The A-Team (TV Series)

Trial by Fire (1986)

George Peppard: John 'Hannibal' Smith

Quotes 

• Gen. Hunt Stockwell : I understand the Army is reviewing candidates for your firing squad.

  Col. John "Hannibal" Smith : Aw, gee, you didn't have to go to all this trouble just to cheer me up.

• Col. Roderick Decker : I pursued Colonel Smith and the A-Team for three long years. I lost track of how many laws they broke and how much military property they destroyed. I can tell you this: Rules mean nothing to these men, and they're loyal to no one but themselves. I have no doubt that they're capable of the crimes for which they're accused.

  Col. John "Hannibal" Smith : What a guy.

• [at court, Hannibal describes how they had robbed the bank] 

  Mayor Laskov : That's quite a heroic saga, Colonel. How much did you steal from the bank?

  Col. John "Hannibal" Smith : Ten million piasters.

  Mayor Laskov : That's about... one million US dollars. A bank of Hanoi audit showed a loss of fifty million piasters.

  Col. John "Hannibal" Smith : Then some North Vietnamese got very rich. All we got was ten million.

• Benny Conway : [shouting]  Are you out of your minds?

  Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck : Well, it wouldn't be the first time we were accused of it.

  Benny Conway : Nobody tries to plead guilty in a capital case!

  Col. John "Hannibal" Smith : A man can only live with his guilt for so long.

  Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus : Yeah. We hate guilt.

  Benny Conway : But we are winning! Their case is shot full of holes and once Colonel Quyet testifies, it will be shot down entirely.

  Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck : Uh, would you mind not using words like 'full of holes', 'shot down;' I mean, it conjures up such a negative image.

• Face : Colonel Morrison an NVA agent... I just can't believe it.

  Hannibal : Seems to be true.

  Face : Even so, surely the court would need more than that to convict us of murder.

  Hannibal : Ever watch Perry Mason, Face? Motive, method, opportunity? That's what he always looked for and that's what that prosecutor says he's got on us.

  Face : Well, what are we gonna do?

  Hannibal : [laughing]  I think we're gonna get nailed.

  Face : Just... just checking.

  B.A. Baracus : Crazy man said he was at headquarters when Colonel Morrison was killed.

  Face : So?

  B.A. Baracus : So he never told us that.

  Hannibal : Maybe he forgot.

  Face : How could you just forget something like that?

  Hannibal : The mind's a funny thing, Face. Sometimes it tries to protect us by blocking out an unpleasant experience.

  B.A. Baracus : You think Murdock coulda killed Colonel Morrison?

  Face : That's impossible!

  Hannibal : If you found out Morrison was working for the Viet Cong, what would you have done?