Yippee-ki-yay! Bruce Willis’ best and worst (MSNBC) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 06-25-2007, 10:57 PM

BEST FILMS

“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Of this film’s cast, only Willis was a genuine star at the time, which lent “Pulp Fiction” some much-needed box office cred. And his character Butch Coolidge, an aging boxer who gets paid by a crime boss to throw his next fight, is the one good guy among the pimps, hit men, moles and lowlifes who populate the mind of Quentin Tarantino. He’s also the one guy you’re hoping survives this mess. Willis took the role and illustrated that there was more to him than just mindless action heroes delivering predictable one-liners. This film changed Hollywood, and although the credit usually goes to Tarantino (and rightfully so) Willis deserves some props too.

“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Once again Willis took a chance and worked with a then-unknown young director, M. Night Shyamalan and made this horror classic. Here, Willis plays against type; his Dr. Malcolm Crowe is no gun-toting, one-liner spewing superhero. Instead, Willis turns in a nuanced and subtle portrayal of a child psychologist desperate to help a disturbed young boy who sees dead people — and a husband desperate to reconnect with his wife. His performance is less John Wayne (in “True Grit”) and more Gary Cooper (in “High Noon”).

“The Player” (1992)
OK, so he only has one line in the film: “Traffic was a bitch.” That’s not the point. By 1992, Willis had already starred in two “Die Hard” films and the atrocious “The Last Boy Scout” and the impotent “Bonfire of the Vanities” (see below). He had become a poster-boy for Tinsel Town’s uber-commercial action movies. And yet, when director Robert Altman called him to play a parody of an action hero — running in to rescue Julia Roberts at the last moment in “The Player’s” film-within-a-film — he did it. Thus, ridiculing himself and the entire Hollywood system that had made him a multi-millionaire in the process. Let’s see Tom Cruise do that.

“Sin City” (2005)
An underrated masterpiece that’s actually a series of inter-related short stories, artfully woven together by directors Richard Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino (a special guest director). However, at the emotional center of these blood-soaked tales is Willis’ character, Hartigan, and his father-daughter relationship with the stripper Nancy Callahan (played by Jessica Alba), who he saved from a rapist when she was a kid. Willis plays yet another world-weary anti-hero cop, this time with a bad heart that could give out at any time. “Sin City” is a ripe with video-game violence, but Willis’ redeems it with his character’s simple good-guy humanity.

“Die Hard” (1988)
This is not a great movie, despite the acclaim it’s won, but it is considered one of the great Hollywood action films of all-time. And the role of Officer John McClane, a wisecracking, street tough cop who single-handedly takes on a group of terrorists, has been the archetypal character that has defined Willis’ career — for better or worse. Of course, in our post-9/11 world, the terrorist plot at the heart of the film seems innocuous and dated: German terrorists seek to steal $640 million dollars from a multi-nation corporation. Ah, those halcyon Cold War days when America was fighting terrorists who actually wanted to do something besides blow themselves — and others — up.

Brian Damage · 06-25-2007, 10:58 PM

The Worst

“Hudson Hawk” (1991)
As hard as it was to pick Willis’ best movies, it’s far, far harder to pick his worst. He’s made so many of them! But the absolute worst has to be this action-comedy-quasi-musical spoof about a thief who gets roped into an international plot involving the Vatican, the CIA and a couple of androgynous international types (played oh so campily by Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard) to steal three priceless artifacts by Leonardo Da Vinci. Just how bad is it? Picture this: Willis and Danny Aiello storming an Italian castle to save Andie MacDowell while singing. If that’s not bad enough David Caruso plays a cross-dressing CIA mime. But really, the blame lies with Willis: he co-wrote the damn thing.

“The Last Boy Scout” (1991)
Too bad this wasn’t the last action movie that Willis ever made. Once again, he’s a private detective on the outs with his wife and daughter, who teams up with a disgraced ex-NFL quarterback (Damon Wayans) to save a corrupt senator’s life and prevent a bomb from going off at an L.A. football game. What were you expecting? “Citizen Kane”? One more mindless action film from director Tony Scott (“Top Gun”) and written by Shane Black (the literary genius behind “Lethal Weapon”). Sample scene: A villain holds a knife to Willis’ face and says, “I want to hear you scream,” to which Willis responds “Play some rap music.” Man, they don’t write ’em like that anymore.

“Bonfire of the Vanities” (1990)
You can’t blame this one entirely on Willis. Even Tom Hanks stinks in this movie. At the time, “The Bonfire of the Vanities” was an immense bestseller by Tom Wolfe. Everyone in Hollywood wanted in on this one and with Brian De Palma directing how could it fail? Oh, but what a failure it was! The film is listless, lifeless and lost. Willis plays the down-on-his-luck big city tabloid reporter, Peter Fallow, who makes the most of a salacious story involving a Wall Street titan (Hanks) and his mistress (Melanie Griffith). One of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history.

“Armageddon” (1998)
Can the real Armageddon be as painful as this? This film put the “easy” in cheesy. But it’s still cinematic popcorn at its best/worst. This time Willis is an oil driller who leads a rag-tag bunch of lovable losers on a suicide mission to destroy an asteroid the size of Texas. How? Why they’re going to fly to the ’roid, drill a hole in it, then drop an atomic bomb in its center and save the world. Still, despite everything … Willis is, strangely likable, once again breathing a little life into a role that has no business of being anything other than a cartoon character.

“Die Hard 2: Die Harder” (1990)
It’s bad studio movies like this one that spurred on the 1990s American New Wave so on one had we film-lovers should say “thanks.” However, the first “Die Hard” was far too successful for Hollywood to leave alone, so this film was almost a fait accompli. This time John McClane (Willis) just so happens to be in Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. when another band of terrorists plan on taking the airport hostage on Christmas Eve — exactly one year after the first “Die Hard” — what are the chances!? And once again he has to rescue his wife, and kill lots of bad guys with accents.

Nighthawk76 · 06-25-2007, 11:26 PM

I actually like Bonfire. It's not as good as the novel and it certainly isn't as good of a movie as it should have been, but it is still a good movie overall.

catlover79 · 06-26-2007, 12:12 AM

The best BW movie I've seen, hands down, is Sixth Sense. The worst? Hudson Hawk - no doubt.

Nighthawk76 · 06-26-2007, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

The best BW movie I've seen, hands down, is Sixth Sense. The worst? Hudson Hawk - no doubt.

Hudson Hawk is an awful movie, but it can't hold a candle to Armageddon for pure awfullness.

catlover79 · 06-26-2007, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair's Number #1 Fan

Hudson Hawk is an awful movie, but it can't hold a candle to Armageddon for pure awfullness.

I've never seen Armageddon and still have no desire to see it, so I'll take your word for it, Mike.

What about The Kid??

That one was no great shakes, either.

In defense of Bruce himself, my dad worked with a guy whose brother worked as a grip in Hollywood. This guy said that Bruce was a terrific guy who was nice to all the cast and crew, and went out of his way to help everyone. So that has stuck with me everytime I hear Bruce Willis mentioned.

Nighthawk76 · 06-26-2007, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I've never seen Armageddon and still have no desire to see it, so I'll take your word for it, Mike.

What about The Kid??

That one was no great shakes, either.

In defense of Bruce himself, my dad worked with a guy whose brother worked as a grip in Hollywood. This guy said that Bruce was a terrific guy who was nice to all the cast and crew, and went out of his way to help everyone. So that has stuck with me everytime I hear Bruce Willis mentioned.

Monika, you are soooo lucky that you have not seen Armageddon.

I think that it is one of the worst movies ever made. It is simply terrible.

I've heard that Bruce is a great parent too.

catlover79 · 06-26-2007, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair's Number #1 Fan

Monika, you are soooo lucky that you have not seen Armageddon.

I think that it is one of the worst movies ever made. It is simply terrible.

I've heard that Bruce is a great parent too.

Hanging Up gets my vote as the worst movie I've ever seen. I wanted to gouge my eyes out with a spoon after watching it. I felt sorry that it turned out to be Walter Matthau's last flick before he died. He deserved to end his wonderful career on a higher note than THAT piece of crap. Even a cameo by Cloris Leachman couldn't save it. I think I'd rather see Armageddon!!

Cactus Jack · 06-26-2007, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair's Number #1 Fan

Monika, you are soooo lucky that you have not seen Armageddon.

I think that it is one of the worst movies ever made. It is simply terrible.

I've heard that Bruce is a great parent too.

I havent seen it, but I LOVE Aerosmith's song from it

06-25-2007, 10:57 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Yippee-ki-yay! Bruce Willis’ best and worst (MSNBC) BEST FILMS “Pulp Fiction” (1994) Of this film’s cast, only Willis was a genuine star at the time, which lent “Pulp Fiction” some much-needed box office cred. And his character Butch Coolidge, an aging boxer who gets paid by a crime boss to throw his next fight, is the one good guy among the pimps, hit men, moles and lowlifes who populate the mind of Quentin Tarantino. He’s also the one guy you’re hoping survives this mess. Willis took the role and illustrated that there was more to him than just mindless action heroes delivering predictable one-liners. This film changed Hollywood, and although the credit usually goes to Tarantino (and rightfully so) Willis deserves some props too. “The Sixth Sense” (1999) Once again Willis took a chance and worked with a then-unknown young director, M. Night Shyamalan and made this horror classic. Here, Willis plays against type; his Dr. Malcolm Crowe is no gun-toting, one-liner spewing superhero. Instead, Willis turns in a nuanced and subtle portrayal of a child psychologist desperate to help a disturbed young boy who sees dead people — and a husband desperate to reconnect with his wife. His performance is less John Wayne (in “True Grit”) and more Gary Cooper (in “High Noon”). “The Player” (1992) OK, so he only has one line in the film: “Traffic was a bitch.” That’s not the point. By 1992, Willis had already starred in two “Die Hard” films and the atrocious “The Last Boy Scout” and the impotent “Bonfire of the Vanities” (see below). He had become a poster-boy for Tinsel Town’s uber-commercial action movies. And yet, when director Robert Altman called him to play a parody of an action hero — running in to rescue Julia Roberts at the last moment in “The Player’s” film-within-a-film — he did it. Thus, ridiculing himself and the entire Hollywood system that had made him a multi-millionaire in the process. Let’s see Tom Cruise do that. “Sin City” (2005) An underrated masterpiece that’s actually a series of inter-related short stories, artfully woven together by directors Richard Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino (a special guest director). However, at the emotional center of these blood-soaked tales is Willis’ character, Hartigan, and his father-daughter relationship with the stripper Nancy Callahan (played by Jessica Alba), who he saved from a rapist when she was a kid. Willis plays yet another world-weary anti-hero cop, this time with a bad heart that could give out at any time. “Sin City” is a ripe with video-game violence, but Willis’ redeems it with his character’s simple good-guy humanity. “Die Hard” (1988) This is not a great movie, despite the acclaim it’s won, but it is considered one of the great Hollywood action films of all-time. And the role of Officer John McClane, a wisecracking, street tough cop who single-handedly takes on a group of terrorists, has been the archetypal character that has defined Willis’ career — for better or worse. Of course, in our post-9/11 world, the terrorist plot at the heart of the film seems innocuous and dated: German terrorists seek to steal $640 million dollars from a multi-nation corporation. Ah, those halcyon Cold War days when America was fighting terrorists who actually wanted to do something besides blow themselves — and others — up.
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

06-26-2007, 12:12 AM	#4
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	The best BW movie I've seen, hands down, is Sixth Sense. The worst? Hudson Hawk - no doubt.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

06-25-2007, 10:58 PM	#2
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	The Worst “Hudson Hawk” (1991) As hard as it was to pick Willis’ best movies, it’s far, far harder to pick his worst. He’s made so many of them! But the absolute worst has to be this action-comedy-quasi-musical spoof about a thief who gets roped into an international plot involving the Vatican, the CIA and a couple of androgynous international types (played oh so campily by Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard) to steal three priceless artifacts by Leonardo Da Vinci. Just how bad is it? Picture this: Willis and Danny Aiello storming an Italian castle to save Andie MacDowell while singing. If that’s not bad enough David Caruso plays a cross-dressing CIA mime. But really, the blame lies with Willis: he co-wrote the damn thing. “The Last Boy Scout” (1991) Too bad this wasn’t the last action movie that Willis ever made. Once again, he’s a private detective on the outs with his wife and daughter, who teams up with a disgraced ex-NFL quarterback (Damon Wayans) to save a corrupt senator’s life and prevent a bomb from going off at an L.A. football game. What were you expecting? “Citizen Kane”? One more mindless action film from director Tony Scott (“Top Gun”) and written by Shane Black (the literary genius behind “Lethal Weapon”). Sample scene: A villain holds a knife to Willis’ face and says, “I want to hear you scream,” to which Willis responds “Play some rap music.” Man, they don’t write ’em like that anymore. “Bonfire of the Vanities” (1990) You can’t blame this one entirely on Willis. Even Tom Hanks stinks in this movie. At the time, “The Bonfire of the Vanities” was an immense bestseller by Tom Wolfe. Everyone in Hollywood wanted in on this one and with Brian De Palma directing how could it fail? Oh, but what a failure it was! The film is listless, lifeless and lost. Willis plays the down-on-his-luck big city tabloid reporter, Peter Fallow, who makes the most of a salacious story involving a Wall Street titan (Hanks) and his mistress (Melanie Griffith). One of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history. “Armageddon” (1998) Can the real Armageddon be as painful as this? This film put the “easy” in cheesy. But it’s still cinematic popcorn at its best/worst. This time Willis is an oil driller who leads a rag-tag bunch of lovable losers on a suicide mission to destroy an asteroid the size of Texas. How? Why they’re going to fly to the ’roid, drill a hole in it, then drop an atomic bomb in its center and save the world. Still, despite everything … Willis is, strangely likable, once again breathing a little life into a role that has no business of being anything other than a cartoon character. “Die Hard 2: Die Harder” (1990) It’s bad studio movies like this one that spurred on the 1990s American New Wave so on one had we film-lovers should say “thanks.” However, the first “Die Hard” was far too successful for Hollywood to leave alone, so this film was almost a fait accompli. This time John McClane (Willis) just so happens to be in Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. when another band of terrorists plan on taking the airport hostage on Christmas Eve — exactly one year after the first “Die Hard” — what are the chances!? And once again he has to rescue his wife, and kill lots of bad guys with accents.

06-25-2007, 11:26 PM	#3
Nighthawk76 Rachel Berry Forum Celebrity Join Date: Feb 28, 2003 Location: Illinois Posts: 23,254	I actually like Bonfire. It's not as good as the novel and it certainly isn't as good of a movie as it should have been, but it is still a good movie overall.