Kid
No no no no, you see it's a gun fight. We both have guns. We aim, we fire, you die.
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Cort
[after killing all of Herod's henchmen]
Sorry, John. Changed the rules. From now on, all the fights are fair.
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John Herod
I was married to a beautiful woman. She was unfaithful.
Ellen
Where is she now?
John Herod
I told you, she was unfaithful.
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Horace
Whores next door.
Horace
I said whores next door.
Ellen
[kicks the stool out from under him, catches his liquor bottle as he falls, & pours herself a drink]
Now, do you have a room available?
Horace
Uh, room and bath, yes, ma'am, coming up!
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Kid
I'm so damned fast I can wake up at the crack of dawn, rob two banks, a train and a stage coach, shoot the tail feathers off a duck's ass at 300 feet, and still be back in bed before you wake up next to me.
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Cort
Last night, The Kid. Tonight, Herod. You're a busy woman. Any man in this town you're not interested in?
Ellen
Yeah. You.
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Ellen
Don't you even want to fight back?
Cort
Sure. I'd like to kill them all for what they've done. But I won't. Killing people is wrong.
Ellen
Some people deserve to die.
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Ace Hanlon
You wanna play poker with me, little lady?
Ellen
Looks like you're having a pretty good time playing with yourself.
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John Herod
Mr. Hanlon, I wanted to ask you about Indian Wells. Did that fight really take place?
Ace Hanlon
It sure did.
John Herod
And it's true that you gunned down four men?
Ace Hanlon
Two with my left hand. Two with my right hand. You see, the truth is that I am just as good with either.
John Herod
You must be the fastest gun in the west... That, or the biggest liar.
Ace Hanlon
It's a pity you weren't there to find out.
John Herod
[laughter]
Oh, but I was, Ace. You see, I was the one that really killed the Terrence brothers, and I doubt if a lying little chickenshit like you was even in the same state.
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John Herod
Like I always say - put a fox in the henhouse and you'll have chicken for dinner every time.
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Cort
There's a click before the strike. Listen to the clock.
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Kid
The Smith and Wesson Schofield .45. Just meat and potatoes. Me and Jesse James think it's the best handgun in the world. Had the trigger guard removed, it saves drawin' time. Don't ever wear it when you're drunk, or you'll kill your feet.
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Ellen
In case you forgot, Preacher, I saved your life last night.
Cort
No, I think you just stretched it out a bit. I might've even gone to heaven if you'd let me die.
Ellen
Sorry.
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John Herod
All I hear from you, you spineless cowards, is how poor you are; how you can't afford my taxes. Yet somehow, you managed to find the money to hire a gunfighter to kill me. If ya got so much money, I'm just gonna have to take some more. Because clearly some of you haven't got the message! This is my town! I run everything! If you live to see the dawn, it's because I allow it! I decide who lives and who dies!
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[Falls to the ground]
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Kid
Want some breakfast? Or, uh, how 'bout a little of what we had last night?
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Blind Boy
John Herod owns that house. He gets fifty cents of every dollar in this town.
Ellen
What's the town get?
Blind Boy
Huh... they gets to live.
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John Herod
You're not fast enough for me!
Ellen
Today I am.
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Kid
Am I fast, or is Sweden just a very small place?
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John Herod
You must be the fastest gun in the west. That or the biggest liar!
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Kid
Is it possible? Is it possible to improve on _perfection_?
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Ratsy
And that concludes the lesson for today.
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Ace Hanlon
[Holding a card deck]
This is a very special pack. See, I put an ace in every time I kill a man.
[Shows it and its all aces]
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Ellen
[after Herod accepts the Kid's challenge]
You would fight your own son? I'm gonna kill you if I have to ride all the way to Hell to do it.
John Herod
Do you have some particular problem with me?
Ellen
I'll let you know.
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Townsman
We're gonna have to bury this old man deep. He stinks something awful.
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Kid
I'm worth $3,000 in four states. Seventy-five offenses and no convictions. My name's Fee but, uh... everyone calls me the Kid.
Ellen
Congratulations.
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John Herod
I said, are you still fast?
Cort
Faster than you.
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Ellen
Some people deserve to die.
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Ellen
You stole my life.
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Kid
Shit, that was fast.
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John Herod
Like I always say - put a fox in the henhouse and you'll have chicken for dinner every time.
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Cort
Sorry, John. Changed the rules. From now on, all the fights are fair.
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Cantrell
Why did you call me up here?
John Herod
Well, I wanted to ask you one simple question. Who brought you here to fight me?
Cantrell
[laughing]
Mr. Herod. I'm just a gentleman adventurer, moseying into town for the challenge of a gunfight.
John Herod
I thought Ace Hanlon was the hired gun. I was so sure of it. But he was just a buffoon. You're not.
Cantrell
My name's Clay Cantrell, and I'm a shootist. I've killed 17 men. Killing is purely a business proposition for me. Doesn't give me any pleasure. My employer's confidential. Now... do we have business together today?
John Herod
As soon as the rain stops, I'm gonna make an example of you.
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Kid
And this, this is the best help a man could get. The Smith and Wesson Schofield .45. Just meat and potatoes. Me and Jesse James think it's the best handgun in the world. Had the trigger guard removed, it saves drawin' time. Don't ever wear it when you're drunk, or you'll kill your feet.
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John Herod
I could give you more money than you could ever spend.
Ellen
I wouldn't feel like I'd earned it.
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John Herod
When's the last time you held a gun, Cort?
Cort
You know when.
John Herod
Heh. Yes.
Kid
Here. I got offered $120 for this Colt. You wanna try it out?
[he tosses it to Cort, who spins it around on his fingers]
John Herod
You got $120, Cort?
Cort
I don't have any money. The Lord provides me with everything I need.
John Herod
[Cort returns the pistol]
Mm. We're just wasting this boy's time, then, aren't we? I'll tell you what, I'll be a good Samaritan. What's the cheapest gun you got? Not in the case. I mean the cheapest piece of worthless crap you got in the whole miserable store.
Kid
All right.
[taking out a cheap-looking pistol]
Kid
Five bucks.
John Herod
Sold.
[the Kid starts to load ammo into the chambers]
John Herod
What are you doing there? No. The preacher here's got the Lord on his side. He only needs one bullet. Just one. Otherwise, he might be tempted to shoot his way out of town.
Kid
That gun shoots straight. I wouldn't sell it if it didn't.
Cort
It's okay, Kid. I won't draw.
John Herod
Sure you will. I know you, Cort. When it comes down to it, you'll pull the trigger.
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John Herod
Hello, Cort. I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it in time. It's been a while. I hear you have a mission down in Hermosillo. Is that right? You own a little piece of heaven? Sunshine and cactus flowers and you and the orphan children praying for salvation.
Ratsy
We burned that mission down, Mr. Herod, just like you said.
John Herod
All that work, Cort... all those years of hard work... destroyed for no reason. It must make you angry. You used to be fast. Are you still fast?
[getting no answer]
John Herod
Don't I get an answer? Have you taken a vow of silence?
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Kid
Am I fast, or is Sweden just a very small place? Tell me now!
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John Herod
I'm confused. All I hear from you, you spineless cowards, is how poor you are; how you can't afford my taxes, my protection. Yet somehow, you managed to find the money to hire a professional gunfighter to kill me. Where's all this money coming from? What am I to think... If ya got so much to spare, I'm just gonna have to take some more off you. Because clearly you haven't got the message! This is my town! If you live to see the dawn, it's because I allow it! I'm in charge of everything! I decide who lives or who dies! Your gunfighter's dead. Old news.
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John Herod
So, why'd you come here tonight?
Ellen
You invited me.
John Herod
You could have turned me down.
Ellen
I wanted to see what kind of man you are.
John Herod
What kind of man am I?
John Herod
The kind people hate.
Ellen
I'm not trying to be popular. The people in this town, they, uh... they need me. I bring a sense of, uh... order to their lives. Not law, order.
Ellen
Like hanging a preacher in the saloon?
John Herod
He's no preacher. He's a fraud. If a man is a killer, then that's what he is. There's no dishonor. But don't let that same man suddenly tell me that's not in his blood anymore. That's worse than a liar.
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John Herod
How do you feel after surviving your first day?
Ellen
Same as yesterday.
John Herod
No. Your eyes are shining. You passed a test. You feel alive.
Ellen
I guess it doesn't excite me as much as it does you.
John Herod
You think I do this contest because it's fun? Look at this town. It's full of people who'd kill you for your bootlaces. At least this way, I get to face my enemies. They can't sneak up and shoot me in the back. And of course, I always win.
Ellen
Maybe one day your luck will run out.
John Herod
I don't win because I'm lucky.
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Cort
No.
[taking two more shots]
John Herod
Last chance. Yes or no?
Cort
Go to hell.
[as Herod chambers another round, the chair begins to crack, ready to break]
Ellen
Sign me up.
Horace
No women in quick-draw. It's against the rules.
John Herod
There's no rule against ladies. It's just that women can't shoot for shit.
[laughing with the other patrons]
John Herod
Adios, reverend.
[he shoots the chair one last time, and as Cort begins to hang, Ellen frees him by shooting the beam around which the noose is threaded]
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Kid
Is it possible? Is it possible to improve on perfection?
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Kid
The gunfight is in the head, not the hands.
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John Herod
You must be the fastest gun in the west. That or the biggest liar!
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Doc Wallace
I knew I'd find you here.
Ellen
You know who I am?
Doc Wallace
Of course I do. I brought you into this world. Your father was...
Doc Wallace
You've been here for hours, looking for his grave. He's not here. Herod's men... they smashed the gravestone I made, and then they burned his body 'til there was nothing left. There are good people here. They're just cowards, like me. And they're waiting, hoping... someone like you will come and stop him.
Ellen
I can't. I can't kill him! I had my chance and I was scared. I'm scared of dying.
Doc Wallace
You've been dead since it happened. You're more scared of living. It'd be the same if you keep riding.
[returning her father's marshal badge]
Doc Wallace
I pulled this from the fire. He was the best friend I ever had.
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Horace
Round two! Four fights today, featuring the eight remaining contestants. The winner is the contestant left standing.
John Herod
Left alive.
Horace
[the crowd gasps]
Left alive! From now on, we fight to the death.
Cort
Well, well, well. What a surprise, John. You changing the rules.
John Herod
Any problem with that?
Cantrell
Well... I was planning to kill you anyway.
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[Herod's henchmen restrain him]
Cort
This what you wanted all along? Why don't you come and get some?
Ratsy
[getting headbutted]
Ow! My nose! Son of a bitch!
John Herod
Of course we'll fight. But the rules say tomorrow. I'll even let you name the time.
Cort
Dawn.
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[last lines]
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John Herod
The rules say you have to accept every challenge. You got a problem with that, scuttle your butt out of town.
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Katie
They're calling for you on the street. Are you really gonna do it? What if you get killed?
Ellen
Then I won't be around to answer any more of your dumb questions.
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Cort
There's a click before the strike. Listen to the clock.
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John Herod
Your gunfighter's dead. Old news.
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Cort
[after Ellen learns he's a former member of Herod's gang]
I was only a kid when I hitched up with Herod. He singled me out because I was... a little smarter, a little faster than most. First completely fearless man I've ever met, and he wanted me to be just the same as him. We used to go revenue-collecting along the border, just the two of us, like some families go on picnics. We were down in Nogales, taking the bank. And we walked out to a street full of federal soldiers. We got shot up so bad... this padre hid us in his mission... tended our wounds, fed us... talked to us both for hours. When we were strong enough to head home, Herod told me to shoot him. When I said no, he put a gun to the back of my head and started to count down from 10. So I killed the priest. It doesn't matter what I do now. I'm already damned, I know that. Don't go down that road. You don't have to become like me.
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Ellen
Say that again.
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Ellen
Now, do you have a room available?
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Horace
Uh, room and bath, yes ma'am. Coming up!
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Ellen
Looks like you're having a pretty good time playing with yourself.
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Kid
You're not quitting, are you? I know this is probably the wrong time, but, um, I like you, and I want you to stay.
Ellen
How can you live like this?
Kid
Live like what? Aren't you even gonna stay for Cort's fight?
Ellen
No, I'm not.
Kid
Wait. It's starting any minute now...
Ellen
I don't care about him. I don't care about you or anybody else in this town. I'm through.
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Ellen
You're pretty fast. Hope I don't have to fight you.
Cort
You have a choice to be here. I don't.
Ellen
He made you do it.
Cort
I was the only one who pulled the trigger.
Ellen
Well, this ain't much of a town for a preacher.
Cort
I wasn't always a preacher.
John Herod
[overhearing them]
Cort was an outlaw, like us. Weren't you? In fact, he used to ride with me. Of course, that's all changed now. He's a man of peace. Wouldn't hurt a fly.
[as he puts his arm around her, she removes it in disgust]
John Herod
Easy. There was a time when, uh, you couldn't tell us apart.
[getting no answer]
Ellen
Is that true?
Cort
Yes.
Ellen
I should have let you die.
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John Herod
[shouting]
This is my town! If you live to see the dawn, it's because I allow it. I'm in charge of everything! I decide who lives or who dies!
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Ellen
How about a room?
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Horace
I said whores next door.
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