History Main / FacingTheBulletsOneliner

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker_Morant Harry "The Breaker" Harbord Morant's]] last words, while facing a firing squad are the epitome of defiance: "Shoot straight, you bastards! Don't make a mess of it!" source: Shapiro, Fred R., ed. (2006). The Yale Book of Quotations. Yale University Press. p. 536

* ''Supposedly'', Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, directly quoted from the Bible for his final words during his execution:

** Other accounts say he didn't actually say anything intelligible, and that the Bible quote was merely ''attributed'' to him by cults that later worshipped him as effectively a god (alongside if not in spite of the Christian God, in a ''very'' heavily Catholic/Christian country)—as well as by the vast legal and institutional cult of personality that blew up his reputation out of proportion and forced future generations of Filipino students to learn every little insignificant detail of his life, regardless of its actual relevance to nation-building or historical study.

* Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, directly quoted from the Bible for his final words during his execution:

* While a bit tricky on the heroic part, it's hard to fault that considering the nature of ''Film/FullMetalJacket''. Namely, [[Creator/RLeeErmey the drill sergeant]] staring down the barrel of a loaded M-14 being held by a visibly deranged recruit that had just that day gotten word that he made it through to proper infantry. He may have thought "Private Pyle" wasn't going to shoot at all, or that yelling him down would [[WhatAnIdiot work as it always had]], but you ''have'' to have a set in order to look your potential murderer in the eye and scream in a rage "[[DefiantToTheEnd WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, NUMBNUTS?!]] [[FreudianExcuse DIDN'T MOMMY AND DADDY SHOW YOU ENOUGH ATTENTION WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD?!?!]]"

* In ''Series/{{Blacksails}} ", Charles Vane last words are a good example of this. Facing the gallow, instead of cowering in fear, he uses the moment to inspire a rebellion. This is what he has to say: "These men who brought me here today do not fear me. They brought me here today because they fear you... because they know my voice - the voice that refuses to be enslaved - once lived in you, and may yet still. They brought you here today to show you death and use if to frighten you into ignoring that voice. But know this. We are many. They are few. To fear death is a choice... and they can't hang us all... Get on with it, motherfucker!"

* In the ''Series/{{Blacksails}} ", Charles Vane last words are a good example of this. Before facing the gallow, this is what he has to say: "These men who brought me here today do not fear me. They brought me here today because they fear you... because they know my voice - the voice that refuses to be enslaved - once lived in you, and may yet still. They brought you here today to show you death and use if to frighten you into ignoring that voice. But know this. We are many. They are few. To fear death is a choice... and they can't hang us all... Get on with it, motherfucker!"

* In ''Literarure/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'', Arcadio is executed by a firing squad after the town of Macondo is attacked by conservative forces. His last words are "Bastards! Long live the Liberal party!".

* In ''Literature/BloodMeridian'', [[spoiler:John Joel Glanton says to a Yuma Indian who has him pinned down and is about to kill him: "Hack away, you mean red (N-word)!"]]

* Two in ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'':
** A talking fox to the White Witch, who has Edmund, one of the prophesied kings of Narnia, captive.
--->'''Fox:''' Forgive me, your majesty.\\
'''The Witch:''' Don't waste my time with flattery.\\
'''Fox:''' Not to seem rude, but I wasn't actually talking to you.
** Tumnus' last words before being turned into stone: "I believe in a free Narnia."

* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'': Say "Auf Wiedersehen" to your Nazi balls!
* Watkins in the ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' movie gets "Just trying to kill some bugs, sir!" before setting off a nuke to bring down as many bugs as he can (as he is too badly wounded to run with the main characters).
** Although really his last words are something along the lines of "want some? WANT SOME?" with added swearing and shooting thrown in (possibly as a nod to Aliens, see below), which might, in fact, be even better.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
* Private Hudson's death scene in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Even as the monsters are pulling him through the floor, he's firing and screaming "Come on! Let's go, yeah! YEAH! Come on! Come and get it, bastards! Come on, you too! Oh, you want some of this? Take it! Yeah, fuck you!"
** Not to mention Vasquez's "You always were an asshole, Gorman."
** In ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'', Dillon gets the last laugh too. "Is that all you can do?"
* In the Creator/JohnWayne movie ''Film/TheCowboys'', Jebediah Nightlinger (the inimitable Roscoe Lee Browne) is about to be lynched. He is granted permission to make his peace with God and says:
-->I regret trifling with married women. I'm thoroughly ashamed at cheating at cards. I deplore my occasional departures from the truth. Forgive me for taking your name in vain, my Saturday drunkenness, my Sunday sloth. Above all, forgive me for the men I've killed in anger ... and those I am about to.
* In the fantasy movie ''Film/TheFall'': "Shoot, you animals. [[spoiler:They'll pay you well for Darwin's hide."]]

* In ''Film/VForVendetta'', V is facing down a squad of enemies:
-->'''Creedy''': You've got nothing. Nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks...''we have guns''!\\
'''V''': No, what you have are bullets... and the hope that when your guns are empty, I am no longer standing because if I am, you'll all be dead before you've reloaded.
** And when their guns were empty, he was still standing.
--->'''V''': ...''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome My turn.]]''
** He delivers one final one when only he and Creedy are left standing:
--->'''Creedy''': Why won't you die?!\\
'''V''': Beneath this mask, there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask, there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.
* ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}''
-->'''Hal Tucker''': "Delmar, from me to you, you're an asshole."
-->'''Delmar''': Yeah? And you're a loud-mouth punk slag, who's about to die."
-->'''Hal Tucker''': [[UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill "Maybe. But in a minute I'll be dead, and you will always be an asshole."]]
* ''Film/SevenPsychopaths'': Myra, when Charlie is about to shoot her and asks where her husband is.
-->'''Myra''': You figure it out, dumbass.
* Sabretooth gets a good one in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' as both Logan and Creed are facing a firing squad. Subverted in that he knows he isn't going to die, so it's more of a mocking one-liner.
-->'''Victor Creed''': [[GoodThingYouCanHeal Wake me]] when [[ForegoneConclusion it's over]].
* ''Film/JurassicPark'': [[spoiler: [[GreatWhiteHunter Robert Muldoon]] gets one before being mauled by the "Big One."]]
** "Clever girl..."

* ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'': Sgt. Howie is being dragged to be burnt alive as a human sacrifice, but defiantly affirms his faith in the face of the murderous villagers. The AffablyEvil MagnificentBastard Lord Summerisle immediately turns this around and reminds him it's that very piety that makes him such an ideal candidate for sacrifice - and that the only reward for his faithfulness is to die a martyr's death. Howie, shaken to the core, opts to pray aloud: "Dear God, I humbly entreat thee for the soul of this thy servant, Neil Howie, who will today depart from this world. Do not deliver me into the enemy's hands or put me out of mind forever. Let me not undergo the real pains of hell, dear God, because I die unshriven. And establish me in that bliss which knows no ending, O Christ, Our Lord..."
* ''Film/DayOfTheDead1985''. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8s7JAmLF4M Choke on 'em!]]"
** Repeated as a tribute on ''Series/DeadSet'', by Patrick.
* Bert's one badass moment in ''Film/CabinFever''; he's at death's door from the virus, and, right before [[MadeOfPlasticine being gooified by shotgun fire]], barely conscious, he says, "Goodnight, fucker..."

* At the beginning of ''Film/TheBattleOfAlgiers'' the random Algerian nationalist being executed gets this, thereby inspiring Ali La Pointe.

* [[WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders "For my planet's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"]] You don't get too much more awesome than quoting ''Literature/MobyDick'' as you're about to ram your doomed homeworld into the PlanetEater's face.

Can be the last line of an entire series if it's a BolivianArmyEnding. The DoomedMoralVictor is... fond of this trope. A specific take is RegretEatingMe as well as SeeYouInHell. Very very often a DyingMomentOfAwesome. Some do manage to live, which TheCavalry can help along, but there's significant overlap with FamousLastWords. A subtrope of GallowsHumor.

* Cpt. Ahab's FamousLastWords directed at the titular Literature/MobyDick qualify too; also a prime example of DefiantToTheEnd and RevengeBeforeReason.

* Discussed in ''Podcast/FatFrenchAndFabulous'': Some of the best FamousLastWords come from people about to be executed, because they have a clear expectation that they are about to die and have time to consider what they want to say compared to someone who dies in an accident.

* In Music/{{Vocaloid}}'s ''[[Franchise/EvilliousChronicles Daughter of Evil]]'', when Riliane is at the guillotine, she looks to the crowd and says this, her signature line aside from "Bow down to me":
-->"Oh, it's time for tea."
** Then in Servant of Evil, you learn that [[spoiler:it was actually ''Allen'', Riliane's servant and twin, up there, disguised as her, with Riliane in the crowd, bawling her eyes out]].

'''Gina:''' [[FoeYay You're not my type.]] ''(shoots her)''

* Gold Roger from ''Manga/OnePiece'', moments before his execution, "You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you just have to find it!" This prompts many young adventurers to become adventure-seeking pirates, and kicks off what is known as "The Great Pirate Era".
** As [[spoiler:Whitebeard faces death at the hands of the Marines and Blackbeard Pirates]], he loudly and proudly declares that "[The treasure of] One Piece... it exists!" once again reigniting the flames of adventure and romance.

* James French, a convicted murderer about to be executed via electric chair, called out to the reporters watching: "How's this for your headline? 'French Fries!'"

-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Well, either choke me or cut my throat. Make up your mind!

* Sometimes, if a military officer noted for bravery is to be executed by firing squad, he may give the order to fire. This happened to two of Napoleon's marshals - Marshal Ney said, "Soldiers when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ... Soldiers, fire!". Murat cried, "Soldiers! Do your duty! Straight to the heart but spare the face. Fire!"

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': When [[spoiler:Lucrezia]] undergoes a second breakthrough and is in the middle of becoming a [[PhysicalGod Immortal Queen]] she restrains Wooster and tries to threaten him into capitulating to her. His response despite knowing she's about to kill him is ''[[DefiantToTheEnd "Albia is eternal"]]''.

---> '''Megatron''': ''(laughs)'' What can ''you'' possibly do?
---> '''Dinobot''': [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Improvise!]] ''([[RockBeatsLaser smashes stick into a rock for a makeshift hammer]])''