Judah Rosenthal Quotes in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Judah Rosenthal: And after the awful deed is done, he finds that he's plagued by deep-rooted guilt. Little sparks of his religious background which he'd rejected are suddenly stirred up. He hears his father's voice. He imagines that God is watching his every move. Suddenly, it's not an empty universe at all, but a just and moral one, and he's violated it. Now, he's panic-stricken. He's on the verge of a mental collapse-an inch away from confessing the whole thing to the police. And then one morning, he awakens. The sun is shining, his family is around him and mysteriously, the crisis has lifted. He takes his family on a vacation to Europe and as the months pass, he finds he's not punished. In fact, he prospers. The killing gets attributed to another person-a drifter who has a number of other murders to his credit, so I mean, what the hell? One more doesn't even matter. Now he's scott-free. His life is completely back to normal. Back to his protected world of wealth and privilege.

Judah Rosenthal: I remember my father telling me, "The eyes of God are on us always." The eyes of God. What a phrase to a young boy. What were God's eyes like? Unimaginably penetrating, intense eyes, I assumed. And I wonder if it was just a coincidence I made my specialty ophthalmology.

Ben: It's a human life. You don't think God sees?

Judah Rosenthal: God is a luxury I can't afford.

Judah Rosenthal: If you want a happy ending, you should go see a Hollywood movie.

Judah Rosenthal: She's not an insect! You don't just step on her!

Judah Rosenthal: It's pure evil, Jack! A man kills for money and he doesn't even know his victims!

Judah Rosenthal: [to Ben] Jack lives in the real world. You live in the kingdom of heaven. I'd managed to keep free of that real world but suddenly it's found me.

Sol Rosenthal: Whether it's the Bible or Shakespeare, murder will out!

Judah Rosenthal: Who said anything about murder?

Sol Rosenthal: You did.