's.

Selena: And yours will be dead too.

Understanding Infection and Its Consequences

Researcher: The chimps have been infected. They're highly contagious. They've been given an inhibitor...

Activist: Infected with what?

Researcher: In order to cure, you must first understand...

Activist: Infected with WHAT?

Researcher: Rage.

Desperation and Loss in a Crowded Crisis

Mark: I remember my dad had all this cash. He thought maybe we could buy our way onto a plane, even though cash was completely useless. Ten thousand other people had the same idea. The crowd was surging. I lost my grip on my sister's hand. I remember the ground felt very soft, and I saw I was standing on people. People who had fallen. Like a carpet. There were infected in the crowd- it spread fast. You couldn't get away, you could only climb, climb over more people. So I did that. So I climbed, I climbed on top of more people. I got up on top of this kiosk. Looking down you couldn't tell which faces were infected and which weren't. Then I saw my dad. Not my mum or my sister. My dad. I saw his face... Selena's right. You should be grateful.

The Spread of Infection and Its Consequences

Selena: It started off as rioting. But right from the beginning you knew this was different, because it was happening in small villages, market towns... and then it wasn't on TV anymore. It was on the street outside. It was coming through your windows. It was a virus, an infection. You didn't need a doctor to tell you that. It was the blood, or something in the blood. By the time they tried to evacuate the cities, it was already too late. The infection was everywhere. The army blockades were overrun, and that's when the exodus started. The day before the TV and radio stopped broadcasting, there were reports of infection in Paris and New York. You didn't hear anything more after that.