Comments on: Is it safe? Good...how about now?

Question: Is it safe? Good...how about now?

cps — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:54:06 -0800

Dramatically intoned, repeated uses of the phrase Is it safe? in movies...more inside.

So I was watching Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring last night, and early on Gandalf (after his investigatory trip) asks Bilbo "Is it safe?". Then I remembered being struck by that phrase's repetition in The Way of The Gun.

As a movie quote, it is of course best known from Marathon Man. Now I'm wondering whether it shows up in other movies in a similar way -- heavy, dramatic, enigmatic and/or repeated. (Bonus question: is its use in any particular movie a tribute, or is it just such a dramatically cool question?)

[Obviously this is Not an Urgent Question, it is to satisfy my curiosity and possibly, fates/time/inclination willing, for a pet project idea. Any leads appreciated.]

By: tkolar

tkolar — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:09:06 -0800

The original scene is recreated (I guess that'd be a tribute) in Hot Shots.

By: Leon

Leon — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:16:27 -0800

First episode of Clerks The Animated Series

By: fleacircus

fleacircus — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:40:25 -0800

I swear one of the gremlins says it in one of the Gremlins.

By: PercussivePaul

PercussivePaul — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:48:01 -0800

What instantly popped into my head is not a movie but a song by the relatively obscure Toronto-based world jazz ensemble Rick Lazar and the Montuno Police, who were my favourite band for a while after they played a show at my high school. The song, which is called "Toof Ache", kind of bounces all around, really dissonant, over a mid-tempo hip hop funk beat. Then towards the middle it starts to get more frenzied, and after a long build, there is a sudden stop and complete silence. And then, spoken by the violin player, in a pretty creepy voice...
"Is it safe?"
And then the song kicks back in.

By: daninnj

daninnj — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:50:34 -0800

Yeah, in Gremlins 2, when the goofy gremlin is about to drill into Billy's mouth at the dentist's office.

By: spaceman_spiff

spaceman_spiff — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:51:09 -0800

Similar dialogue from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (in the book and the original movie, almost certainly the new one as well):

"Is he ... safe?"
"Safe? No! But he's good."

By: mitocan

mitocan — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 02:57:40 -0800

Marathon man

By: mdiskin

mdiskin — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:56:30 -0800

As mitocan said, this hast to be a tribute to Marathon Man -- when Dustin Hoffman is trapped in the basement with erstwhile dentist and current Nazi Laurence Olivier. Olivier drills Hoffman's teeth without anesthetic while repeatedly asking him "Is it safe?" (regarding treasure that Hoffman knows nothing about)

By: mdiskin

mdiskin — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:57:01 -0800

Actually, I think Olivier says "Is it secret? Is it safe?" over and over again.

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 07:41:45 -0800

Skinny Puppy samples the Marathon Man line in the song Assimilate.

By: Rash

Rash — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:50:27 -0800

As a movie quote, it is of course best known from Marathon Man. Now I'm wondering whether it shows up in other movies in a similar way

Do you mean, movies made before "Marathon Man"?

By: cps

cps — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:56:48 -0800

Thanks for all the answers so far.

Rash, good question. If it shows up before that would be cool too.

By: AmbroseChapel

AmbroseChapel — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:59:29 -0800

It's in Gremlins 2, just for the record.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:05:17 -0800

I understand it's in Gremlins 2 and also in Marathon Man.