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Sam
Max is one of the hitmen who take over Henry’s diner and hold George, Nick, and Sam hostage. While Al guards Nick and Sam in the kitchen, Max stays in the front of the diner and talks to George. Max is more aggressive and talkative than his partner, Al, and Al frequently scolds him for talking “silly” or “too much.” Max is the one who tells George about the plan to kill Ole and reveals that they are only doing it “to oblige a friend,” providing a major clue about why Ole is being targeted. Max also takes on a leadership role, determining how long he and Al should wait for Ole and deciding what to do with their hostages when they finally leave.
Max Quotes in The Killers
The The Killers quotes below are all either spoken by Max or refer to Max. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Killers Quotes
“I’ll have a roast pork tenderloin with apple sauce and mashed potatoes,” the first man said.
“It isn’t ready yet.”
“What the hell do you put it on the card for?”
“That’s the dinner,” George explained. “You can get that at six o’clock.”
George looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter.
“It’s five o’clock.”
“The clock says it’s twenty minutes past five,” the second man said.
“It’s twenty minutes fast.”
“Oh, to hell with the clock,” the first man said. “What have you got to eat?”
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“You’re a pretty bright boy, aren’t you?”
“Sure,” said George.
“Well, you’re not,” said the other little man. “Is he Al?”
“He’s dumb,” said Al.
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“Where do you think you are?”
“We know damn well where we are,” the man called Max said. “Do we look silly?”
“You talk silly,” Al said to him.
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“What are you going to kill Ole Andreson for? What did he ever do to you?”
“He never had a chance to do anything to us. He never even seen us.”
“And he’s only going to see us once,” Al said from the kitchen.
“What are you going to kill him for, then?” George asked.
“We’re killing him for a friend. Just to oblige a friend, bright boy.”
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“In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team.”
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“They put us out in the kitchen,” Nick went on. “They were going to shoot you when you came in to supper.”
Ole Andreson looked at the wall and did not say anything.
“George thought I better come and tell you about it.”
“There isn’t anything I can do about it,” Ole Andreson said.
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Max Character Timeline in The Killers
The timeline below shows where the character Max appears in The Killers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Killers
The first man, Max, orders a roast pork dinner and George tells him that this isn’t available. When Max...
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Max makes a snide comment about how “hot” the town is and asks what it’s called....
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George brings Max and Al their meals, but they can’t remember who ordered what. As they eat, they...
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Looking at Nick, Max and Al tell the “bright boy” to go behind the counter with his “boy friend.”...
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...over and then drags him and Nick to the kitchen. Once they’re gone, George asks Max what is going on. Max calls back to Al that the “bright boy” wants to...
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Max asks George if Ole Andreson comes in every night at six, and George says that...
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Max tells Al that he has “to keep bright boy amused” and Al tells him that...
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Max instructs George to tell anyone who comes in to order dinner that the cook is...
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...order dinner, but George tells him that the cook is out and the man leaves. Max tells him “that was nice, bright boy” and Al calls out that George “knew I’d...
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...sitting in the back with a sawed-off shotgun. When George came out of the kitchen, Max said that he would “make some girl a nice wife” because he “can cook and...
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George repeats that Ole Andreson isn’t coming in and Max says they’re going to wait ten more minutes. At 7:05, Max tells Al that they...
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As Max and Al leave, they tell George that he’s “got a lot of luck” and “ought...
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...it at all” and George tells Nick that he better go warn Ole Andreson about Max and Al. Nick agrees, but Sam tells him that he “better not have anything to...
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Nick offers to tell Ole what Max and Al “were like,” but Ole tells him he doesn’t want to know and thanks...
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...all about” already and is going to do “nothing” about it. George points out that Max and Al will kill him and Nick says, “I guess they will.” George says that...
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