The Looming Tower (TV Mini Series)

Now it Begins... (2018)

Jeff Daniels: John O'Neill

Photos 

Quotes 

• Robert Chesney : I've been up all night, going through el-Hage's computer. And, you know, my Arabic is pretty much for shit, but there seems to be some training material that got sent to Somalia in '92, '93, before Black Hawk Down. Maybe some funding, too.

  John O'Neill : That's perfect. That'll get us our indictment.

  Robert Chesney : You can get the new guy, Soufan, to go through it all.

  John O'Neill : Mary Jo'll make it work. Whatever's there.

  Robert Chesney : There's something else. There's a lot of photos on here. Probably for forging passports or whatnot, but one of them, I'll bet my life, is Zawahiri's brother, Muhammed al-Zawahiri.

  John O'Neill : Oh, Bobby, I could fuck you right now.

  Robert Chesney : You know he runs the Albania cell.

  John O'Neill : Out of Tirana. You're a beautiful man. Pouch it to me here, share the intel with the Sisters, and come on home. You... you've done good, Bobby.

  Robert Chesney : Oh, suck me.

  John O'Neill : Whatever you want. I'm here for you.

  Robert Chesney : Fuck you.

  John O'Neill : Fuck you, too.

• John O'Neill : You have nothing new?

  Martin Schmidt : That's what I said, John.

  John O'Neill : Hm. You think I'm a complete moron?

  Martin Schmidt : You interested in an answer to that question?

  John O'Neill : Can I remind you of NS Directive 30, signed by President Reagan, and PRD-44, signed by President Clinton?

  Martin Schmidt : Thank you for the memories.

  John O'Neill : It's not your choice whether you share intelligence. You're required to share it with the FBI and everybody else in this room.

• John O'Neill : What's going on in Albania, Marty? You got a hard drive from Ahmed Salama Mabruk that mentions Albania. Where's Mabruk? Why hasn't the FBI had a chance to question him? What's on his hard drive? You got a stash of intel that you refuse to share with my agents.

  Martin Schmidt : If we were in possession of such a computer, and I'm not confirming that we are, it would be a foreign intelligence matter, not a law enforcement matter.

  John O'Neill : So you do have the hard drive.

  Martin Schmidt : I don't know how you reached that...

  John O'Neill : How would you know if it was a law enforcement matter or a foreign intelligence matter if you haven't looked at the hard drive?

  Martin Schmidt : If we did have any intelligence whatsoever, it would be for us to decide how best to use it before you do what you always do: go around the globe arresting people and putting them on trial, before you blow a possible gold mine of information and render it utterly useless. So no, I'm not prepared to say one way or the other...

  John O'Neill : How about you take a deep fucking breath and get yourself prepared to get your ass...

  Richard Clarke : Okay, calm down for a minute.

  John O'Neill : I don't want to calm down. Either one of you watch TV the other night? If one American gets killed because of information you kept secret, when I get my hands on that hard drive - and I will get my hands on it - I will shove that thing so far up your ass, you'll be combing shit out of your pompous fucking beard.

• John O'Neill : You're playing our song.

  Liz : Is this our song?

  John O'Neill : You making love to Puccini with somebody else these days?

  Liz : A few guys, mostly freshmen.

  John O'Neill : Ah, at least they're learning something useful.

  Liz : They're certainly not learning anything else. If I have to read another "Beowulf" essay cribbed from freaking CliffsNotes, I'm gonna kill someone.

  John O'Neill : Well, don't do that, 'cause then I'd have to arrest you.

  Liz : Oh. Is that a promise?

• John O'Neill : Kathy, you're sight for sore eyes.

  Kathy Shaughnessy : Glad to be of service.

  John O'Neill : Bobby.

  Robert Chesney : Godfather.

  John O'Neill : Suck me, asshole.

• John O'Neill : I find out early this morning that the Agency raided Ahmed Salama Mabruk. Did they invite the Bureau to ride along? Do they call on me to pass on intel, or do I need to learn about this shit all by myself? I'm done. We're gonna start acting on our own, here and overseas. Let me ask you something. How many Arabic speakers do we have in the Bureau?

  [no response] 

  John O'Neill : Anybody?

  Ali Soufan : Eight?

  John O'Neill : Eight. Thank you. Eight Arabic speakers out of more than 10,000 agents. That's how seriously our government takes this threat.

  Toni-Ann Marino : [entering]  Sorry, boss. Shuttle was late.

  Robert Chesney : Kiss the ring.

  John O'Neill : Suck me, Bobby.

• John O'Neill : What's happening in the Manson family?

  Vince Stuart : It is weird it's all women and one bearded guy, right? Thought it was just me.

  [noticing Ali] 

  Vince Stuart : Who's this?

  John O'Neill : Your newest colleague, Ali Soufan. He can answer every question you have.

  Vince Stuart : All right. Welcome.

  Toni-Ann Marino : How you doing, Ollie?

  Ali Soufan : Ali.

  Toni-Ann Marino : That's what I said.

• John O'Neill : What happened on the Mabruk raid?

  Toni-Ann Marino : All we could learn was that they renditioned him to Cairo and they got their hands on a computer hard drive.

  John O'Neill : You didn't see what's on it?

  Toni-Ann Marino : Schmidt closed us out.

  John O'Neill : God damn it. Fuck that motherfucker.

  Vince Stuart : Interesting. He said the same thing about you.

• Liz : Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

  John O'Neill : You know I keep my firearm on my ankle.