Top 10 Bruce Willis movies!!

[-JKR-]

We gotta complete the Planet Hollywood trilogy! What are your top 10 Bruce Willis movies?

1. Die Hard
2. The Last Boy Scout
3. 12 Monkeys
4. Pulp Fiction
5. The Sixth Sense
6. Unbreakable
7. Die Hard with a Vengeance
8. The Fifth Element
9. Looper
10. The Whole Nine Yards

Extra picks: Death Becomes Her, Hudson Hawk & Armageddon. Love 'em!

 

[Hunter Rider]

Beat me to it! This was going to be my next thread, I'll be back with my list soon!

 

[Aximili86]

Ehh. Die Hard, Unbreakable, that's about it.

Willis can **** off.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

But... But I was all ready to go to bed guys!

Sigh...

...

...

...

Nope. Not tonight. I'll try this at a later day.


BTW, Plus One for the coining of Planet Hollywood Trilogy.

 

[-JKR-]

Ehh. Die Hard, Unbreakable, that's about it.

Willis can **** off.

Yeah, he's become a bitter dick lately. But you can't deny his talent, and the impressive body of work he's put together over the years, come on...

BTW, Plus One for the coining of Planet Hollywood Trilogy.

Thank you Sir. I'm proud of the term.

P.S.: I've added "Pulp Fiction" to the list, because even though he's only one piece of a huge puzzle, I still think that Butch Coolidge is one of his greatest and most iconic characters.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Ehh. Die Hard, Unbreakable, that's about it.

I'm kinda there with you on that one, except maybe that I enjoy all of the McClain movies and their progressively lazier titles. How the heck did they even think this stuff is good?

• Die Hard with Vengeance
• Live Free or Die Hard
• A Good Day to Die Hard

I'm not sure if they were even trying to be clever with that last title, or just in a hurry to get a paycheck without much care.

 

[Aximili86]

Ehh, to be fair, Die Hard With A Vengeance is awesome. "Han's brother!" is such a lame idea (Iron's German accent is goddamn hilarious though), but yeah. Smart action film in the highest sense. I don't even mind 2, even if it is just "the first movie but an airport". At least Harlin's totally in line with the tone of the original.

The Last Boy Scout's really funny for what it is, too.

 

[MissSuerhero]

Die Hard (Part 1), six sense and Unbreakable, that are my favs. Really dont like the fifth element.

 

[Luigi]

Still need to watch The Sixth Sense.

Looper, Unbreakable, Die Hard and Pulp Fiction are amazing.

 

[samsnee]

Since Bruce has a much larger filmography than his counterparts, what are his WORST movies? I know everyone will say either Hudson Hawk or Color of Night.

But I’m going with Live Free or Die Hard. Not only was it a terrible movie, it basically spit in the face of the other movies before it.

 

[-JKR-]

"Hudson Hawk" is definitely not his worst movie. I actually really like it.

 

[BlackFox]

1. Die Hard
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Sin City
4. Looper
5. Die Hard 2
6. 12 Monkeys
7. Lucky Number Slevin
8. The Fifth Element
9. Die Hard with a Vengeance
10. The Last Boy Scout

 

[Hunter Rider]

10. Harts War
This is a different type of WWII movie with a courtroom case set in a POW camp as Bruce Willis's Colonel makes Colin Farrell's young Lieutenant defend a fellow POW accused of murdering another POW as he'd been a law student prior to the war, but this is only part of the film as Bruce's Colonel has other plans that the trial will serve to distract the Germans from. I think this is a real unique war movie and an underrated one.

9. The Last Boyscout
Shane Black's grimiest and sweariest script to date is filled with nasty one liners with Bruce is in full grizzled anti-hero mode, spitting out quips and killing bad guys in a sports betting fused thriller where he carries Daman Wayans while Tony Scott drives the movie along at a rapid pace from the directors chair, it's no great shakes on the action front but it's a decent, grimy P.I. flick with some good moments.

8. Last Man Standing
This is the perfect role for Bruce as a brooding, lone wolf gunslinger who rolls up in a border town during the prohibition era and plays the local mobs off against each other in what is essentially a remake of A Fistful of Dollars which in turn is a remake of Yojimbo. Walter Hill takes a noir route and keeps it lean and mean, delivering some thunderous shootouts.

7. The Sixth Sense
Still Shamylamy's best film in my view, a supernatural thriller with one of the all time great gut punch twists, Bruce and Haley Joel Osment are both great and their dynamic holds the whole film together beautifully.

6. Hostage
It's a tight thriller with bursts of action, with an intriguing plot wrapped inside the initial hostage storyline, so there's 2 equally tense stories going on at once with Bruce's former hostage negotiator turned small town Police Chief trying to save the family being held hostage while protecting his own family by retrieving a disc from the house where the hostages are being held, for a shadowy figure that has them also held hostage.

5. Die Hard 2
As far as sequels go this had about as impossible a task as it gets following on from the iconic first film, but it does pretty well, building up the threat as this time McClane has to convince the people running the airport and their security that there is any actual threat to their planes, one of which has Holly on it. McClane's sarcastic humour and salty one liners are on point again and Renny Harlin paces out his action sequences well as McClane races against time, there's even a big twist in there following a cool Snowmobile chase, and the ending is good stuff.

4. Mercury Rising
Bruce protects a young autistic boy from Alec Baldwin's shadowy Agency types after the kid cracks a national security code hidden in a puzzle book. The central relationship between Bruce's FBI Agent Art Jefferies and the kid is really well played and the heartbeat of the film, which is more of a thriller than an action movie.

3. Die Hard with A Vengeance
We're back with McClane! Kind of a theme here, yeah, I really love the Die Hard franchise lol. McClane is a mess in this one, Holly has left him and he's a borderline alcoholic as he he plays a game of "Simon says!" with a terrorist in New York. It's a tricky cat and mouse game with some cool action and a pretty fun dynamic between McClane and SLJ's Zeus, but it has the weakest finale of any of the 4 films.

2. Live Free or Die Hard
Pour your hate down on me, I don't care! I love this movie, the concept of the analog hero in a digital world works a treat as McClane goes up against cyber-terrorists looking to destabalize the country. It has a good story, it's well paced, has some fun one liners, Maggie Q as a badass assassin, and features some awesome action sequences. McClane vs Parkour guy and McClane vs the Jet are highlights, and the Helicopter/car chase is great and leads to one of my favourite one liners in the franchise.

1. Die Hard
Yeah, there's not a lot to say here that hasn't been said, arguably the most influential action movie of all time and the GOAT of the genre, pretty much perfect in every way and delivers one of the most iconic heroes in any medium.

 

[Aximili86]

Haha, Mercury Rising is such a ****ing ridiculous movie.

Haven't seen Last Man Standing, that actually sounds pretty cool. Willis fits a 30s gangster vibe to a tee.

 

[Vapor]

Die Hard
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Die Hard 2
Armageddon
16 Blocks
Fifth Element
12 Monkeys
Over the Hedge
Sixth Sense

 

[Loki882]

In no real order:

-Die Hard.
-The Sixth Sense.
-Unbreakable.
-12 Monkeys.
-Looper.
-Pulp Fiction.
-The Fifth Element.
-16 Blocks.
-Live Free or Die Hard.
-The Whole Nine Yards.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

This list comes with a disclaimer... I think that a lot of Willis' films are in fact good despite his presence, not because of him. He's clearly a charismatic lead but that's only when he WANTS to be and even then he often limits his performance in a way that makes him the least enjoyable part of whatever film he's headlining, at least far too often in my opinion. Even films I'm not a big fan of, like say the Fifth Element... Let's be honest everything in that film pops even if I'm not crazy about it. Everything except Willis and he's the hero of the whole thing. So keep this point of view of mine in mind when reading my list.

1. Die Hard: Okay... Yeah, the nostalgia goggles are on tight for this film. I will always remember that my brother took me to see this as an eleven year old and it truly blew me away as a fan of action films. But the reason Die Hard stands the test of time is how unique it was as compared to most every other action film of the time, probably barring Lethal Weapon which had come out the year before. A film with quite a bit of twists and turns on it's way to actually being produced, the mix of right star, right script, right supporting cast and right director in John Mctiernan make this movie one that deserves to be as imitated as it has been. Before even getting into what Bruce brought to the movie the film was already set up to succeed with all the elements that just popped. The production values are amazing. The score is fantastic. It's cinematography is crisp and adds to the story. The supporting cast all work like gangbusters and Willis has truly one of the great screen adversaries to play off of in Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber. But then you have the two things that put the film over the top. A script with great dialogue and the way Bruce Willis in his big screen coming out party (though he had been in films before this was his film showcase over anything else he had done before) gives 110% to bring erstwhile NYPD detective John McClane to life. And it's Willis as John that is the center of this film and he gives the audience a character to totally get behind and root for. I have always said this and I will say it every time but the key to McClane is that he's definitely not Sly or Arnie. He's not bulging with muscles or armed to the teeth. He's closer to a character Harrison Ford might play. The defining moment for me is that scene where John ties the fire hose around himself. He looks over the edge of Nakatomi Tower and realizes the danger he is putting himself in. In that moment he doesn't say some quip or tough guy tag line. Instead of the usual 80's hero bravado John simply says "Please God... Don't let me die." And in the audience you were there with him. For all the slick and calculated elements of this movie that moment I think cements the bond the audience has with the main character and Willis' delivery of that and all his lines is why the movie still resonates til this day. Above the action and the plot it's what Willis brings to the table that is the secret weapon of Die Hard's success.


2. Pulp Fiction: Bruce is part of Tarantino's ensemble crime neo noir so maybe it's cheating putting this on the list but his leg of the film is pretty memorable and Bruce's understated performance style works well here. There's a desperate everyman approach to the character of Butch that keeps you keyed into his story and while I do think it's a very subtle performance I honestly can't think of another name actor I would put in the part. Willis' Butch and his improbable story of near misses on the run from gangsters is a highlight of Pulp Fiction and Bruce nailed the almost old school coolness required for the defining movie of the cinema of the 90's.


3. Unbreakable: Perhaps M. Night's best film this is a film where Willis' minimalist performance works like gangbusters. In this "real world super hero" story we get the opposite of what the audience would expect from a super human character's origin story. David Dunn is not a dashing figure caught up in an adventure on a hero's journey. He's a haunted father trying to make sense of what he can do and Willis has the right sense to play that off with quiet internal struggle. A serious drama that was ahead of it's time in it's deconstruction of super hero fiction, Willis' understated performance fit the bill for what this movie needed.

4. The Sixth Sense: Remember that disclaimer from up top? This is one of the films I think applies to it. Bruce is perfectly fine in the part but if I had to pinpoint this films success it's not at all related to his performance and he could have been replaced by any number of leads and this film wouldn't have skipped a beat. The story and yes, the "twist" are the driving forces of the film. Osment obviously anchors the film with his incredibly nuances performance as a child that sees the spirits of the dead. While Willis' character is important I just don't feel Bruce brought anything particularly important to the final product other than the behind the scenes reality that having a star of his magnitude attached probably eased production considerations for M. Night at the time. Still, a very good film all around which would lead Bruce to reteam with M. Night later to make Unbreakable.

5. Sin City: Again, operating as a part of an ensemble Willis the right kind of actor to play the part of John Hartigan. To bring the world of Frank Miller's Sin City to life you need somebody that can meld the hard bitten cool of old Hollywood noir with the more naturalistic style of the post 1970's school of film acting and Willis fits the bill with ease. Somewhat like what I mentioned before though, if we're honest is his performance or presence what makes this film good? I would say... No. Oh, he's fine but it's the vision of Robert Rodriguez bringing Miller's work to life that drives this film. So in thinking that while it's a really good movie that Willis is in I have to say it's not good because of Willis.


6. Die Hard With A Vengeance: While the film has it's issues and the editing and rewriting of the ending do stand out, the majority of the film does play out in a way that's worthy of the original. McClane's characterization is again that of a real person and teaming him with Sam Jackson yields great interplay. Jeremy Irons' Simon is a great fey yet over the top bad guy. The film does suffer due to a reworking of the ending which was filmed and I think is far more satisfying. While I thinks it's flawed but interesting it is telling that Willis abandoned the franchise for twelve years after this one, even though it was the highest grossing film of it's release year.

7. RED: A film that capitalizes on it's entire cast's charisma it's sometimes to into it's own sense of wit but I can't deny that in the end it delivers a lot of fun with some great talent getting to ham it up and chew scenery with great aplomb. Is it the greatest action/black comedy of all time? Nah. But it's plenty entertaining. I can't really decide though if Willis is just going through the motions or is highly invested but he does give some kind of effort into his retired special ops character. A bit of a trifle that's maybe to in love with how witty it thinks it is at times, I can't deny that it's entertaining and uses it's cast well.


8. 12 Monkeys: Once more, I think this film works because of everything else around Bruce not necessarily because of Bruce's presence or his performance. A stylish entry into the sci fi time travel paradox genre the plain facts are everything else around Bruce is interesting and memorable but he holds the film back because he's the main character we are following and he's just not all that interesting in this part to me.

9. Over The Hedge: I don't know why more don't like this fun little CGI romp. Is it top tier animated entertainment? I wouldn't go that far but it's enjoyable and funny and Willis' voice acting is part of what carries it along. It isn't groundbreaking but it does have lots of funny moments and it wrangles a very game cast to deliver a satisfying story of animals coming into contact with the suburbs.

10. The Fifth Element: I'll take the slings and arrows from the "90's kids" for this but... I don't really think this is all that good of a movie. It's bloated, it's unfocused, it's all surface... But I do get why someone might cotton to it. It's a spectacle and it's loud and brash and a visual treat. I just wish it's characters and story were as interesting as it looks and sounds and this yet again brings us to Bruce just phoning it in. To the fans of this film I ask you... Does Bruce or his character really add anything? When you think about the things you like about this film is Bruce connected to them at all? He doesn't have some big interesting scenes the way Jovovich does, he's not given an interesting look or characterization and he has no memorable or even good dialogue. If the film has a cult status I don't think it's because Bruce gave us something memorable in it.

 

[Hunter Rider]

6. Die Hard With A Vengeance: While the film has it's issues and the editing and rewriting of the ending do stand out, the majority of the film does play out in a way that's worthy of the original. McClane's characterization is again that of a real person and teaming him with Sam Jackson yields great interplay. Jeremy Irons' Simon is a great fey yet over the top bad guy. The film does suffer due to a reworking of the ending which was filmed and I think is far more satisfying. While I thinks it's flawed but interesting it is telling that Willis abandoned the franchise for twelve years after this one, even though it was the highest grossing film of it's release year.

That alternate ending was a weird one, I mean the one they went with was a "It's the 90's, we have to blow something up!" ending, but the other one felt too cold and calculating for McClane, he's reactionary in violent situations rather than predatory. It was so odd that a big movie like that didn't have it's big finale planned, especially with McTiernnan at the helm.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Just because it teamed up Sly, Arnie and him, I would put in Expendables regardless of what people think of the film.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

That alternate ending was a weird one, I mean the one they went with was a "It's the 90's, we have to blow something up!" ending, but the other one felt too cold and calculating for McClane, he's reactionary in violent situations rather than predatory. It was so odd that a big movie like that didn't have it's big finale planned, especially with McTiernnan at the helm.

I liked the alternate better than the theatrical because it was "out of character" for McClane. It showed that the story, hell his life up to that point had changed him on a deep level. He didn't have his wife, his career in the alternate was ended and he had "lost" against Simon... So why not get revenge? That's me though. It's a character based ending that would have been a cool way to end McClane's story showing that John wasn't going to let himself be a patsy without any consequences for Simon. Was it F'up for the hero to do that? Yeah, but I think that was the point.

 

[Aximili86]

What was the alternate ending to DH3? I don't have a home release copy, never seen it.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

What was the alternate ending to DH3? I don't have a home release copy, never seen it.

The alternate ending is up on Youtube and you can read about it in the DH3 Wikipedia page entry. I'd post it but there's swearing.

 

[Aximili86]

Yeah, just watched it. Pretty cool scene, and I don't so much mind McClane actively all vengeance-y given what he supposedly loses after the events of the movie. But they probably made the right call in favor of the one we actually got, this seems tonally a little conflicting with the rest of the flick somehow.

Glad to have seen it though, it's interesting.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I think it fits pretty well myself, especially tonally and it goes with the plot where Simon has all these riddles and games he plays with John so, I don't know... Turn about is fair play for the hero and all that. Liked the point about John seeing his kids for Christmas in it too.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I liked the alternate better than the theatrical because it was "out of character" for McClane. It showed that the story, hell his life up to that point had changed him on a deep level. He didn't have his wife, his career in the alternate was ended and he had "lost" against Simon... So why not get revenge? That's me though. It's a character based ending that would have been a cool way to end McClane's story showing that John wasn't going to let himself be a patsy without any consequences for Simon. Was it F'up for the hero to do that? Yeah, but I think that was the point.

It was certainly a bold move but it felt unsatisfying to me from a character standpoint, it would be like Rocky cheating to win a fight, McClane is the everyman underdog, if that were to be the last we saw of him I think it would have been a sad farewell, I just didn't feel a bleak ending where the honest everyman he was had become that kind of guy was fitting overall.