Amsterdam Vallon Lord, place the steel of the Holy Spirit in my spine and the love of the Virgin Mary in my heart.
2nd most-quoted character in Gangs of New York (2002): in 21 of its 71 quotes
Most scenes with: Bill the Butcher (8), Jenny (2)
Jenny was a Bluget, a girl pickpocket and a turtledove. A turtledove picks out a fine house, disguises herself as a housemaid and robs you blind. It takes a lot of sand to be a turtledove.
More lines from Amsterdam Vallon
9 quotes Amsterdam Vallon Amsterdam Vallon It's a funny feeling being taken under the wing of a dragon. It's warmer than you'd think.
Amsterdam Vallon New York loved William Tweed... and hated him but for those of us trying to be thieves, we couldn't help but admire him.
Amsterdam Vallon If you get all of us together, we ain't got a gang, we've got an army.
Amsterdam Vallon When you kill a king, you don't stab him in the dark. You kill him where the entire court can watch him die.
Amsterdam Vallon In the end, they put candles on the bodies so's their friends, if they had any, could know them in the dark. The city did this free of charge. Shang, Jimmy Spoils, Hell-cat, McGloin, and more. Friend or foe, didn't make no difference now. It was four days and nights before the worst of the mob was finally put down. We never knew how many New Yorkers died that week before the city was finally delivered. My father told me we was all born of blood and tribulation, and so then too was our great city. But for those of us what lived and died in them furious days, it was like everything we knew was mildly swept away. And no matter what they did to build this city up again... for the rest of time... it would be like no one even knew we was ever here.
Amsterdam Vallon You know there's more of us coming off those boats everyday? Some say 15,000 Irish a week! Get all of us together and we ain't got a gang, we got an army!
Amsterdam Vallon The past is a torch that lights our way. Where our fathers have shown us the path, we shall follow. Our faith is the weapon most feared by our enemies. For thereby shall we lift our people up against those who would destroy us.
Amsterdam Vallon Our name is called "The Dead Rabbits" to remind all of our suffering, and as a call to those who suffer still to join our ranks. However far they may have strayed from our common home across the sea. For with great numbers must come great strength in the salvation of our people.
Scenes with Amsterdam Vallon
11 scenes
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protector against the snares and the wickedness of the devil. Now, son, who's that?
Young Amsterdam
St. Michael.
Who is it?
Young Amsterdam
St. Michael!
And what did he do?
Young Amsterdam
He cast Satan out of Paradise.
Good boy.
You. Whatever your name is... what is your name?
Amsterdam Amsterdam, sir.
Amsterdam, I'm New York. Don't you never come in here empty handed again, you gotta pay for the pleasure of my company.
On the seventh day the Lord rested, but before that he did, he squatted over the side of England and what came out of him... was Ireland. No offense son.
Amsterdam Nah, none taken, sir. I grew up here. All I ever knew of Ireland was from the talk of the others at the orphan asylum.
And which part of that excrementitious isle where your forebears spawned?
Amsterdam I've been told Kerry, I lost proof of it in my language at the asylum.
How old are you, Amsterdam?
Amsterdam I'm not sure, sir. I never did quite figure it.
I'm forty-seven. Forty-seven years old. You know how come I stayed alive this long? Fear. A spectacle of fearsome acts. A man steals from me, I cut off his hands. If he offends me, I cut out his tongue. He rises up against me, I cut off his head, stick it on a pike. Raise it up high so all on the streets can see. That's what preserves the order of things. Fear.
Amsterdam Is there anyone in the five points you haven't ****?
Yes! You!
I killed the last honorable man, 15 years ago. Since then it's... You seen his portrait downstairs?
Amsterdam Mm-hmm.
'S your mouth all glued-up with cunny juice? I asked you a question!
Amsterdam [angrily]
I said I seen it, sir.
Amsterdam He's killed 44 men, and laid low a couple hundred more.
Is that right? We should have run him for mayor.
What's that word? [Points to newsletter with knife]
Amsterdam It means bodysnatchers.
I didn't ask the meaning. I asked the word.
Amsterdam Ghoul?
Ghoul? That's a good word. A fresh outrage in the Five Points. A notice that you can be proud of. Thank you.
Low thing, to do that to a body. Low.
Why? They could've left that ship with nothing. Instead they made the Police Gazette. A periodical of note.
A body is supposed to stay beneath the earth.... wearing a wooden coat... until the resurrection.
These two are just a pair of bug eating sons of Irish bitches. Just like you. Don't seem to bother them none. Maybe they don't share your religious scruples.
Maybe they're just a couple of fiddeling bends.
Amsterdam I've been called a lot of things, mister... but I've never been called...?
Fiddeling bends.
Amsterdam Fiddeling bends. Right. If I knew what in the hell that meant... I might be inclined to take offense.
A fiddeling bend is a fellow who would steal anything... dead or alive. Because he's too low to work up a decent lay for himself. Count that careful! I'm telling you that's all there is. That's all they gave us. That's all they gave us. Chiseler!
Amsterdam If you had said chiseler, now that's a word I understand. Is that what you're calling us?
I can think of a number of things to call you, boil!
Amsterdam Right. But I asked if you was calling us chiselers?
Supposing I am?
Amsterdam Well, then we got business.
That we do!
Spectators
2 dollars on McGloin! 5 pieces on the kid! 5 on Amsterdam! Come on, McGloin, it's just a kid. Watch his left, McGloin!
[after McGloin is beaten by Amsterdam]
Alright, that'll do. What do you say now, huh? That'll do, for Christ sake. Drag him off. That's enough, kid. You got him.
Amsterdam McGloin? How would that head look without the ears and nose on it? You'd better leave that head alone, Bill.
I think I'm gonna trim the beak and the ears off that head. Make a nice pot of soup out of that head.
Amsterdam You can find a tastier head than that, Bill. I ain't got no stomach for an Irish stew.
The mighty McGloin. Almost fish hooked by a sprat. On the seventh day the Lord rested. But before that He did... He squatted over the side of England... and what came out of him? Ireland! No offense, son.
Amsterdam None taken, sir.
No, I don't never sleep too much. I have to sleep with one eye open, and I only got one eye, right? How old are you, Amsterdam?
Amsterdam I'm not sure, sir. I never did quite figure it.
I'm forty-seven. Forty-seven years old. You know how come I stayed alive this long? Fear. A spectacle of fearsome acts. A man steals from me, I cut off his hands. If he offends me, I cut out his tongue. He rises up against me, I cut off his head, stick it on a pike. Raise it up high so all on the streets can see. That's what preserves the order of things. Fear. That one tonight, who was he? A nobody. A coward. What an ignominious end that would have been. I killed the last honorable man fifteen years ago. Since then, it's... You seen his portrait downstairs?
Amsterdam Mm-hmm.
Is your mouth all glued up with cunny juice? I asked you a question.
Amsterdam [angrily]
I said I seen it, sir.
[smiles]
Oh, you got a murderous rage in you, and I like it. It's life, boiling up inside of you. It's good. The Priest and me, we lived by the same principles. It was only faith divided us. He gave me this, you know. That was the finest beating I ever took. My face was pulp, my guts was pierced, and my ribs was all mashed up. And when he came to finish me, I couldn't look him in the eye. He spared me because he wanted me to live in shame. This was a great man. A great man. So I cut out the eye that looked away. Sent it to him wrapped in blue paper. I would have cut 'em both out if I could have fought him blind. Then I rose back up again with a full heart and buried him in his own blood.
Amsterdam [pause]
Well done.
He was the only man I ever killed worth remembering. I never had a son. Civilization is crumbling. [places a hand on Amsterdam's head] God bless you.
[after foiling Amsterdam's attempt to kill him]
I want you all to meet the son of Priest Vallon. I took him under my wing and see how I'm repaid. He saved my life one day so he could kill me the next like a sneak thief, instead of fighting like a man. A base defiler, unworthy of a noble name. [pulls the knife out of Amsterdam's chest]
Amsterdam Oh, God! Jesus!
[Bill hits him in the face. Amsterdam falls to the floor and McGloin begins to search him for hidden weapons]
That'll do, McGloin. Spread him out.
[Amsterdam is spread out on a table. Bill climbs on it with cleaver in his hand]
This is fresh meat! You know what I mean? [drives a cleaver into the table] We need to tenderize this meat a bit. Alright, lets kiss goodnight to that pretty face of yours!
[Bill leans down and actually tries to kiss Amsterdam, who spits in his face. In response, Bill screams furiously and headbutts Amsterdam several times]
No!
[stands up and grabs the cleaver]
What'll it be then? Rib or chop? Loin or shank? [throws the cleaver up in the air; the cleaver is shown going up, and then falling, in slow motion, and eventually hits the table right next to Amsterdam's head]
Crowd
The liver! The spleen! The kidney! The lung! The liver! The tongue! The heart! The heart!
The heart? This boy has no heart.
Crowd
Then kill him!
He ain't earned a death! He ain't earned a death at my hands! He'll walk amongst you marked with shame. A freak! Worthy of Barnum's museum of wonders. God's only man, spared by the Butcher. [grabs a red-hot knife and burns a mark on Amsterdam's cheek]
Amsterdam Challenge.
Challenge Accepted.
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