Force of Evil poster

Force of Evil Quotes

"Sensational Story Of a Numbers King Whose Number Was Up!"

NR 1948 · 1h 19m
66
Audience
66
Audience
12 quotes
Business Perspective on Gangsters
Wally What do you mean "gangsters"? It's business.
Contemplating Life and Future Possibilities
Doris Lowry You know I've got my whole life to think about now and you won't be of any help.
Joe Morse How do you know? You know everything I touch turns to gold. Its raining out and I promised my brother to take you home.
Doris Lowry Well, that's a lie.
Joe Morse Well, it's not true; but I would have had he asked. You know you can't tell about your life til you're all through living it. Come on, I'll give you a lift. You're tired, I'm tireder. What can happen to either one of us? You tell me the story of your life and maybe I can suggest a happy ending.
Perception and Relationships in Force of Evil
Edna Tucker You're wide open, Joe. I can see into you without looking.
Joe Morse Don't bother; besides it's not nice to do.
Edna Tucker More interesting than when you have a rock for a husband like mine. He's a stone, that man. Whole world are rocks and stones to him.
Joe Morse Why tell me? Tell him.
Edna Tucker Never tell him anything. Makes me feel unnecessary.
Joe Morse If I make you feel necessary then I'm making a mistake.
Complexity of Love and Relationships
Joe Morse If you need a broken man to love, break your husband. I'm not a nickel, I don't spend my life in a telephone! If that's what you want for love, you can't use me.
Edna Tucker You're not strong or weak enough.
A Brother's Tragic Fate and Redemption
Joe Morse I found my brother's body at the bottom there, where they had thrown it away on the rocks... by the river... like an old dirty rag nobody wants. He was dead - and I felt I had killed him. I turned back to give myself up to Hall; because if a man's life can be lived so long and come out this way - like rubbish - then something was horrible and had to be ended one way or another... and I decided to help.
The Dilemma of Morality and Money
Leo Morse The money I made in this rotten business is no good for me, Joe. I don't want it back. And Tucker's money is no good either.
Joe Morse The money has no moral opinions.
Leo Morse I find I have, Joe. I find I have.
The Illusion of Business Integrity
Sylvia Morse Don't have anything to do with him, Leo. You're a businessman.
[referring to Joe]
Leo Morse Yes. I've been a businessman all my life. And honest - I don't know what a business is.
Sylvia Morse Well, you had a garage... you had a real estate business.
Leo Morse A lot you know. Real estate business... living from mortgage to mortgage... stealing credit like a thief. And the garage - that was a business! Three cents overcharge on every gallon of gas: two cents for the chauffeur and a penny for me. Penny for one thief, two cents for the other. Well, Joe's here now - I won't have to steal pennies anymore. I'll have big crooks to steal dollars for me!
Celebration of Conscience and Its Ambiguity
Joe Morse Wouldn't you like to celebrate on a really large scale, Miss Lowry?
Doris Lowry What are you celebrating, Mr. Morse?
Joe Morse A clear conscience.
Doris Lowry Oh, whose?
Reflection on Betrayal and Violence
Leo Morse All that Cain did to Abel was murder him.
A Lawyer's Ambition on Wall Street
Joe Morse This is Wall Street... and today was important because tomorrow - July Fourth - I intended to make my first million dollars. An exciting day in any man's life. Temporarily, the enterprise was slightly illegal. You see I was the lawyer for the numbers racket.
The Burden of Regretful Words
Joe Morse A man could spend the rest of his life trying to remember what he shouldn't have said.
Determined Rejection of an Offer
Leo Morse I am sensible. I am calm. I'll give you my answer calmly and sensibly, my final answer. My final answer is finally no. The answer is no! Absolutely and finally no! Finally and positively no! No! No! No! N - O!