Tuesday, February 4, 2014

1PanelReview The Last Boy Scout


Right off disappointing modern Die Hard films, allow me to review...

Bruce Willis movies that would make better Die Hard installments than Live Free or Die Hard.

What it is: The Last Boy Scout

Which is: An Action/thriller film
Directed by: Tony Scott 
Year: 1991

Released in 1991, The Last Boy Scout is a pretty intense action film centered around the world of football by Top Gun & Beverly Hills Cop II director Tony Scott featuring Bruce Willis in the role of John McClane private detective Joe Hallenbeck along his co-star Damon Wayans as a quarterback star.

What's Good about it: The film has everything to be as close to a Die Hard film as it can be. Released the year after Die Hard 2 (that is 4 years before the third episode, which would be only released in 1995), it features once more Bruce Willis as a down-on-his-luck cop P.I., who was just disgraced from the secret services and with a failing marriage. He barely sees his own daughter (a young Danielle Harris) anymore.
The Last Boy Scout is about sports gambling, with a murder case in the pro football field.
It has a great buddy comedy feel thanks to the great pairing of Willis and Damon Wayans.
Halle Berry even has a small role in it.
Bruce Willis mostly plays his John McClane character here, long before he became typecasted for this sort of role. An average joe put into an extraordinaire plot, at the wrong place at the wrong time (a thug even says that to him!). A man with a life spiraling out of control, who doesn't give a shit about anything.
Tony Scott's film has a great direction, with some spectacular explosions and action scenes. He would probably be one of my favorite picks for a possible Die Hard director.
One of the best films written by Shane Black.
Finally the movie has a great score, thanks to a soundtrack composed by the actual Die Hard series music composer, Michael Kamen himself!

What's Bad about it: It's sort of a cliché action film in its form. And hey, it aged a bit more than, say, the actual original Die Hard. But by 1991 these sort of films hadn't satured the market yet.
It also can be kinda far fetched at times, particularly during the great opening scene. It's far from a realistic movie, but it does so for the entertainment.
Damon Wayans might actually not look the part of a quaterback.. in fact, very little players in the film do.

Overall: The Last Boy Scout is a fantastic film and it's a wonder they didn't turn it into a Die Hard at the last minute (specially considering how Hollywood tends to ditch original ideas for brand recognition). But bear in mind this was produced long before Die Hard 3, I'm pretty sure this would have been turned into Die Hard 4 otherwise. The same way a Lethal Weapon script was actually rewritten into a Die Hard for part 3.

It's a cult classic, brutal and perhaps a bit darker and more mature than the Die Hard series. 

With some great one liners and dark humor.
 
I give it: 2.5 / 3 Quacks!
[How does my Rating System work?]

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