The Guilty (2021) Best Movie Quotes

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Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard, Christina Vidal, Eli Goree, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Bill Burr

OUR RATING: ★★★½

Story:

Netflix crime thriller remake directed by Antoine Fuqua. The Guilty (2021) centers on demoted police officer, Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal), assigned to a call dispatch desk call operator, who tries to save a distressed caller. However, he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.

Our Favorite Quotes:

'Broken people save broken people.' - Sgt. Denise Wade (The Guilty) Click To Tweet

Best Quotes

Joe Baylor: 911, this is emergency, operator 625. What is the address of your emergency?
Dru Nashe: Help me.

Dru Nashe: [after admitting to taking drugs] I can’t breathe, and I’m f***ing scared.
Joe Baylor: I understand, but it’s your own fault, isn’t it?

Matthew Fontenot: [to Joe] Hey, man, can you tell me how long it’s going to take? Aren’t you supposed to f***ing protect me, man? Jesus Christ.

Joe Baylor: What in the f*** are you doing at dispatch?
Sgt. Bill Miller: Equal Latitude Initiative. Every Sergeant mans the phone twice a month.
Joe Baylor: That’s a good use of resources.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Yeah, political geniuses with ideas about how to do our f***ing job.

Sgt. Bill Miller: This phone duty is s**t.
Joe Baylor: You think so? I think it’s fantastic.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Tomorrow you’re going to be back on the street.
Joe Baylor: I can’t wait.

Joe Baylor: I’m back, sir.
Matthew Fontenot: Jesus, finally! Hey. Hey, I’ve got a wife, man. Okay? She’s an angry woman. She’s very strong physically. She doesn’t know. I’m just on business.

Joe Baylor: Why did you call us?
Emily Lighton: I just want to talk to you.
Joe Baylor: Okay, I’m hanging up.
Emily Lighton: I’m just down for a drive, sweetie, okay?
Henry Fisher: Come on now.
Joe Baylor: Who is that?
Emily Lighton: Yes, I understand.
Joe Baylor: Is there someone with you?

Joe Baylor: Emily? Does the person you’re with know you called us?
Emily Lighton: No.
Joe Baylor: Who do they think you called?
Emily Lighton: Yes. Yes, sweetie.
Joe Baylor: Your child?
Emily Lighton: Yes.

Joe Baylor: Okay, Emily, I’m going to ask you yes or no questions, okay? Do you know the person you’re with?
Emily Lighton: Uh-huh.
Joe Baylor: And do they have a weapon? Emily, does the person you’re with have a weapon?
Emily Lighton: I don’t know.
Joe Baylor: Have you been abducted?
Emily Lighton: Yes.

Emily Lighton: I have to hang up.
Joe Baylor: Emily, don’t hang up. Okay? Put the phone on the floor, or in your pocket.
Henry Fisher: Who are you talking to?
Joe Baylor: Anywhere they can’t see. Alright? Just keep it on so we can track you.
Henry Fisher: Hang up.
Joe Baylor: And if you can’t just call me back. My name is Joe. I’ll be waiting. Emily, do you hear me? I’ll be waiting. My name…
[line goes dead]

Joe Baylor: Just f***ing find a car and block the freeway! Come on!
CHP Dispatcher: We don’t know where they’re headed.

Abby: They’re not here.
Joe Baylor: Who is not here?
Abby: [refrring to Emily and Henry] Mommy and daddy.
Joe Baylor: Where did they go?
Abby: They just left me.

Abby: I want my mommy.
Joe Baylor: Abby. Abby, don’t cry. Abby? Everything is going to be alright, okay?
Abby: The knife scared Oliver.
Joe Baylor: What?

Joe Baylor: I just talked to your mommy. She’s going to be okay.
Abby: You promise?
Joe Baylor: I promise.

Joe Baylor: Abby, we’re the police. Do you know who the police are?
Abby: Yes.
Joe Baylor: We’re protectors.
Abby: No.
Joe Baylor: We protect people that need help.
Abby: You hold people. You took my daddy away.

Joe Baylor: I get scared being alone too, you know. And you know what I do when I’m lonely? I turn on the TV, and I have company. Why wouldn’t you go do that?
Abby: It’s broken.

Joe Baylor: [referring to Emily] She’s with her ex, Henry Fisher. He took her. The suspect has a knife.

CHP Dispatcher: [referring to Emily] Listen! I am up to my a** in calls! Wait for her to call back. Do your job, and I’ll do mine, okay? Okay?
Joe Baylor: Yeah.
CHP Dispatcher: Good.

Katherine Harbor: Joe, I want you to be able to tell your side of the story. It runs tomorrow.
Joe Baylor: Who is this?
Katherine Harbor: I just have a few questions.
Joe Baylor: Who is this?
Katherine Harbor: It’s Katherine Harbor from the Los Angeles Times.
Joe Baylor: Katherine Harbor, stop calling me!

'And the truth shall make you free.' - John 8:32 (The Guilty) Click To Tweet

Joe Baylor: I’ve been an a**hole. Not just today, but in general.
Manny: Yes, you have.
Joe Baylor: We should get a beer some time.
Manny: That sounds good, man.

Sgt. Bill Miller: You ever go home?
Joe Baylor: Am I interrupting something?
Sgt. Bill Miller: Oh, God, no. This is more boring than taking a s**t.
Joe Baylor: Not if you constipated.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Well, yeah. That’s true.

Joe Baylor: There is a scared little girl whose mother has been abducted!
Sgt. Bill Miller: That’s enough! It’s enough! What are you trying to do? You are in enough trouble already. I will send a car to the mother’s house. But I’m not going to have anyone kicking in any f***ing doors. It’s not your job.
Joe Baylor: I know that.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Yeah, well, apparently you don’t.

Sgt. Bill Miller: When are you off?
Joe Baylor: I don’t know. Ten minutes.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Okay. Good. Then you’re going to go to court tomorrow. And then afterwards, you’ll be back on the street, and you’ll be off the phone. That’s what you want, isn’t it?
Joe Baylor: Yeah.
Sgt. Bill Miller: Isn’t it, Joe?
Joe Baylor: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

Jess Baylor: [to Joe] Because it’s just like you keep doing whatever you want, time after time. You don’t even give a s**t about what’s best for everybody else.

Joe Baylor: Are you coming tomorrow?
Jess Baylor: Yeah, you know, I don’t really think that’s such a good idea, Joe.
Joe Baylor: Because you know it would look really good to have the wife there. You know?
Jess Baylor: Right. Yeah. Okay. I’m going to go, Joe.

Joe Baylor: I know Emily’s with you.
Henry Fisher: You don’t know s**t.
Joe Baylor: Where are you going?
Henry Fisher: What?
Joe Baylor: Where are you going?
Henry Fisher: What are you talking about?

Rick: I’m f***ing afraid. This isn’t going to go our way. I had the feds at my house this morning. Do you understand? I’m afraid I might say the wrong thing.
Joe Baylor: Hey, hey. I know. I know.
Rick: Joe, I’m afraid.
Joe Baylor: You’re not going to say the wrong thing, alright? After tomorrow, you know, we’re just, we’ll back at it.

Joe Baylor: What, am I not supposed to talk in here either?
Sgt. Denise Wade: No, in here is fine. You could do something about your attitude though.

See more The Guilty Quotes

Tim Gerachi: Did you hurt yourself, Abby?
Abby: It’s not mine.
Tim Gerachi: She has blood on her hands and shirt.
Joe Baylor: What’s going on?

Joe Baylor: I know what you did to the baby.
Henry Fisher: Shh, don’t call me. Don’t call me.
Joe Baylor: Abby saw what you did to Oliver! What, are you going to kill her now too?
Henry Fisher: No, I told her not to go in there. She shouldn’t have gone.
Joe Baylor: She’s six years-old! What did you think she was going to do? She is covered in his blood.

Joe Baylor: Henry, this stops here, right now. You stop the car, and you tell me where you are. I will send help.
Henry Fisher: I can’t do that.
Joe Baylor: You have to.
Henry Fisher: But if I do…
Joe Baylor: Yes?
Henry Fisher: What will happen?
Joe Baylor: To you? You go back to prison.

Joe Baylor: [to Henry] You think you’re a victim? You’re not a victim. Emily is a victim. Oliver is a victim. Abby is a victim. You’re not a victim. You should be f***ing executed!

Rick: Tell me why I’m here.
Joe Baylor: The man who lived there killed one of his kids. A baby. And then he abducted his ex-wife. And we need to know where they are going.
Rick: How did you get this?
Joe Baylor: Answering a 911 call.
Rick: Of course you did.

Rick: It’ll take me hours. Do you realize how many letters and papers there are? She’ll be dead by the time I’m done.
Joe Baylor: What the f*** is that supposed to mean?
Rick: Nothing. Time is against us.
Joe Baylor: Right. So get going.

Crashed Cyclist: I crashed my bike and hurt my knee.
Joe Baylor: Sir, I’m sorry. Like I said, I can’t talk right now.
Crashed Cyclist: What was that? Are you kidding me?
Joe Baylor: When you call, you get the same operator. So, just please call back later.
Crashed Cyclist: Excuse me? Just send an ambulance!
Joe Baylor: What, for your knee?
Crashed Cyclist: Yeah?
Joe Baylor: Call an Uber, and don’t bike drunk, a**hole.

Emily Lighton: I’m going to die. I’m going to die.
Joe Baylor: No. Nobody’s going to die. Nobody’s going to die.

Emily Lighton: He put me in the back of the van, and I can’t see anything.
Joe Baylor: No. Emily. Emily. Emily, listen to me.
Emily Lighton: I don’t know why he’s doing this?
Joe Baylor: Just listen to my voice, Emily. Alright? I’m with you.
Emily Lighton: He’s going to lock me up.
Joe Baylor: You’re not alone. Alright? Do you understand?
Emily Lighton: I don’t know. I don’t want to die.

Joe Baylor: [referring to Henry] Now listen, Emily. When he stops the van, and he opens those doors, I want you to hit him in the head as hard as you can. Do you understand?
Emily Lighton: I can’t do that. I can’t do that.
Joe Baylor: You can. Emily?
Emily Lighton: Oh, no.
Joe Baylor: Emily, yes, you can. Then you take his knife, and then you tell me where you are, and I will send help.

Emily Lighton: [referring to the aquarium] It seems so peaceful.
Joe Baylor: What does?
Emily Lighton: Under the water. Like quiet. Like being held. No distractions. It’s just water flowing around you. Very quiet. Like a big blue silence.

Emily Lighton: I forgot your name.
Joe Baylor: My name is Joe.
Emily Lighton: I like you, Joe.
Joe Baylor: I like you too, Emily.

Emily Lighton: I’m scared.
Joe Baylor: [referring to Henry] And when he opens those doors. You take that brick, and you hit him in the head as hard as you can. He deserves it.
Emily Lighton: He deserves it.
Joe Baylor: That’s right.

Emily Lighton: Oliver is fine. He isn’t even crying now.
Joe Baylor: What was that?
Emily Lighton: The snakes.
Joe Baylor: Snakes? What snakes?
Emily Lighton: He was in so much pain in his stomach. He kept crying because he had snakes in his stomach. And I just took them out. I just took them out.

Joe Baylor: [referring to stabbing Oliver] Was it you?
Emily Lighton: He’s not crying anymore. He’s so much better. He’s fine. Isn’t he, Joe? Joe, please tell me he’s fine. Please just tell me, Joe. Please, don’t lock me up. Get away from me!

Rick: [referring to Emily] She was a patient there. Joe? Patton State Psychiatric Treatment Center. Does that help any?
Joe Baylor: She doesn’t want to be locked up.
Rick: What was that?
Joe Baylor: She doesn’t want to be locked up.
Rick: You lost me there, brother.
Joe Baylor: S**t.

Joe Baylor: Why didn’t you just tell me? You should’ve just called the police, and let us take care of Emily.
Henry Fisher: Why?
Joe Baylor: I want to help her.
Henry Fisher: Huh? Now, you want to help her?
Joe Baylor: Yes. That is my job.
Henry Fisher: I tell you something, nobody helps. You get doctors, lawyers, social workers, nobody helps. Just f***ing nobody. And you’re trying to tell me a cop is going to help me?
Joe Baylor: I’m trying to help.

Henry Fisher: [referring to Emily] She has no idea what she’s done. She thinks, oh, my God. She thinks that she helped Oliver. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was… Oh, God. She wasn’t always like this. She’s just sick. I just, I needed to help her. Jesus.

Joe Baylor: Where are you?
Emily Lighton: I’m going to go find Oliver and Abby. I’m going to take them to the aquarium.

Emily Lighton: I have blood on me.
Joe Baylor: Listen to me. It’s okay.
Emily Lighton: Oh, God. Where is this from?
Joe Baylor: It’s okay. It’s not yours.

Emily Lighton: Joe, is this Henry’s blood?
Joe Baylor: No, Henry’s okay.
Emily Lighton: This isn’t my blood. Joe, whose blood is this?
Joe Baylor: No. Emily.
Emily Lighton: Whose blood is this?

Emily Lighton: Tell them I didn’t mean it, Joe.
Joe Baylor: No, Henry knows. Henry knows. He was just trying to help you. And we were all just trying to help you. We’re all just trying to help you.
Emily Lighton: You said that he deserved it, Joe.
Joe Baylor: I was wrong. It’s my fault. It’s my fault, Emily. It’s my fault that you you’re on the overpass. Okay? Just please, please don’t do anything stupid. Do you understand? Please. There are people who love you. Okay? Abby loves you. Abby needs you. Abby is waiting for you to come home.

Emily Lighton: I’m going to go now. I’m going to go be with Oliver.
Joe Baylor: No.
Emily Lighton: Joe, I’m going to go be with Oliver.
Joe Baylor: I killed a man. Do you hear me? I killed a man. Do you hear me? I killed a man. A boy, actually. Nineteen years-old, Joseph. Still a boy.
Emily Lighton: No. What? Why?
Joe Baylor: I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Because I could. I just wanted to punish him. I wanted to punish him because I was angry. I’m just so angry.

Joe Baylor: I can’t kill you too, Emily. I can’t kill you too.

Joe Baylor: I promised Abby that you will come home. I promised her that you would come home. She needs you.
Emily Lighton: Abby. Abby.
Joe Baylor: Yes. Please, I promised her. And so does Henry. You have people who love you.

Emily Lighton: I’m going to go now.
Joe Baylor: Just go over to the officers.
Emily Lighton: I’m going to go be with Oliver, Joe.
[line goes dead]

CHP Dispatcher: [referring to Emily] We have her. I’m on with the officers now. She came down off the overpass. We got her. Good job, Baylor.

Sgt. Denise Wade: [to Joe after finding out Oliver is alive] Broken people save broken people.

Joe Baylor: Just tell them what you saw, Rick. Today in court.
Rick: Joey, we have a plan.
Joe Baylor: Just tell them the truth. Just tell them the truth. Tell them…
Rick: What, Joe? What the f*** are you talking about? I can’t change my statement.
Joe Baylor: You can.
Rick: No, I can’t. I can’t. They’ll burn you.

Joe Baylor: Give me your word.
Rick: Joe, brother.
Joe Baylor: It’s okay, Rick.
Rick: You won’t see your daughter for years, man.

Katherine Harbor: Good morning, It’s Katherine.
Joe Baylor: This is Joe.

News Reporter: Breaking news. LAPD detective Joe Baylor has pled guilty to all…

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