Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Brody says it half to himself, backing away from the Orca's stern after the great white surfaces behind him while he is chumming, and it is the film's biggest laugh and scare in one. After test screenings the line was made louder because the audience's screams had covered it. It is now the stock phrase for any problem that has outgrown the tools you brought, and AFI ranks it number 35 on its list of film quotes.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for JawsShow the scene
Brody is stuck throwing chum off the back of the Orca, grumbling to himself, when the great white suddenly rears up right behind the boat: the first time the film shows the shark above the surface. He backs slowly into the cabin, cigarette still dangling from his mouth, and delivers the line. Quint then sizes the fish at twenty-five feet and three tons and gets a harpoon and barrel into it, but the shark drags the barrel under and disappears.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Jaws (film)Police Chief Martin Brody sectionReference checked
- ACMI: Jaws, "You're gonna need a bigger boat"Essay by Maria Lewis, 1 November 2020Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Jaws (film)Plot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
