Original artwork, not a still
Put... the bunny... back... in the... box.
— Con Air · 1997
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is funny because Cage plays it with the grave menace of a Western, stretching each beat, while the thing being protected is a child's toy. It gave Cage a catchphrase to put beside Eastwood's, and it stands for the film's mix of macho action and sweetness. Fans use it to demand something small and precious be handled with respect.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Con AirShow the scene
In Simon West's Con Air (1997), paroled Army Ranger Cameron Poe is on a prison transport plane that the convicts have hijacked. He carries a stuffed bunny for the daughter he has never met. Billy Bedlam, a mass murderer, finds Poe's belongings in the cargo hold and threatens the toy. Poe tells him slowly to put it back in the box, and Bedlam ignores him. Nicolas Cage has said the bunny and the line were his own idea, a riff on Clint Eastwood's tough-guy catchphrases.
Sources (3)
- Slashfilm: Nicolas Cage and the Con Air bunnyWhole articleReference checked
- Mental Floss: 15 Things You Might Not Know About Con AirBunny itemReference checked
- Wikipedia: Con AirPlot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
