Backdraft Quotes

Tim Kizminski: [in a high rise elevator] How do we know if the floor's gonna be on fire on one of these?

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Well, when the doors open, if it's hot, don't get out.

Ronald: I sent away for the copy of Life magazine. The one with your picture on the front. It's a collectible.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Who's doing this, Ronald?

Ronald: Wrong question. Who isn't? It's not a spark because there's not enough damage. He wouldn't have had any fun. It's not an insurance scam because there isn't any profit.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Do you know who's doing this?

Ronald: Yes.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Then tell me.

Ronald: You want to know who? I want to know if this kid really wanted to be just like his dad.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: I wanted to be him. I wanted to be him more than anything else in the world.

Ronald: And you loved him?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Yeah.

Ronald: And you watched him dance with the animal. You saw your dad burn.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Fuck you Ronald. Who's doing this, huh?

Ronald: Did it look at you? Did the fire look at you? It did. Whoa. Wow. Our worlds aren't that far apart after all, are they? So, whoever is doing this knows the animal well, doesn't he? He knows him real well, but he won't let him loose. He won't let him have any fun, so he does not love him. Now who doesn't love fire? And is around trychtichlorate all day long?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: [realizes who it might be] Oh my God!

Ronald: See... that wasn't such a long trip after all.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: [at Ronald's parole hearing] What about the world, Ronald? What would you like to do to the whole world?

Ronald Bartel: Burn it all.

[laughs]

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: See you next year, Ronald.

John 'Axe' Adcox: Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen. As 17's official toastmaster...

Ray Santos: ...and bullshitter.

John 'Axe' Adcox: Thank you, Santos. Did I happen to mention you're cut out of my will?

[Continuing]

John 'Axe' Adcox: I think it appropriate that we recognize the two asswipes... Probationary Firemen... among us today who were officially baptized into the world of Old Man Fire. First, to Tim. Despite the fact that he has a rather dull expression, and a really hideous pair of ears; he not only took on the beast but pulled from its clutches, assisted by a more famous and brilliant firefighter, me, a kicking and screaming civilian who will probably wind up suing us for breaking her fingernails. And to Brian! Help me Santos!...

John 'Axe' Adcox: [pulls up mannequin] Here she is!

John 'Axe' Adcox: ...whose own contribution was not only more beautiful but less likely to sue. You know, when I learned that both McCaffrey brothers would be assigned at the same station together at the same time, my heart was filled with... a sudden desire to transfer. So raise a glass, gents. To funny-looking Tim, and the McCaffrey brothers, who have gotten on each other's nerves and still managed after all these years to still be pissed off at each other. Gentlemen...

ALL: [jokingly] Fuck you!

[Rimgale and Brian McCaffrey in the morgue with the medical examiner]

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: McCaffrey, come on over and give us a hand.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: No, I don't think so. Not in my contract.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: [Throwing medical gloves at him] I just rewrote your contract. Come give us a hand.

Jennifer Vaitkus: We believe you're holding back on us, to embarrass the Alderman because of his fire department cutbacks.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Alderman, I have an uncomplicated job: To determine if a fire is arson or not, and if so, to catch the son of a bitch doing it. And if my investigative methods happen to muck up the campaign of certain mayor wannabes, I gotta tell ya... I'm not gonna go losing any sleep over it.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: In a word, Brian, what is this job all about?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Fire.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: It's a living thing, Brian. It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it is to think like it. To know that this flame will spread this way across the door and up across the ceiling, not because of the physics of flammable liquids, but because it wants to. Some guys on this job, the fire owns them, makes 'em fight it on it's level, but the only way to truly kill it is to love it a little. Just like Ronald.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: So stop me if I got this wrong. Now the fire is almost out, you're upstairs on the unburned floor checking for heat, is that correct? And you've been told by your Battalion Chief, your Captain and by me not to do nothin', right? Not to do nothin' until ordered. That's correct, right?

Candidate: Yes, sir.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Ok. But now the itch starts. The 'Glory Boy' flash starts. 'Hey, I'm a hero. Heroes don't just stand around.' You can tell me, that's what it was, wasn't it?

Candidate: Yes, sir.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: So you punched out a window for ventilation. Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?

[shouting]

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Was that BEFORE OR AFTER you noticed you were standing in a lake of GASOLINE, YOU IDIOT?

Candidate: Before, sir.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: You could have burned or killed or crispened half that company! To say nothing of the fact that you wrecked the physical evidence that I use to prove that it's arson, and you know how goddamned hard it is to determine the cause of these fires! Now you go home and you think about that!

Alderman Marty Swayzak: You see that glow in the corner of your eye. It's your career dissapation light and it's going into overtime.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: If anyone's lights are about to go out, believe me they are yours.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: You had to do it, didn't you? You had to be myth man again, taking another fire bare-handed instead of looking out for your probie?

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: I had that fire! He just didn't listen to me!

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: He's a *candidate*! YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! You shouldn't have had him up there in the first place!

[Steven walks away]

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: YOU BURNED HIM, STEVEN!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: FUCK YOU!

[keeps walking away]

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Don't you walk away from me!

[Steven turns aroung and slugs Brian. Brian goes after Steven, resulting in a brawl]

[Rimgale and Brian crash Alderman Swayzak's press conference]

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: These detectives would like to question you on how come you paid Donald Cosgrove, Jeffrey Holcum and Allan Seagrave to create a phony manpower study!

[throws the files at the media, resulting in a barrage of questions]

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: [to the media] Ask him who made money off firemen dying!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Who's your brother Brian?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: You are Steven.

Schmidt: Yeah, it's jumping floors, Lieutenant!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: So, where's the second-in companies, huh?

Schmidt: Sorry, man, John Wayne time. You're on your own, boss.

Schmidt: Hey, Axe, you know this rug rat?

John 'Axe' Adcox: Know him? I practically raised him.

John 'Axe' Adcox: He never calls. He never writes.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: [introducing himself] I'm Brian.

Grindle: I'm sorry.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Let's go.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Where we going?

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Pest control.

Alderman Marty Swayzak: When are you catch the prick who's doing this, Don?

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Don?

Alderman Marty Swayzak: Don't you have any leads?

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: No, *Marty*, I don't.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Who's your brother, Brian?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: You are, Steven.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: [Steven enters after having saved a child from the fire] Man, that was pretty crazy, huh?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: I waited. I woulda waited.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Come on, don't worry about it.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: But you did it man. You did it all the way Steven, you were really a hero today.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Brian... its not about being a hero. I went in because there was a kid up there. You know, I just, I do what I do because that's my way. And it was Dad's way. Maybe it's not everybody's way.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Dad's way? What? Did he tell you that in a fucking séance, Steven? Huh?

Ricco, Pathologist: Now on a lucky shot, we picked up something, what was it...? Trychtichlorate.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: Oh, yeah, trychtichlorate. Needs magnesium. It's pretty rare. They stopped making it a couple of years ago.

Ricco, Pathologist: We figured it probably got on his clothes in a gas state from the fire.

Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale: What was it doing in the fire?

Ricco, Pathologist: That's your job.

Tim Kizminski: Hey, do you need a second lead out?

Pengelly: What?

Tim Kizminski: A second lead out.

Pengelly: What the fuck are you talking about? Get outta here!

[last lines]

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: You're doing it wrong!

[adjusts the probie's collar as Grindle looks on and smiles]

Nervous Probie: Thanks!

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Alright!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Hey, Swayzak! You missed it, buddy! Oh, you should have been there, man! Really, it was fuckin' great. I mean, we almost lost it. We almost lost a whole goddamn company for you just because, well, you know, since you shut down Thirty-Three. Well, there's no fuckin' backup, right? And we do, we appreciate it. I mean, I don't know about the rest of the guys, but you got my vote for mayor!

Alderman Marty Swayzak: Look, Lieutenant, if you have a problem, why don't you help us? Why don't you work with the task force...

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Task force? Three guys have died already this year because of the cuts made by your FUCKIN' TASK FORCE!

[first lines]

Brian, Age 7: Leave me alone! Will you? You think you're so smart!

Stephen, Age 12: What a geek!

Brian, Age 7: I'm not a geek!

Stephen, Age 12: You're doing it wrong.

Brian, Age 7: Shut up!

Stephen, Age 12: You're doing it wrong. it doesn't go like that.

Brian, Age 7: Who asked you?

Stephen, Age 12: Who's your brother?

Brian, Age 7: You are, Stevie.

Stephen, Age 12: That's right! If you do it like this, it'll open up in a fire and you'll get burned and die.

Dennis McCaffrey: [Speaking to Brian] Okay, you stay near the truck now. That doesn't look too bad. Huh? Okay, boys let's drop two lines and hold the squad.

70's Hippie: Everything I own in the world is up on the second floor!

[yelling]

70's Hippie: Hey, all my stuff's up there!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Jesus Christ, Axe!

John 'Axe' Adcox: You don't understand. My cousin, Sally used to work at Swayzak's office. She saw the files, Stephen. She saw what he did.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: You set me up with those chemicals on the boat for what? Jesus!

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Stephen!

John 'Axe' Adcox: [to Brian] You back off!

[turns back to Stephen]

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Axe!

John 'Axe' Adcox: Somebody had to stop these pricks, Stephen. Would you please listen to me?

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Look at me, Axe! What were you thinking? You don't burn people! You're a fireman!

John 'Axe' Adcox: Well, when Sally showed me what was in Swayzak's files...

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: You saw Swayzak's files?

John 'Axe' Adcox: I should've told you. I should've let you in on it,

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Let him in on what, John? Murder?

John 'Axe' Adcox: Let you in on it before Swayzak and those assholes were closing firehouses. They were getting our friends killed for money. I had to, Stephen. I had to do it for the department and the family.

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Did you it for Tim, John?

John 'Axe' Adcox: That was an accident!

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: [when John admits that he was responsible for the fire that burned Tim] Did you start that fire?

John 'Axe' Adcox: Jesus Christ! Why'd you have to go in there so fuckin' early?

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: That's why you wanted me to wait!

John 'Axe' Adcox: Let me finish! Swayzak...

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: No, John! It's over.

John 'Axe' Adcox: You shut up! Your Dad would fuckin' puke if he saw how you shit on his department!

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: What would he say about you were doing, John?

John 'Axe' Adcox: Your dad died saving my life, died saving my life and these people were killing firemen for money.

Lt. Steven McCaffrey: Swayzak!

John 'Axe' Adcox: He killed our friends for money. What the fuck would you do?

Firefighter Brian McCaffrey: Look! You're his lieutenant, Stephen. You gotta handle this!