Macao (1952)

Robert Mitchum: Nick Cochran

Photos 

Quotes 

• Nick Cochran : You know, you remind me of an old Egyptian girlfriend of mine. The Sphinx.

  Margie : Are you partial to females made of stone?

• Nick Cochran : Why don't you take that chip off your shoulder?

  Julie Benson : Every time I do, somebody hits me over the head with it.

• Nick Cochran : Thanks for the flowers.

  Julie Benson : [sarcastically]  I couldn't afford a wreath.

• Lawrence C. Trumble : By the way, ever think of going home?

  Nick Cochran : I can't go home any more than you can even if I wanted to.

  Lawrence C. Trumble : Why not?

  Nick Cochran : Oh, a little hassle over a redhead, somebody fired a shot, turned out to be me.

  Lawrence C. Trumble : Other guy get killed?

  Nick Cochran : No, but I got all the way to China before I found that out. Then I just, kept on going...

• Nick Cochran : [speaking to Lt. Sebastian]  Haven't you lost a little weight since I saw you last?

• Lawrence C. Trumble : I'll go back one of these days, or my name isn't Lawrence C. Trumble.

  Nick Cochran : What does the "C." stand for?

  Lawrence C. Trumble : Cicero - but keep it under your hat.

  Nick Cochran : What else would I do with it?

• Julie Benson : Enjoy the view?

  Nick Cochran : Well, it's not the Taj Mahal or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon but, uh, it's not bad.

  Julie Benson : Did anyone ever tell you what big blue eyes you have, grandma?

• Nick Cochran : Ah, the lady of the loaded dice.

  Margie : You're up early for a loser.

  Nick Cochran : Can't make a dishonest dollar lying in bed.

• Nick Cochran : My fatal charm. Never misses - except with women.

• Nick Cochran : [at the Customs checkpoint shortly after docking at Macao, explaining why he has no passport]  My wallet was in my pocket when I boarded that tub in Hong Kong but, uh, somebody lifted it.

  Lt. Sebastian : That is most unfortunate, señor.

  Nick Cochran : Well, what happens now? Do I get deported, or thrown in the klink?

  Lt. Sebastian : Oh, neither, señor. This is a Portuguese colony - always friendly and hospitable. Have you any other means of identification?

  Nick Cochran : Yeah. This took me, uh, three years, five months and twenty-six days to get.

  [Nick pulls out a document from his coat pocket and hands it to Lt. Sebastien, who looks it over] 

  Lt. Sebastian : You served as a lieutenant in the Signal Corps of the United States... Unfortunately, Senor Cochran, this finely engraved document does not grant you the privilege of traveling free as a bird throughout the Orient.

  Nick Cochran : Yeah, I was afraid of that.

  Lt. Sebastian : I suggest you contact your consulate in Hong Kong. How long did you intend to remain in our city?

  Nick Cochran : That depends.

  Lt. Sebastian : On what?

  Nick Cochran : On a certain female... Lady Luck.

  Lt. Sebastian : I wish you well. It is our fond hope that all visitors to Macao should feel as untroubled here as Adam in the Garden of Eden.

  Nick Cochran : "Untroubled"? That ain't the way *I* heard it.

• Nick Cochran : [in Halloran's office, at his casino]  I'd like to work on the other side of the table. I don't suppose you'd have a job for me?

  Vincent Halloran : What kind of training have you had for a job around here?

  Nick Cochran : Well, I worked in a gambling house in Singapore.

  Vincent Halloran : Why'd you quit?

  Nick Cochran : Broke a house rule. I let a heavy bettor win.

  Vincent Halloran : Same house rule applies here. After Singapore?

  Nick Cochran : After Singapore I nursemaided a shipment of machine guns to Iraq, then I went on to Cairo, got rid of a handful of stones for a couple of refugees who wanted visas. That dough I blew on slow horses. Worked my way back to China on a freighter, here I am. Broke, ready to go on the payroll.

  Vincent Halloran : Doing what?

  Nick Cochran : Well, maybe you could use a skipper on your trips to Hong Kong? I can sail anything that floats.

  Vincent Halloran : You must've heard I never go beyond the three mile limit. Didn't they tell you in New York?

  Nick Cochran : I left New York five years ago.