I think the film gives you a picture of a person. It gives you a complete picture.

Masculine ideals have become very confused in the modern world.

I always feel that crime films are about capitalism.

The crime film is the most honest American film.

Jesse James is like a Leonard Cohen song, I wanted to do something that was like a pop song.

Americans are not renowned for having a sense of irony.

It's a wonderful thing to go to work and have no idea what you're going to do.

I like test screenings. I like to see a movie with an audience of strangers. I think it tells you a lot.

Obviously, a power player in a criminal organization doesnt have to persuade anyone. He can just do what he wants.

I'm sure part of the fascination with the film is voyeuristic - that we go to see somebody who's been struck by lightning.

As a filmmaker, it's important to sit there and feel embarrassed. If you feel embarrassed by something, you cut it.

Always speak politely to an enraged dragon.

Work out to work up.

We must conduct research and then accept the results. If they don't stand up to experimentation, Buddha's own words must be rejected.

The strength to move forward when others stop, to keep going when others turn back, is the key to unlocking your greatest potential.

I still think of myself as from Illinois.

The more I work, the more I want to work.

I have two children, and they know that I never pass up a piece of cake, ever.

My former coach, Simen Agdestein, used to be the best player in Norway.

Realistically there is no limit to the possibilities. How does an artist make decisions?

When I was a child, when I was an adolescent, books saved me from despair: that convinced me that culture was the highest of values[...].