The Wild Bunch Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Pike Bishop, played by William Holden in the film The Wild Bunch, directed by Sam Peckinpah (1969).

When watching an old western, you might notice that the opening scene is a jumble of credits mixed with a bit of plot. In The Wild Bunch, we see a bunch of officers walking around, you know, minding their own business, when—boom!

The credits roll up. Music by Jerry Fielding.

Expecting some action? Don't worry, this movie has plenty of it. But before the shoot 'em up shootout begins, we see a group of respectable-looking officers helping a little old lady cross the road. The officers walk into a bank nonchalantly, and then, when questioned, they start throwing the bankers around and pulling out guns as the leader of the bunch gives an order to his crew: "If they move, kill 'em."

Something tells us these aren't really officers.

Where you've heard it

Er, we sure hope you've never been held hostage. If you have, this line might haunt you in your sleep. But if you do ever hear this, just take our advice. Don't. Move.

Additional Notable References:

• Sam Peckinpah, the director of The Wild Bunch, actually has a biography named after the quote.
• A group called Primal Scream has a track called "If They Move Kill 'Em."
• A band called Fairweather has a song named after the quote too. Hi there, teenage angst.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

"Pretentious" might not be the right word here… maybe "disturbing" or "frightening" fits better. If you're dropping this one at a dinner party (especially without the western accent), don't expect to be invited back.