The Big Lebowski/Awesome

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• The movie itself counts as one for the Coen Brothers. Name another of their works that comes half as close to the levels of insanity and awesomeness that this one does. Easily one of the most Crazy Awesome movies ever, making it a prime example of Crowning Moment of Awesome in filmmaking.
• Walter, after spending most of the movie being a hot-headed load who generally gets the Dude into more trouble than necessary, finally proves himself useful with a Let's Get Dangerous moment in which he confronts the Nihilists, who are threatening him, the Dude, and Donny, for money. Not only does he pretty accurately see that they're mostly bark rather than bite ("Don't worry Donny, these men are cowards, they won't harm us.") and that they're mainly Wangsty poseurs ("Fair?! Who's the fucking nihilists around here, you bunch of fucking crybabies?!"), but he proceeds to more-or-less single-handedly hand each of them their asses when things finally get physical. ("ANTI-SEMITE!!!"):

Nihilist: Okay. So we take ze money you haf on you, und ve calls it eefen. Walter: [[[Tranquil Fury]]] Fuck you. The Dude: Hey, no, come on, Walter. We're ending this thing cheap, man. Walter: No, what's mine is mine. Nihilist: No funny shtuff. The Dude: Alright, alright, I've got four dollars, almost five... Donny: Hey, I got eighteen dollars. Walter: What's mine is mine. Nihilist: We fuck you ups, man. We takes the money. Walter: Come and get it. [Ass-kicking commences]

• The Dude, after being passive and laid-back for the entire movie, gets one when he figures out the scheme and storms into the Big Lebowski's home and confronts him with the truth of what he's done:

The Dude: You thought that Bunny had been kidnapped and you were fuckin' glad, man. You could use it as an excuse to make some money disappear. All you needed was a sap to pin it on! You'd just met me! You human... paraquat! You figured 'Oh, here's a loser', you know? A deadbeat, someone the square community won't give a shit about. The Big Lebowski: Well, aren't you? The Dude: [Almost proud] Well, yeah!

• • And, of course, his line that opens that scene, where he finally gets to say the phrase he'd been the catcher for all movie and throw it in someone's face.

Where's the fucking money, Lebowski?

• "Jesus" (the pederast bowler) has something of a Crowning Moment of Awesome when he tells off Walter -- "You pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger till it goes 'click.'" And Walter has no retort.
  • Although Walter might claim a Moment of Awesome back from him; once Jesus has strutted off, Walter's nonchalant mutter of "Eight-year-olds, Dude," to the Dude (reminding everyone that Jesus is a convicted pederast) suggests that he's unimpressed despite the bluster, and simply finds Jesus and his taunts not worth responding to. Which, in light of the fact that throughout the movie Walter will otherwise respond to any insult, real or imagined, with bombastic Hair-Trigger Temper sensitivity perhaps gives an indication for the sheer level of contempt he views Jesus with.
  • The Dude somehow manages to make a Lame Comeback one by offering it in an utterly unconcerned fashion in the face of Jesus' bluster:

Jesus: You ready to be fucked, man? I see you rolled your way into the semis. Dios mio, man. Liam and me, we're gonna fuck you up. The Dude: Yeah, well, you know, that's just like... uh... your opinion man.

• Maude Lebowski: "Love me, Jeffrey." And as it happens, she ends up knocked up (as planned) from that one night stand.
• And how can anyone forget after receiving a verbal beating by The Big Lebowski, The Dude, calm as ever, just puts on his sunglasses and delivers a perfectly cool "Fuck it."

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