Not many people focus specifically on the dialogue when they’re watching a movie, but it can do so much more than simply convey information. The best writers use dialogue as a tool to reveal information about their characters and the relationships they have with one another. Certain movies draw more attention to speech for this purpose.

Dialogue can be just as exciting as action when it’s written intelligently. People make choices about every word that they use, so focusing on the exact wording and patterns of speech of different characters shows who they really are. Movie dialogue doesn’t usually sound like real-life speech, but the stylistic choices of the writers can carry a film.

10

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Written By Quentin Tarantino

Dialogue is one thing that makes Quentin Tarantino’s movies so unique. Since Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has used dialogue in a deliberately counterintuitive way, contrasting the violent actions of his protagonists with their mundane inner lives for comedic and dramatic effect.

The Hateful Eight takes Tarantino’s use of dialogue as a dramatic tool to the next level. Although his western mystery is punctuated by abrupt bursts of violence, the weight of the narrative rests on the interactions between the characters. They all have close personal secrets, which Tarantino teases out through the odd misplaced word or strategically timed silence.

9

The Social Network (2010)

Written By Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin is one of a select few screenwriters in Hollywood who has established his own following, and The Social Network perfectly demonstrates why. His exploration of the early days of Facebook has no right to be as captivating as it is, but Sorkin draws parallels between Mark Zuckerberg’s story and the heart of American capitalism.

Many of David Fincher’s best movies delve into the dark corners of human psychology, but The Social Network stands out. Rather than painting with violence as he does in Fight Club, Zodiac and Se7en, Fincher gets a similar result by letting Sorkin’s script shine. His camerawork is designed to create a link between his characters and his audience.

8

12 Angry Men (1957)

Written By Reginald Rose

12 Angry Men is one of the best single-location movies ever made, and a masterclass in dialogue that still has plenty of lessons for screenwriters almost 70 years later. Something as simple as a jury deliberation gradually reveals itself to be a thoughtful meditation on prejudice and justice in American society.

12 Angry Men has a great cast, but it would be nothing without such sizzling dialogue. There’s always a tension between what the jurors are saying and what they really want to say, save for a few moments when their facades of respectability slip and each man shows who he truly is.

7

Her (2013)

Written By Spike Jonze

Her continued Spike Jonze’s streak as one of Hollywood’s most interesting filmmakers, but it was the first movie that he wrote entirely on his own. His first two movies, Being John Malkovich and Adaptation were both Charlie Kauffman scripts, so Jonze had a tough act to follow.

Her is more conventional in some ways than Jonze’s earlier work, both in terms of structure and content. However, his sci-fi romance shows some remnants of his collaborations with Kauffman, particularly in the way that the dialogue can be so funny and so bleak at the same time.

6

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Written By David Mamet

David Mamet’s scripts have a style all their own, whether they’re written for stage or the screen. His fast-paced, profane dialogue has been called “Mamet speak“. It doesn’t quite sound like the natural way that people talk, but it’s more engrossing and rhythmic.

Glengarry Glen Ross has a supreme confidence to its language, which suits its corporate setting perfectly. Characters use dialogue as a weapon as they jostle for position, with each F-bomb measured with intent. Mamet’s satire can be hilarious, but it can also be emotionally devastating.

5

Lady Bird (2017)

Written By Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig is one of Hollywood’s great multi-hyphenates. She’s well-known as an actor and a director, but her screenwriting skills are just as impressive. Lady Bird paints a tender portrait of the difficult relationship between a mother and daughter, during a time in their lives that represents great change for both of them. As Lady Bird tries to forge her own idenтιтy, she is never far from her mother’s orbit.

Gerwig’s dialogue is key to establishing the relationship between the two characters. Lady Bird and her mother can go from vicious, barbed arguments one second to mundane chit-chat or rose-tinted reminiscence the next. The positive and negative elements of their relationship are inextricably linked.

4

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Written By Nora Ephron

When Harry Met Sally is often touted as one of the best rom-coms ever, so it’s interesting to note that it avoids so many of the genre’s tropes. There’s nothing concrete standing between Harry and Sally – no great physical distance, uncomfortable history or absurd plot device – but they still don’t see that they’re perfect for one another, even long after the audience does.

The tension of When Harry Met Sally plays out almost entirely in Nora Ephron’s dialogue. The two main characters compare their philosophies on life and love, sizing each other up as they do. Even their more low-key interactions are loaded with meaning, thanks to the intelligent layering of Ephron’s script.

3

The Apartment (1960)

Written By Billy Wilder & I. A. L. Diamond

The Apartment is a brilliant comedy, but also has some seriously dark elements. Somehow, Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond’s script strikes the right tone by focusing on corporate satire. The Apartment makes Baxter’s anonymous, nondescript office job seem silly and almost lethally restrictive at the same time.

Dialogue reveals a lot about the characters in The Apartment. For example, Baxter maintains a sense of respectable professionalism even when his home life is falling to pieces and he’s desperately trying to claw back control. Most of what he says could just as easily be an office communication, but he changes his tact when he gets to know Miss Kubelik outside of the office.

2

The Big Sleep (1946)

Written By William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett & Jules Furthman

The Big Sleep is notoriously difficult to follow, as the script weaves a thick web of different crimes and characters, some of which are closely connected and some of which are not. Despite the confusing narrative, it’s still recognized as a classic film noir thriller, and the dialogue is a big reason why. There have been several Philip Marlowe movies, but The Big Sleep is still unique.

Few film characters have ever looked or sounded as cool as Humphrey Bogart’s Marlowe. He has a line for every occasion, and he seems to exist in a world where everyone else can verbally spar with him. Even minor characters in just one or two scenes have some unforgettable quotes, like the taxi driver’s quip when Marlowe asks if he can call her for a ride at any time of day: “Night’s better. I work during the day.”

1

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Martin McDonagh made a name for himself as a playwright before he started making movies, so it’s no surprise that he has a natural ear for dialogue. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri sees him using dialogue for comedic and dramatic effect, and he masters both with ease.

Mildred’s outrageous use of profanity sets the right tone for McDonagh’s dark comedy, but it also reveals her deep grief, and a sense of indignation that she uses to mask her guilt. Similarly, Dixon’s gleefully offensive use of language is a cover for his insecurity and disillusionment. Martin McDonagh’s movies work on multiple levels, and there’s plenty going on beneath the surface of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.