I Bow To No Man: 10 Of The Best Quotes From The Chronicles Of Riddick

The Chronicles of Riddick is an underrated cinematic marvel, with the up and coming actor Vin Diesel playing the iconic role of Richard B. Riddick, a fugitive hero on the run from bounty hunters and Necromonger soldiers. For those who believe that sequels never live up to the original have never seen this film.

While the original Pitch Black was more of a box office success, The Chronicles of Riddick has had a more lasting effect on pop culture. In fact, the movie put Vin Diesel on the map as a leading man in Hollywood. Even though the film didn’t perform as well in the box office, it did receive its own sequel in Riddick.

10 “So Throw On A Fresh Pair Of Panties, Let’s Get This Right”

At the start of Chronicles of Riddick, the main protagonist Riddick finds himself on the run, being constantly pursued by bounty hunters looking to score big paydays for either capturing or killing him. When Toombs, a mercenary for hire and his crew discover Riddick on a secluded ice world.

When one of Toombs men has second thoughts of chasing Riddick through an ice cave, Toombs responds by saying “So, throw on a fresh pair of panties, let’s get this right.” It turned out to be a decision he and his men would soon regret.

9 “Whatever You Do, Don’t Make Eye Contact”

Riddick is a convoluted man, a monster with a heart, a villain with a soul. Some in the movie consider him to be nothing more than an animal himself.

So, when he is captured and placed into Crematoria Slam Facility in the Igneon System, a place where the guards release Hell Hounds on the prisoners for fun, one of the prisoners Ceryll Cantaglia tells Riddick “Whatever you do, don’t make eye contact” with the hell hounds. What Ceryll didn’t know is Riddick is more beast than human, as he soon makes a pet out of a hell hound.

8 “It’s An Animal Thing”

Riddick is a creature all to himself. Blessed with strength and quickness that no human possesses. He is part of a dying race that is all but extinct. His natural gifts and calm demeanor in hectic situations makes friends and foes uneasy.

To Riddick, there is no hopeless situation that he can’t get out of. So when the Crematoria Slam Facility guards release the hell hounds on the prisoners, Riddick chooses not to run. Instead, he makes one of the beasts into his friend. When asked how he did it by Ceryll, he responds “It’s an animal thing.”

7 “I Bow To No Man”

Unlike, normal men, men who fear for their lives, Riddick doesn’t know when to cower nor does he know when to quit. So, when the Lord Marshal declared that all the people of Helion Prime submit and begin worshipping the Lord Marshall as a god, Riddick was the only one who refused.

When approached by Vaako who pleaded with him to relent, he said: “I bow to no man” to which Vaako responded that the Lord Marshal was no ordinary man. Aligning him more as a god than man. However, Riddick wasn’t having it.

6 “I Will Take A Piece Of Him”

The Necromonger army was not a bloodthirsty horde. No, they were zealots, who at one time had, had to be converted by violent coercion just like the people they subjugated throughout the galaxy. Their zeal to spread the good news of purification through submission made them an unstoppable force, that planets feared to revolt against.

However, after one of them killed Riddick’s friend Imam, he refused to convert. Vaako tried to persuade him only for Riddick to state” I will take a piece of him” referring to the soldier who killed his friend.

5 “I Think It’s A Half-Gram Heavy On The Back End”

When Riddick states that he bows to no man, he means it. Unlike, the Necromonger army, Riddick wasn’t about to be indoctrinated by words or actions. He was only out for revenge on Irgun, the soldier who had murdered his friend. After killing Irgun, Lord Marshall takes an interest in his skills. He pulls the knife used to kill Irgun out of the dead body, presenting it to Riddick.

He questions Riddick on what he thinks of the blade he had just murdered with, only for Riddick to respond, “I think it’s a half-gram heavy on the back end.”

4 “Sister, They Don’t Know What To Do With Just One Of Me”

One of the main threads that are constantly brought up in the Chronicle of Riddick is how Riddick is so much different from everyone else. Being one of the last of his kind and forced to live in seclusion because of his power and aggression towards authority figures, it is no wonder why few no what to make of him.

When Aereon asks him if he has met others like him, Riddick responds “Sister, they don’t know what to do with just one of me.” To which Aereon replies “Spoken like a true Furyan” a reference to Riddick’s race.

3 “I’m Going To Kill You With My Tea Cup”

Some believe Riddick to be nothing but a monster that needs to be put down, while others consider him a savior and a hero that can bring an end to the Necromonger army. One thing that is certain, is that Riddick is a man of his word.

When a group of men attempts to murder Kyra, they are stopped by Riddick who is drinking from a cup. One of the men asks Riddick if he plans to kill them with a soup cup to which Riddick replies “I’m going to kill you with my tea cup.”

2 “Wrong Answer”

Because of being constantly hunted, Riddick has become jaded towards the suffering of others. He doesn’t wish to get involved in society’s problems; he only wants to be left alone. Of course, because of his reputation that never happens as someone is always seeking to bring him in.

When the team of mercenaries led by Toombs, sought to take him, prisoner, with their gunship. Riddick defeated each one of them before capturing the gunship. He asks Toombs whose ship this is, only for guns to reply that it is his. Riddick then states “Wrong answer” before throwing him out.

1 “You’re Not Afraid Of The Dark?

A fugitive by nature and reasons beyond his control, Riddick can never stay in one place for very long. He is constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting betrayals at every turn. That said, he does have one friend in Imam, a man he truly trusts with his life.

So, after Helion Prime soldiers raid Imam’s house looking for Riddick, he has no choice but to fight. As the soldiers enter the room he is in, he asks “You’re not afraid of the dark?” he then proceeds to snuff out a candle and kill all the soldiers in the room.

About The Author