Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Flat, polite and absolutely lethal: the machine does not threaten, it simply schedules the massacre. Schwarzenegger's accent turned it into the era's most imitated catchphrase, and he went on to use variations of it in later films, until it passed into everyday speech as a joke about leaving a room.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The TerminatorShow the scene
The Terminator (1984). The cyborg tracks Sarah Connor to a Los Angeles police station and tells the desk sergeant he wants to see her. The sergeant says it may take a while and points to a bench. The Terminator studies the room, announces he will be back, and leaves. Moments later he drives a car through the lobby and slaughters the officers. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he found the contraction I'll hard to pronounce and asked for the longer I will be back; James Cameron refused, so he tried to deliver it as written.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: I'll be backOriginReference checked
- Wikiquote: The TerminatorPolice station dialogueReference checked
Context reviewed
