RIP Dennis Rider, Easy Hopper

'You're Sicilian, ha?' Only in a movie written by Quentin Tarantino, complained critics, would you get Dennis Hopper playing the nice guy. Hopper is Clifford Worley, an alcoholic ex-cop. Christopher Walken is Vincenzo Coccotti, a mobster who arrives at Clifford's trailer wanting to know the whereabouts of Clifford's son. After Clifford has been repeatedly punched, then has his hand slashed open by one of Coccotti's henchman (James 'Tony Soprano' Gandolfini), he is still smiling at Coccotti.Clifford: You're Sicilian, ha? Ya know, I read a lot. Especially about things... about history. I find that shit fascinating. Here's a fact I don't know whether you know or not. Sicilians were spawned by niggers. Coccotti [twitching, very slowly taking in what Clifford has just said]: Come again? Clifford Worley: It's a fact. See, Sicilians have black blood pumpin' through their hearts. If you don't believe me you can look it up. Hundreds of years ago, you see, the Moors conquered Sicily. And the Moors are niggers. Coccotti: Yes... Clifford: Way back then, Sicilians were like wops from northern Italy. They all had blonde hair and blue eyes, but then the Moors moved in there, and they changed the whole country. They did so much fuckin' with Sicilian women that they changed the whole bloodline forever. That's why blonde hair and blue eyes became black hair and dark skin. It's amazing to me to think that to this day, hundreds of years later, that Sicilians still carry that nigger gene. It's written, it's a fact, it's written. Coccotti: [laughing, and signalling to his henchmen to laugh along] I love this guy. Clifford: Your ancestors are niggers. Yeah, and your great-great-great-great grandmother fucked a nigger, yeah, and she had a half nigger kid...Now, if that's a fact, tell me, am I lying? Cause you, you're part eggplant. Coccotti [still laughing]: You're a cantaloupe.

He gets up, kisses Clifford's head, collects a gun and unloads six bullets into his head.