The Abyss Quotations

The Abyss is a 1989 film, directed and written by James Cameron, about an undersea mobile oil-rig crew who are called on to assist in the recovery of a lost nuclear submarine, but who find unexpected mysteries and perils in the mission.
A place on earth more awesome than anywhere in space. taglines

Virgil "Bud" Brigman

When it comes to the safety of these people, there's me and then there's God, understand?

[trying to revive Lindsey] Goddamn, you bitch, you never backed down from anything in your life! Now fight! Fight! Fight!

Keep your pantyhose on.

When you're hanging on by your fingernails, you don't go waving your arms around.

[Typing] LOVE YOU WIFE

Catfish De Vries

This here's the bottomless pit, baby. Two and a half miles, straight down.

Triple-time sounded like a lot of money, Bud. It ain't.

[To Hippy] See this? [Puts up fist] They used to call this 'The Hammer'.

Huh. Damn rat's breathing that shit. That is no bullshit, hands down, the goddamnedest thing I ever saw.

"There was a time that I wouldve asked why"

Lindsey Brigman

[about the Navy SEALS] These guys are about as much fun as a tax audit.

So raise your hand if you think that was a Russian water-tentacle.

We all see what we want to see. Coffey looks and he sees Russians. He sees hate and fear. You have to look with better eyes than that.

It's not easy being a cast-iron bitch. It takes discipline, years of training... A lot of people don't appreciate that.

Schoenick, your Lieutenant is about to make a real bad career move.

I know how alone you feel... alone in all that cold blackness... but I'm there in the dark with you. Oh, Bud you're not alone. You remember that time, you were pretty drunk, you probably don't remember... but the power went out at the old apartment, the one on Orange Street... and we were staring at that one little candle, and I said something really dumb like that candle is me, like every one of us is out there alone in the dark in this life... and you just lit up another candle and put it beside mine and said "No, see? That's me. That's me..." And we stared at the two candles, and then we... well, if you remember any of it, I'm sure you remember the next part. Bud, there are two candles in the dark. I'm with you. I'll always be with you, Bud, I promise that.

Virgil, you wiener.

[after Cab 3 has landed in the water] Touchdown, and the crowd goes wild.

Alan "Hippy" Carnes

Heeeeeeeeeeere's M.I.R.V.!

I got to tell you, I give this whole thing a sphincter-factor of about 9.5.

Lt. Coffey

We don't need them. We can't trust them. We may have to take steps. We're gonna have to take steps.

It went straight for the warhead, and they think it's cute.

Everybody just stay calm. The situation is under control.

Sniff something? Well did ya, rat boy?

Others

USS Montana Captain: 60 knots, no wave lines; the Reds don't have anything that fast.

Bendix: Oh no, look who's with them. It's Queen Bitch of the Universe.

Dialogue

[On the bridge monitor, McBride holds up a weather satellite photo.]

Leland McBride: Well, it's official, sports fans. They're calling it Hurricane Fredrick, and it's going to make our lives real interesting in a few hours.

Bud: Fred, huh? I don't know,man, I think hurricanes should be named after women, don't you?

Lindsey: I had over four years invested in this project.

Bud: Yeah, you only had three years invested in me.

Lindsey: Well you have to have priorities.

[After a tense communication with Lindsey…]

Bud: God, I hate that bitch.

Hippy: Probably shouldn't've married her, then, huh?

Lindsey: Explorer, this is Cab 3, starting the descent along the umbilical.

Finler: Roger that, Cab 3. Good luck.

Lindsey: Luck is not a factor.

[Bud has retrieved his wedding band from a chemical toilet.]

Finler: Bud, you know your hand is blue?

Bud: Finler, why don't you just shut up [and] put your gear on?

[The crew hears they'll get three times diver's pay to check out the nuclear sub.]

Catfish: Hell, for triple time, I'd eat up Beany!

Jammer Willis: Set me on fire and put me out with horse piss.

Hippy: What is all this stuff?

Monk: Fluid breathing system. We just got them. You use it when you go really deep.

Hippy: How deep?

Monk: Deep.

Hippy: How deep?

Monk: It's classified.

Hippy: So these guys are SEALs, huh?

Catfish: Eh, those guys ain't so tough. I fought guys plenty tougher'n them.

Hippy: So, is this where you tell us how you "coulda been a contender"?

Hippy: You know, we got Russian subs creepin' around here; somethin' goes wrong they can say whatever they want happened.

Bud: Relax, will ya? You're makin' the women nervous.

Lindsey: Cute, Virgil.

Bud: Hippy, you think everything's a conspiracy.

Hippy: Everything is.

Lindsey: There is something down there. Something not us.

Catfish: You could be more... specific.

Bud: Something that zigs—

Lindsey: Not us! Not human. Get it? Something non-human, but intelligent. [long pause] A non-terrestrial intelligence.

Hippy: A non-terrestrial intelligence! NTIs. Oh man, that's better than UFOs! Oh, but that works too, huh? "Underwater Flying Objects".

Lindsey: You know, you got some huevos bringin' that thing into my rig! With all that's going on up in the world, you bring a nuclear weapon IN HERE?!

Coffey: Mrs. Brigman...

Lindsey: Does this strike anyone as particularly psychotic, or is it just me?

Coffey: Mrs. Brigman, you don't need to know the details of our operation. It's better if you don't.

Lindsey: You're right! I don't need to know! What I need to know is that thing is off this rig! Do you hear me, Roger Ramjet?!

Lisa "One Night" Standing: This tells us how much radiation we're getting?

Hippy: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. I ain't going near no radiation. No way.

Catfish: Aw, Hippy, you pussy.

Hippy: Well what good's the money [if] six months later your dick drops off?

Bud: Linds, I want you to stay away from that guy. I mean it.

Hippy: The guy is gone. Did you see his hands?

Lindsey: What? He's got the shakes?

Bud: Look, he's operating on his own. He's cut off from his chain of command, he's showing signs of pressure-induced psychosis and he's got a nuclear weapon. So as a personal favor to me, will you try to put your tongue in neutral for a while?

[Bud is being put into the fluid-breathing suit.]

Bud: So, I can hear you, but I can't talk, right?

Ensign Monk: The fluid prevents the larynx from making sound. It'll feel a little strange.

Bud: Yeah, no shit.

Lindsey: Bud, how much oxygen you've left?

Bud: [typing] About 5 minutes.

Lindsey: Bud, if you drop all your ballast you can still make it...

Bud: [typing] Gonna stay for a while... I knew this was a one-way trip.

Lindsey: Hi, Brigman.

Bud: Hi, Mrs. Brigman.

Taglines

A place on earth more awesome than anywhere in space.

There's everything you've ever known about adventure, and then there's The Abyss.

Deep below the blue surface, there lies a place no one has ever dreamed of.

Cast

Ed Harris - Virgil "Bud" Brigman
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - Lindsey Brigman
Leo Burmester - Catfish de Vries
Todd Graff - Alan "Hippy" Carnes
John Bedford Lloyd - Jammer Willis
J.C. Quinn - Arliss "Sonny" Dawson
Kimberly Scott - Lisa "One Night" Standing
Captain Kidd Brewer Jr. - Lew Finler
Adam Nelson - Ensign Monk (SEAL)
Michael Biehn - Lt. Coffey (SEAL)