Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)

Edward Asner: Connolly

Photos 

Quotes 

• Connolly : Your Precinct has the worst absentee record in the city, the most disability claims, the highest percentage of men on sick call, the least convictions per arrest, and you want me to believe there are no men on the take!

  Dugan : So they toss a numbers runner for a couple of dollars, turn a pimp upside down for a little loose change, there's nobody getting rich up here.

  Connolly : There's nobody doing anything up here that I can see, these men aren't motivated

  Dugan : Motivated ? This is Siberia, Connolly. 65% of the men up here have been transferred. We've got the connivers, the slobs, the shirkers, Guys who beat up the wrong Guinea. Gave a diplomat a parking ticket, screwed a big mouth hooker or shook down the wrong peddler

  Connolly : There are plenty of good police officers under your command, you're the one that's falling down on the job

  Dugan : Yeah that's right, Blame Dugan! Sure let the politicians and everyone else off the hook, Blame Dugan, that's the easy way. You got a 40-block area with 70,000 people packed in like sardines smelling each others' farts living like cockroaches, and that's Dugan's fault. You got the lowest income per capita, the highest rate of unemployment in the city and that's my fault! Why aren't I out there getting all these people jobs? Largest proportion of non-English speaking population in the city! Dugan's fault, why aren't he out there teaching them to speak English? 4% Spanish speaking cops on the force! Hey Dugan, get your ass out in the barrio and recruit! Families that have been on welfare for three or four generations. Youth Gangs. Winos. Junkies. Pimps! Hookers. Maniacs. Cop-killers...

  Connolly : You finished?

  Dugan : Yeah, I'm finished. I'm goin' to Florida, Connelly. I'm goin' fishin'. So you can bring up all your computers and your slide rules and all your psychological techniques. I mean this neighborhood'll bury ya. There's enough dirt in this precinct to bury every smart-ass cop in the city!

• Connolly : What's all this Indian junk?

  Heffernan : Well, you know the precinct is nicknamed 'Fort Apache'...

  Applebaum : The men put that up, Captain. Guy goes on vacation, he brings back some kind of souvenir, you know?

  Connolly : It makes the place look like a fraternity house... take it down, lieutenant.

  Applebaum : It's not a good idea, Captain.

  Connolly : And let's see about getting this place painted.

  Heffernan : Well that's kind of a problem, painters won't come up here.

  Connolly : We'll have to get all those civilians out from in front of the precinct.

  Applebaum : We can't do that.

  Connolly : [stops, turns and looks Applebaum in the eye]  Excuse me?

  Applebaum : This is the only place the old folks can go without getting mugged. See, it's not a police station, it's a fort in hostile territory, you understand?

  Heffernan : [agreeing]  'Fort Apache'.

• Connolly : [walking into the precinct for the first time]  Captain Duggan's office?

  Pantuzzi : [points toward the right without looking up]  .

  Connolly : Don't you monitor the people who ask to see the commander, Sergeant? What if I was a lunatic with a gun?

  Pantuzzi : Then you wouldn't be a police officer Captain Connolly. Or would you?

  Connolly : What's your name, Sergeant?

  Pantuzzi : Kicking ass and taking names eh Captain? Well I'm Sergeant Anthony Pantuzzi. I have 22 years on the job and I'm ready to retire tomorrow if I get a hard time from my new commander. I'll take the half-pension before I take any crap from anybody.

  [pointing again] 

  Pantuzzi : Captain Duggan's office is over on the right close to the street as he can get.

  Connolly : [surprised, yet amused]  Thank youuuuu Sergeant.

• Connolly : Any information from the street so far?

  Dacey : Are you kidding? Any place else a guy sees a cop get killed, he runs to the phone, here the doors close. Right now there could be five people who know who did this, in a few hours maybe ten maybe more but not us. Up here Captain, cops are like husbands, they're always the last to know.

• Connolly : [Murphy has decided to turn in two of his fellow officers, and also resign from the force. He tosses his badge on Connolly's desk]  What's that?

  Murphy : What does it look like? Being a stoolie is my last official act.

  Connolly : [Connolly doesn't want Murphy to quit]  You're a good cop, Murphy. But I don't think you'd be much good at anything else.

  Murphy : I'm gonna run for president. What do you care?