The iconic line “You talkin’ to me?” comes from this classic. This Martin Scorcese film didn’t originally have this line in the script, but Robert De Niro ad-libbed it and they loved it. In 2005, the quote was ranked number 10 on the AFI’s 100 years… 100 Movie Quotes. The film follows the life of Travis Bickle, a 26-year-old former U.S. Marine who is lonely and depressed, living on his own in New York City.
In order to deal with his insomnia, he starts to work as a taxi driver while also frequenting porn theaters on 42nd street. It is no surprise that De Niro’s performance in the film is considered one of the best in cinematic history. Likewise, the film is regularly regarded as one of the greatest films of all time by critics, film directors, and viewers.
Goodfellas
This is one of the most popular gangster movies ever with great actors. Amongst the cast are Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. It was Pesci who stole the show when his character Tommy got extremely defensive after being referred to as a “funny guy.” The improvised line “Do I amuse you?” has since become a classic. The line is based on an actual event that Pesci witnessed.
According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals where director Scorsese allowed the actors to do whatever they wanted. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script that the cast worked from.
The Silence Of The Lambs
Hannibal delivers a monologue to Jodie Foster about eating a human liver with “fava beans and a nice Chianti in this iconic thriller. He adds in his own iconic hissing sound. Hannibal was played by the great Anthony Hopkins for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Hopkins also won three BAFTA Awards, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1993, he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the arts. Finally, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
The Warriors
In this movie classic, David Patrick Kelly, who played the role of Luther, adlibbed the most iconic line of the movie: “Warriors, come out to play!” The creators loved Kelly’s improvisation and kept it in the final cut. The film tells the story of a New York City gang member.
After he discovers that he was framed for murder, Luther understands that he must travel 30 miles from the north end of The Bronx to their neighborhood in Coney Island for the murder of an honorable gang leader. Since its release in 1979, it has amassed a cult following and has influenced multiple spin-offs including video games and a comic book series.
Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando played Colonel Kurtz in this adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The 1979 warm film was directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Brando improvised over 18 minutes of dialogue in this film. He folded his script into a hat, placed it on his head, and refused to memorize his lines. Great actor or difficult? You decide
Apparently, the film experienced numerous problems during its production. Marlon Brando was overweight and very unprepared for the role. Martin Sheen also had a breakdown and a near-fatal heart attack while filming. Nonetheless, the film was quite successful and received several award nominations.