Original artwork, not a still
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.
— The Blues Brothers · 1980
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a manifesto for the whole film, delivered as casually as a weather report. Two men in black suits and hats lay out their odds in four tidy clauses and then drive, and everything after is one of the biggest police chases ever put on film. Fans rattle the line off whenever a road trip starts, and it works as a ready-made mission statement.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Blues BrothersShow the scene
Near the end of The Blues Brothers (1980), Jake and Elwood have played the Palace Hotel Ballroom and slipped out through a service tunnel with a $10,000 record-company advance, enough to save their orphanage. The vengeful Mystery Woman fires on them with an M16 and misses, and the pair get away. Elwood then recites the odds: a hundred and six miles to Chicago, a full tank, half a pack of cigarettes, darkness and sunglasses. Jake says 'Hit it', and the final chase to City Hall begins.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The Blues BrothersDialogue, after the Mystery Woman sceneReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Blues Brothers (film)PlotReference checked
Context reviewed
