The Little Things Best Movie Quotes

Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Natalie Morales, Sofia Vassilieva, Terry Kinney, Michael Hyatt, Jason James Richter, Chris Bauer, Tom Hughes

OUR RATING: ★★½

Story:

HBO Max’s crime thriller written and directed by John Lee Hancock. The story centers on burned-out Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington), who becomes embroiled in the search for a killer who is terrorizing the city of Los Angeles. Leading the hunt, LA Sheriff Department Sergeant Jim Baxter (Rami Malek), impressed with Deke’s cop instincts, unofficially engages his help. But as they track the killer, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke’s past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

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Our Favorite Quotes:

'The past becomes the future, becomes the past, becomes the future, becomes the past, becomes the future.' - Joe 'Deke' Deacon (The Little Things) Click To Tweet 'It's the little things that rip you apart. It's the little things that get you caught.' - Joe 'Deke' Deacon (The Little Things) Click To Tweet

Best Quotes

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I see Brother Love’s salvation show’s still in operation.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: Everybody needs a little faith. Even you.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [referring to Baxter] Got yourself a new disciple.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: Great detective, great guy. You should listen in, you might learn something on both counts.

Detective Sergeant Rogers: Who says that bad guys don’t return to the scene of the crime? How does it feel to be back in uniform?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Still padding your overtime, Rogers?
Detective Sergeant Rogers: Ooh. That’s Sergeant Rogers now, Deke.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Sergeant Rogers? Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Jim Baxter: I can assure you all, we are taking a twenty-four-seven, all-hands-on-deck approach to this case. These cases.

Detective Sal Rizoli: The man, the myth, the legend.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Hey, Sal. You still hanging around?
Detective Sal Rizoli: No rest for the ugly. What are you doing here?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Don’t ask, don’t tell.

Jim Baxter: Get what you came for?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I will.
Jim Baxter: You got nothing better to do than to bust my balls in the meantime?
Detective Sal Rizoli: Nothing personal. Deke busts everybody’s balls.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You want to bulls**t John Q. Public into thinking that the worst is behind us, that’s your business, until the next time. But, hey, it’s your shift, right?
Jim Baxter: Yeah, it is.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I hear you’re a good cop.
Jim Baxter: I hear things too.

Detective Sal Rizoli: [to Deke, referring to Baxter] He is a good cop, Deke. College boy, bit of a Holy Roller. But, hey, I’ve been thinking about joining them myself. Get on the fast track for a promotion.

Jim Baxter: Things probably changed a lot since you left.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You still got to catch him, right?
Jim Baxter: Yeah.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Not that much has changed then.

Jim Baxter: When’s your boy, Columbo, going to break my case for me?
Detective Sal Rizoli: Deke’s got his own style.

Jim Baxter: Awfully quiet back there, Kojak. Am I missing something?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Any of the other girls have bites?
Detective Jamie Estrada: Carrie Holland.
Jim Baxter: One of them. Why?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Similar to a case up north, that’s all.

Jim Baxter: [referring to Stan Peters, one of their suspects] Was he your boy?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You never know. Just saying hello to an old pal.
Jim Baxter: Well, your old pal says you broke his jaw once.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You got to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Don’t you ever get tired of looking at dead bodies?
Flo Dunigan: I could ask you the same.

Flo Dunigan: What’s this all about, Joe?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Similar case up north. Thanks for doing this for me, Flo.
Flo Dunigan: No problem. She won’t see the knife till tomorrow. Well, she won’t see another knife.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [to the dead victim ] You knew him, didn’t you? At least, he knew you. That’s why he did that to your face. You let him in. You thought, “Not my type, but maybe he could be a friend.” I mean, you can’t get enough of them. But then you had that one little feeling. You thought, “What if?” But you waved it away. Thought, “Ah, what the hell? Life’s too short.” And you were right. Life is too short, Julie. And you should’ve listened. You should’ve listened to that one little feeling, but. Just like I’m listening to you now. You can talk to me. I’m all the friend you got.

Flo Dunigan: You know my take on the world, Joe? There’s good and there’s bad, but you got to fight. Because, brother, when I look in your eyes, what I see, it ain’t good.

LASD Captain Carl Farris: [referring to Deke] Guy hasn’t worked a murder since we ran him off five years ago. Do you know the book on him?
Jim Baxter: A great detective, has a heart attack, leaves town for a post in the sticks.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: The guy worked the case so hard, he got a suspension, a divorce, and a triple bypass, all in six months. Complete meltdown. He’s a rush-hour train wreck.
Jim Baxter: That’s a tad dramatic.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: Only good came out of it, we got you.
Jim Baxter: What are you saying? I took his spot?
LASD Captain Carl Farris: Manner of speaking, yeah.

LASD Captain Carl Farris: [referring to Deke] Piece of personal advice, Jimmy. You got a good thing going here. Don’t get mixed up with this guy.
Jim Baxter: What’s the big deal? He’s gone.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: His CO says he’s taken vacation days.
Jim Baxter: Yeah, so what?
LASD Captain Carl Farris: Does he strike you as the kind of guy that plays golf?

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: It’s okay. You’re not under arrest. Yet.

Jim Baxter: [after another victim has been washed up beneath a bridge] If you didn’t know any better, from up here, you might say it’s beautiful.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Sal told me you went to bat for me with Farris. It’s not a wise career move.
Jim Baxter: You’re not exactly a department favorite.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Maybe I can make it up to you.

Jim Baxter: Something I got to know. How’s a guy with the best clearance rate in the department work fifteen years without a promotion?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Maybe I didn’t go to the right church.

Jim Baxter: Do you believe in God, Joe?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: When I see a sunrise, or thunderstorm, or dew on the ground, yes, I think there’s a God. When I see all this, I think he’s long past giving a s**t.

Detective Jamie Estrada: Mary Roberts. Paige Callahan, Tamara Ewing.
Jim Baxter: I only asked for Roberts.
Detective Jamie Estrada: Yeah, well, all the victims were hookers. They were all found drugged and stabbed to death on the same night in the same location.
Jim Baxter: You got to be kidding me.
Detective Jamie Estrada: Yeah, I’m hilarious.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Where are you from? Originally.
Jim Baxter: The Valley. Where are you from? Originally.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Mississippi Valley. Alabama, Birmingham.
Jim Baxter: Well, here’s to being from somewhere.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Guy’s a shark. If he stops, he dies. He likes to drive. Probably has a decent car. Maybe two. High mileage. Can’t find one in the neighborhood, a victim, then he goes wherever opportunity knocks.

Jim Baxter: And they found partially digested meat in her stomach. But she was a vegan. Strict vegetarian. She’d never touch it. Same as Ana. No way.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Not even with a knife to her throat? Nobody wants to eat alone.

Jim Baxter: [to Deke] One last “why”. Why are you trying to solve a five year-old case that everyone else has forgotten about?

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You work the evidence, you still come up with zeros. It’s all you can do. Happens to everybody. Then you draw the black bean. Maybe the victim looks like a kid you picked on in school, or the green eyes remind you of your old lady. Or maybe it’s something else. But whatever it is, they’re your lifelong responsibility, Jimmy. You own them. You own them. They’re wherever they are, and you are their angel, trying like hell to turn the ledger from red to black. Word to the wise, Jimmy, stay out of the angel business.

Jim Baxter: What is it you’re looking for in all of this?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: To finish the job. Just like you.

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Jim Baxter: And for the record, your hunch? I don’t think it holds water.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Then why all the interest?
Jim Baxter: You want to clear your conscience, that’s your problem. But you got to solve my case to solve yours, who am I to moan? But you pi** on my leg and call it rain, we’re through.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: It’s the little things that are important, Jimmy. It’s the little things that get you caught.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [referring to Sparma’s car] How’s the trunk space?
Albert Sparma: It’s standard.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Mind if I take a look? I’m in the market.
Albert Sparma: It’s not for sale.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: All I need to do is take a look.
Albert Sparma: You must really like my car.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I do.

Albert Sparma: [pulls up his car next to Deke’s] How’s the trunk space?

Albert Sparma: [referring to Deke] Where’s big Dick Tracy? Is he joining us for dinner?

Jim Baxter: Hello, Albert. I’m Detective Sergeant Baxter.
Albert Sparma: I know who you are. You’re famous. On television and in the papers all the time. Thank you so much. I’m kind of a crime buff.
Jim Baxter: Well, then you know if you’re innocent, you should talk to me, clear your name.
Albert Sparma: Is that it? Not going to work me over, Mr. Clean? Okay. I invoke my Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Just kidding. You should see the look on your faces. Come on, it’s hilarious. But I would like my rights waiver card. I know I’m not officially in custody, but better be safe than sorry, huh, guys?

Albert Sparma: Look, Jimmy.
Jim Baxter: Detective Baxter.
Albert Sparma: Whatever. Like I said, the car was stolen. Thank you for finding it. I’ll drive it home.
Jim Baxter: We’ll be hanging on to it for a few days.
Albert Sparma: Well, that’s not very nice of you.

Albert Sparma: [looking at a victim’s photo] Cute little thing, wasn’t she?
Jim Baxter: Who said she’s dead?
Albert Sparma: I know the drill, Jimmy. But the truth is, I’m not the guy. Besides, if you had anything, anything at all, I’d be under arrest, wouldn’t I?
Jim Baxter: Do you want to be?
Albert Sparma: I wouldn’t mind getting a peek at all that evidence you say you got.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [referring to Sparma] You get the feeling he’s enjoying this?
Jim Baxter: Oh, yeah.

Albert Sparma: [as he looks at photos of the murder victim] Holy guacamole. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a dead girl by her toe. Oh. The contrast is all off. It’s no Weegee.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: We know, you know, we got you by the balls, small as they are. You son of a b**ch.
Albert Sparma: You lost control.

Jim Baxter: I’m the primary.
LASD Captain Carl Farris: For now.
Jim Baxter: What the hell does that mean?
LASD Captain Carl Farris: It means I got six bodies, no witnesses, no evidence, no killer. Two guys questioned, and why are they suspects? One, who later sucks on a 12-gauge, for malicious unzipping. The other, for carrying a concealed hard-on.

Jim Baxter: [referring to Sparma] He was visualizing the crime. His crime.

Detective Sergeant Rogers: [referring to Sparma confessing to a murder eight years ago] Guy walks in, and we spent ten hours going over the thing. He signs a confession. Next morning, we had to cut him loose.
Jim Baxter: Why?
Detective Sergeant Rogers: He was lying. I mean, he knew all the details, but he wasn’t within ten miles of the killing.

Detective Sergeant Rogers: [to Baxter] Hey, what is it with you and Deke? You want to be the one that finds him after his next heart attack? It’s his destiny, don’t make it yours.

Jim Baxter: [referring to photos of previous victims] What is all this?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: The past becomes the future, becomes the past, becomes the future, becomes the past, becomes the future.
Jim Baxter: Hey. Look at me. This is sick. You need to get some help.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Don’t point fingers. I know all the symptoms.

Jim Baxter: Are you aware that Sparma confessed to a murder eight years ago?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: So what?
Jim Baxter: He walked in, jerked Rogers chain for an entire shift. He’s a crime buff, he said so himself. Walk-in confessors aren’t killers. We don’t have s**t!
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: You got the same ache in your gut as I do, don’t you? We got something, we just don’t know what it is.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I know.
Jim Baxter: Know what?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: I know that the answer is inside Sparma’s place. I know.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Let me ask you something, Jimmy. What do you want?
Jim Baxter: I want to nail the b****rd.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: For who?
Jim Baxter: For all of the girls he killed. And for Ronda Rathbun, wherever she is.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Well, I want to nail the b****rd too. Difference is, I’m doing it for me.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [referring to Sparma] He knows we’re here. He knows we’re watching him.
Jim Baxter: Good. I want him to know.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Do you ever wonder that maybe, just maybe, it’s a waste of time? All this sitting, waiting, watching, spending your life in another man’s shadow.
Jim Baxter: One, wherever he goes, I mark it for search warrants. Two, he tries it again, I catch him in the act. Three, when I’m with him, nobody dies. Nobody dies on my watch.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: How long is your watch?
Jim Baxter: As long as it f***ing takes.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: We work the case. That’s all we can do, is work the case. It’s like fishing. You can go days without a strike, then all of a sudden, bang, you get one.
Jim Baxter: I’m f***ing dying here, Deke.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Okay. Why don’t you go home. I’ll put him to bed.
Jim Baxter: F*** you.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: There you go. That’s what I expected.

Jim Baxter: Interlace your fingers.
Albert Sparma: Excuse me?
Jim Baxter: Interlace your fingers.
Albert Sparma: Oh. That sounds complicated.
Jim Baxter: Point your fingers to the sky. Now! Spread your legs.
Albert Sparma: Thought you’d never ask.

Albert Sparma: [as he offers to take Baxter to where hid Ronda Rathbun’s body] Come on. I won’t bite. Get in. We’ve got a drive ahead of us. And I’ve got to work tomorrow. You already felt me up. You’re armed, I’m not. What are you so scared of, little boy? Oh, PS. Your bu**buddy’s not invited.

Albert Sparma: [to Baxter] You know, you and I are a lot alike. In another lifetime, we could be friends. Isn’t that crazy?

Albert Sparma: [as Baxter points his gun at him] The devil’s in the details, Jimmy. Witnesses, physical evidence. You’d have to get rid of my body, get rid of my car. It’s a lot to consider.

Albert Sparma: [to Baxter] You want the truth? I’ve never killed anybody in my entire life. If you believe me, we can get in the car, and we can drive straight home. Maybe even stop for tacos. If not…

Albert Sparma: I forgot to tell you. I’ve seen a picture of your family. You should’ve stayed out of the public eye, Jimmy. You and your ego. I mean, what kind of a father are you? How can you protect those two beautiful daughters when you can’t even begin to help one of those poor girls, or their families? You’re insignificant. You don’t matter. And this will go on, and on, and on. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
[suddenly Baxter hits him in the face with the shovel, killing him]

[after we see in flashback that Deke had accidentally shot one of the survivors of his last murder case]
Jim Baxter: It was him. We got him. He was our boy. He was our boy. He as much as told me.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Nothing you can do about it now.
Jim Baxter: We got to call somebody. What am I going to say? What am I going to do?
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Nothing. You’re not going to say anything. You’re not going to do anything. You’re going to find a hole, and stick him in it. Pick one at least four feet deep.

[after burying Sparma’s body and Deke’s destroyed evidence from Sparma’s apartment]
Jim Baxter: He was our boy, Deke. I’m sure he was our boy.
Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: Nobody’s going to give a damn. I’ve taken care of it.

Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon: [referring to Sparma] He’s dead. He’s forgotten. He’s rotting in the ground, and the only way he’s going to come back is if you let him come back. Don’t you ever go back to his place, don’t you ever let his name cross your lips, don’t you ever pull his file. Because if you do, he’ll rise up out of that ground. He’ll do you in. It’s the little things, Jimmy. It’s the little things that rip you apart. It’s the little things that get you caught.

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