Meaning

Rick Blaine delivers this line at the very end of Casablanca, addressing the French police captain Louis Renault as the two men walk together into the fog. On the surface it is a simple statement of budding camaraderie, but it carries enormous weight because it signals that Rick, a self-described cynic who has spent the whole film insisting he sticks his neck out for nobody, has finally chosen a side. Friendship here stands in for something larger: solidarity, moral commitment, and the willingness to act against oppression even at personal cost.

Context

Casablanca was released by Warner Bros. in 1942, during World War II, and the political atmosphere of resistance to fascism saturates every scene. The screenplay was written by Julius and Philip Epstein along with Howard Koch, and the closing line was crafted to send audiences out of the theater with a feeling of hope and resolve. Humphrey Bogart's delivery is deliberately understated, which is part of why the line became so enduring. It ranks near the top of the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie quotations, and it has been referenced and parodied in popular culture for decades.

About the author

Rick Blaine is a fictional character, the cynical but ultimately idealistic American expatriate played by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. Bogart was already a well-established star at the time of the film's release, known for hard-edged roles in crime dramas and thrillers. His naturalistic, low-key acting style suited Rick perfectly, and his performance helped turn Casablanca into one of the most celebrated films in Hollywood history.