Hawkeye dialogue analysis, transcript and audio file for The Avengers (2012)
Because some of you might be dialogue obsessives the way I'm a dialogue obsessive...
Collected here are Clint 's most important lines of dialogue from the movie, as an aid to writers who want to write him. At less than 10% of the runtime of the movie, this counts as fair use for educational purposes. Also included as a bonus at the end of the transcript and dialogue file are Clint's few lines from Thor, since they are both short and extremely important to a certain sector of Avengers fandom.
Analysis:
Agent Barton's level of grammar appears to be entirely dependent on his state of mind. When speaking with Director Fury, his grammar is perfect, but not when he's speaking with Loki or Agent Coulson. Also interestingly, his grammar degrades heavily in moments of high emotion, as in his conversation with Natasha. When he is ungrammatical, it is in unobtrusive ways that sound more unpretentious than uneducated. Usually this involves dropping and implying the first word in a sentence.
See: (Is)"This the stuff you need?" (Do)"You want me to slow them down, sir?" (I) "Didn't need to know, didn't ask."
His greater hesitancy when emotional leads to a much higher frequency of incomplete sentences, as they stop, start and trail off. It's only when he's upset that words like gonna and gotta enter temporarily into his vocabulary. See: "Tasha, how many agents did I..." "Well I" "He's gonna make his play soon, though." "I gotta flush him out."
Hawkeye uses both short and medium length sentences, usually avoiding grammatically complex or compound sentences. He favors short sentences when going for dramatic emphasis.
In fact, he has an easy to miss but definite tendency toward phrasing things for subtle dramatic effect which recurs again and again. Often this is punctuated and emphasized by stage business with his bow and/or arrows. I find it likely that this tendency might carry over to other objects that happen to be in his hands which aren't his bow and arrows, but that is speculation.
See: "Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure," "A distraction. And an eyeball," and "Yeah, get in line."
Clint has not thus far used slang or pop culture references, aside from one instance of the military term "bogies". By tone of voice (but many times that alone), it's evident that Barton often finds the unusual situations around him - and the matter of fact way in which they're treated by everyone including him - humorous. See in the audio file: "You want me to slow them down, sir? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?","You and I remember Budapest very differently," and "Well, Thor's taking on a squadron down on sixth."
Clint's voice becomes more hesitant and slightly deeper in moments of emotion, as see the post-mind control scene with Natasha. In private he refers to Natasha, with whom he has history and some emotional connection, by nicknames and diminutives (Nat, Tasha), but there are no instances yet of him doing the same with anyone else
And now, for your own analysis and convenience...
The Transcript:
Oh, I see better from a distance.
No one's come or gone. Selvig's clean, no contacts, no IMs. If there's any tampering sir, it wasn't at this end.
Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides.
[Mindcontrol begins here]
Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow, drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us.
Well then.
We need these vehicles.
He didn't tell me.
Shield has no shortage of enemies, doctor. This the stuff you need?
Especially if SHIELD knows you need it.
My next target.
I need a distraction. And an eyeball.
Tasha
[Mindcontrol ends here]
You know that? Is that what you know? I got... I got to go in though. I gotta flush him out.
You don't understand, have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Take you out and stuff something else in? You know what it's like to be unmade?
Why am I back? How'd you get him out?
Thanks.
Tasha, how many agents did I...?
Loki, he get away?
Didn't need to know, didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon, though.
Today.
Yeah, who's "we"?
Well, I. If I put an arrow through Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better, I suppose.
But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier, now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?
Natasha.
I can.
Loki.
Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.
You and I remember Budapest very differently.
Yeah, get in line.
Want to give me a lift?
Stark, you've got a lot of bogies set on your tail.
Well, they can't bank worth a damn. Fly a tight corner.
Well, Thor's taking on a squadron down on sixth.
Captain, a bank on 42nd past Madison. They've cornered a lot of civilians in there.
We won.
BONUS DIALOGUE FROM THOR
You want me to slow them down, sir? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?
You'd better call it, Coulson, I'm starting to root for this guy.
Last chance.
The Audio File:
For your listening convenience, here's an audio file of his dialogue from the movies. The sound quality isn't perfect, but was cleaned up as much as possible.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4j1xto
Previous Avengers Dialogue Analysis posts:
Black Widow dialogue analysis, transcript and audio file for The Avengers (2012)
Bruce Banner/The Hulk dialogue analysis, transcript and audio file for The Avengers (2012)
Captain America dialogue analysis, transcript and audio file for Captain America (2011)