Missing (1982) - Quotes

Demanding Accountability for Injustice

Consul Phil Putnam: Listen, Mr Horman, I wish there was something we could say or do.

Ed Horman: Well, there's something I'm going to do. I'm going to sue you, Phil. And Tower and the Ambassador and everybody who let that boy die. We're going to make it so hot for you you'll wish you were stationed in the Antarctic.

Consul Phil Putnam: Well, I guess that's your privilege.

Ed Horman: No, that's my right! I just thank God we live in a country where we can still put people like you in jail.

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

Confronting Neutrality in Political Intervention

U. S. Ambassador: We're not involved, Mr. Horman. Our position has been completely neutral.

Ed Horman: That is a bald face lie, sir. How can you say a thing like that when you have army colonels, you have naval engineers, they're all over Viña del Mar.

U. S. Ambassador: Please sit down. Look, it's very obvious you're harbouring some misconception regarding our role here.

Ed Horman: What is your role here? Besides inducing a regime that murders thousands of human beings?

U. S. Ambassador: Let's level with each other, sir. If you hadn't been personally involved in this unfortunate incident, you'd be sitting at home complacent and more or less oblivious to all of this. This mission is pledged to protect America interests, our interests.

Ed Horman: Well they're not mine.

U. S. Ambassador: There are over three thousand US firms doing business down here. And those are Americans interests. In other words, your interest. I am concerned with the preservation of a way of life.

Captain Ray Tower: And a damned good one.

Ed Horman: [Staring out the window] Maybe that's why there's nobody out there.

U. S. Ambassador: You can't have it both ways.

Capt. Ray Tower: I don't know what happened to your kid, Ed. But I understand he was a bit of a snoop. Poked his nose around in a lot of dangerous places where he didn't really belong. Now, suppose I went up to your town, New York, and I started messing around with the Mafia. I wind up dead in the East River. And my wife or my father complains to the police because they didn't protect me. They really wouldn't have much of a case, would they? You play with fire, you get burned.

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

Navigating Guilt and Emotional Pain

Ed Horman: This past week I've felt like, erm, my heart has been torn out of me.

Beth Horman: It's okay.

Ed Horman: I feel very guilty.

Beth Horman: Hey, Charlie always says guilt is like fear. It's given to us for survival, not destruction.

Ed Horman: Oh. Beth, for what it's worth, I think you are one of the most courageous people I have ever met.

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

Acknowledging Mistakes and Stubbornness in Relationships

Ed Horman: Now, erm, I owe you an apology.

Beth Horman: No, you don't.

Ed Horman: No, no, no. Well, for a long time now I've sold you short. Both of you. I don't really know why. Unless it's because I'm getting old. And I'm very stubborn.

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

Frustration with Uncooperative Authorities

Ed Horman: Why aren't you cooperating with them?

Beth Horman: I am cooperating with them. I've been cooperating for two weeks, Ed! I'm sick and tired of getting fucked around by these people, that's why!

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

Cultural Differences in Legal Assumptions

Silvio: You Americans, you always assume you must do something before you can be arrested.

Ed Horman: Isn't that the way it usually works?

Silvio: Not here, Mr Horman.

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Understanding Character Complexity in Political Context

Silvio: Believe us, sir. Your son is not what they told you.

Ed Horman: How do you know that, Silvio?

Silvio: He's a nice guy. He's sincere. A hard worker. But he's a political neophyte. He's terrified of violence.

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

Disagreement on Missing Person's Situation

U.S. Ambassador: So, you see, Mr. Horman, the hiding theory seems to be the most viable, at least for the present.

Beth Horman: That's dumb. If he were in hiding, he'd call me and let me know he was all right.

Colonel Clay: Maybe he can't. There have been a lot of civilian accidents and injuries.

Beth Horman: No shit, Sherlock.

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

Generational Conflict Over American Values

Beth Horman: And what are the basics? God, country and Wall Street?

Ed Horman: You know what I mean.

Beth Horman: I know, I know. God bless our way of life!

Ed Horman: Oh, a very good way of life it is, young lady, no matter how much people like you and Charles try to tear it down with your sloppy idealism. I can no longer abide the young people of our country who live off their parents and the fat of the land and then they find nothing better to do than whine and complain.

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

Questioning Innocence and Parental Responsibility

Ed Horman: He, he seems so innocent. Almost deliberately naive.

Beth Horman: Is that so bad?

Ed Horman: Is that so good?

Beth Horman: You raised him.

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

Disappearing Americans: Questions of Authority

Kate Newman: What we need to know is, can they order an American to "disappear" without consulting the Americans first?

Paris: No, they wouldn't dare.

Ed Horman: How can I verify that?

Paris: You can't.

Exploring the Concept of Faith and Truth

Embassy driver: If you don't mind my asking, what's Christian Science about?

Ed Horman: [Distracted] Faith... It's about faith.

Embassy driver: Faith in what?

Ed Horman: Truth.

The Weight of Individual Cases

Consul Phil Putnam: Please try to understand. There are so many cases. They're all so important, and this isn't the only one we're working on

Ed Horman: It's the only one I care about.

Consul Phil Putnam: You and a lot of other people. Listen, I've never seen so many cables from Washington. What kind of pull do you have up there anyway?

Ed Horman: I'm an American citizen.

Frustration and Disagreement in a Critical Situation

Beth Horman: They give me the same song and dance over and over again. He could be hurt or - tortured. They don't give a goddamn about him.

Ed Horman: Oh look, really, I don't want to hear any of your anti-Establishment paranoia! I certainly get enough of that from my son.

Staying Ahead of the Power Curve

Captain Ray Tower, USN: If he falls behind the power curve and something happens, then it's adiós. You gotta stay ahead of the power curve, kid.

Government Accountability in Child's Death Case

Ed Horman: [voiceover; [Henry Kissinger|Henry A. Kissinger; [Lawsuit|litigation] Ed Horman filed suit charging eleven government officials, including ], with complicity and negligence in the death of his son. The body was not returned home until seven months later, making an accurate autopsy impossible. After years of ], the information necessary to prove or disprove complicity remained classified as secrets of state. The suit was dismissed.

A Father's Desperate Plea for His Son

Ed Horman: Look, gentlemen, I know these are bad times, it's not fun for you people. It's certainly not fun for Beth or me. Or Charles. I know you're doing your best, I have to believe that. That's our only hope. But you have all the machinery on your side. Don't you see? You have all the connections. I'm a middle-aged businessman from New York City. I don't speak one word of Spanish. Here I am. My son may have been *shot*. Maybe he was tortured. Maybe he was, oh, Lord, beaten so badly that they're keeping him until he's well enough to be released. I don't know. I don't care! Oh, really, I don't care. Because what is done - is done. I just want you to reach those people and tell them I will take Charles back in any condition. I'm not gonna make a stink. I'm not gonna go to the newspapers. You make out any kind of a release form, I will sign it. I will absolve anyone, everyone, of everything. I just want my boy back! He's the only child I have, sir. Did you hear what I said?