THE EPIC FILM JOURNAL - DAY ELEVEN

Film number 14 – The Last Boy Scout

Now the reason for watching this film was simply that I wanted to watch something with Bruce Willis, I glanced through his filmography and found a few of his films that I had never seen. I actually was very aware of this film, I was just never bothered to watch it. So the film begins and opens with an absolutely bizarre credit sequence that has been interspersed with the opening credits from a Friday night football intro. I’m sure something like could have only been done in the nineties, so we begin on this very manufactured, cheesy, glitzy note with cheerleaders dancing and a power rock song sung by a Hasselhoff lookalike. The mood is fun cutting to a dark rainy atmospheric football field, the play begins and the man begins running with the ball, before he is about to be tackled he whips out a gun and starts running and shooting any incoming opposition, eventually getting to the end zone and blowing his brains out. Yes this is the world of the film, utterly ridiculous. In fact you might be thinking this intro is significant, that it is social criticism that we should all stand up and take notice on. A criticism of our values and reckless spending happens, the importance that we place on worthless sporting figures. Or maybe it’s a comment on the downward spiral of government, bittersweet metaphor for America? Nope this beginning has absolutely no significance to the movie what so ever, there is one very small reference made to it about half way through the film. Why is this scene in the film you ask? Who the fuck knows? Because it absolutely kills the vibe and mood within the first ten minutes, what we then see is the depressing cesspool version of L.A. that the nineties loved showing, maybe to deter outsiders from trying to come in.

Intro, Bruce Willis, alcoholic private detective, sleeps in the car, marital problems, wifes cheating on him, wife is cheating on him with his best friend, toilet seats up, his best friend is in the closet, his best friend leaves house, his best friend gets blown up in his car. Yep this all happens in about five minutes and the pacing never stops, just adrenaline all the way through, Willis is ex secret service, saved the presidents life, discharged for stopping a senator from abusing a women. A true down and out American hero. Damon Wayans plays a top football player kicked out of the league for gambling and drugs they form a team and the rest is history.

It may seem like I’m giving the film a really hard time and that’s because I actually think underneath it there is a really good film. The script was written by Shane Black, the man who wrote Lethal Weapon! Black was at one time the highest paid script writer, The Last Boy Scout, The Last Action Hero, The Long Kiss Goodnight, his career was halted by a string of problems and he returned about ten years later writing and directing one of my favorite films of all time Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which also pretty much resurrected the career of Robert Downy Jr. Anyway back to the point – I have no idea how much interference this film and how different it was from Black’s original script but it does feel like there were a lot of chefs. The snappy dialogue and cynicism that fills a lot of Back’s characters are really present in Bruce Willis, he delivers some of the best and most ridiculous one liners that you have ever heard below are a few of my favorites:

WAYNES: I’m just trying to break the ice.
WILLIS: I like ice.

WAYNES: Danger’s my middle name.
WILLIS: Mines Cornelius.

As great as some of these line are the film just feels very manufactured all the way through. That is probably down to one of the most manufactured directors of all time one Tony Scott. I seriously contemplated turning the film off as soon as I saw that he directed the film, the only film that Scott has directed which I can say is brilliant is Enemy Of The State, lets also not forget that film had Will Smith and Gene Hackman, I think it would have been good no matter what. I don’t know why most of Tony Scott’s films annoy me so much, It could be that I haven’t forgiven him for reducing Denzel Washinton’s career to a bunch of pointless action bullshit, who knows? Boy scout is full of the mind less and contrived action that we have come to expect from Scott; never before has peril worked out so convenient for characters, when ever ones in danger there is some sort of saving grace coming out of nowhere with no explanation.

For the all the films horrible faults it is at least damn entertaining, there is a reason why I was searching out a Bruce Willis film and it’s because no matter what role he is in there is never a dull moment, he always delivers and is always spot on. I have not yet seen Hudson Hawk, I’ve heard all the bad reviews though but I guess everyone is allowed a mistake. Without Bruce Willis I can’t imagine this film being anything at all, the thing about the Governator and Stallone is that they look like action hero’s even when they play down and outs they never appear to be the underdog, they can’t be every men because they are not, Willis is able to be that believable character who will always do the right thing and that’s why he always works, I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to emulate what he brings to a film, even in a clunker like this he makes it fun and engaging. Damon Wayans does an ok job as well, one of the characters that is pretty fun is Willis’ fowl mouthed teenage daughter who calls him an “asshole” and a “fuck up” numerous times. This character is really fun until she becomes involved in all the action, and that’s part of the problem throughout, whenever there is something good it is used to excessively.

The film is entertaining full of strengths and flaws,

5 out of 10