Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This is the moment a macho action film admits there is a monster in it, and the answer is stubborn arithmetic: anything that bleeds is mortal. It is the film's whole logic in eight words, and it was good enough that a making-of documentary borrowed it as its title. Fans quote it whenever a problem looks impossible but has one visible weak point.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for PredatorShow the scene
In Predator (John McTiernan, 1987), Dutch's commando team is hunting through a Central American jungle while something unseen picks them off. After Hawkins and Blain die, the team opens fire into the trees and seems to hit nothing. The guerrilla prisoner Anna points out that they must have wounded the creature, since its blood was on the leaves. Dutch answers with the line that turns the film from a retreat into a hunt: "If it bleeds, we can kill it."
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Predator (film)Dialogue sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Predator (film)PlotReference checked
- Predator Wiki: Predator (film)PlotReference checked
Context reviewed
