Film Review: THE LAST BOY SCOUT (1991)

Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans with Danielle Harris looking for some bad guys

The last of the kick ass action flicks from the early 90's. It seems action films today have been watered down and loaded up with too much CGI that make you appeciate films like this one even more. Last Boy Scout has it all: tough guy hero, bloody and violent action scenes, despicable bad guys, some hot babes running around, the sidekick who holds his own, and loads of humor. Bruce is excellent as the burnt out private detective Joe Hallenbeck. He teams up with ex-quarterback Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans) to solve the murder of Jimmy's girl, a young Halle Berry. This leads to a gambling conspiracy that reaches very far. Bruce and Damon make one of the best teams in action films ever. They rough up bad guys and dispense with one liners galore. They definetly don't make them like this anymore and it makes me quite sad. Thank god for DVD and cable. And in case you wondering, Boy Scout still holds up today. Better than some of the so called action films being made today.

SIN CITY is one hell of a movie...

Sin City is a superb and exciting visual treat of a movie. Based on the popular graphic novels by Frank Miller and directed by the electric Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror). The film has several connecting stories featuring an all star cast. Bruce Willis is tough cop Hartigan who is the protector of Nancy (Jessica Alba, who has a terrific dance number at the local bar). As a matter of fact, Alba's scene is a showstopper.  Nancy was abducted by the creepy kid (Nick Stahl) of a powerful man. Hartigan ends up saving her life. Another story has a hulk of a brute named Marv (played by Mickey Rourke) who gets involved with a woman named Goldie (Jaime King) who was murdered and he took the blame. On the run, Marv tears through the city to find the true killer...a young man named Kevin (Elijah Wood) with a penchant for cutting up young women and a taste for human flesh. Kevin is super quick and never says a word. The third story has Dwight (Clive Owen) who teams up with the sordid ladies of Sin City led by the wild Gail (Rosario Dawson) to take on a corrupt cop named Jackie Boy (a terrific Benicio Del Toro).





All these stories are connected and combine to make a truly imaginative film. The entire cast is rock solid with an excellent supporting turn by Carla Gugino as Marv's parole officer who likes women and sleeping in the nude. Also on hand is Michael Clarke Duncan, Rutger Hauer, Josh Hartnett, and Brittany Murphy. And one more thing Nick Stahl stands out as the whacked out Junior. The look of this movie is amazing as it was filmed in black and white but with splashes of color to signify certain characters and themes. Stahl later becomes Yellow Bastard so you can imagine what he looks like. Sin City is one awesome movie.
B+

Action Movie For The Day: DIE HARD (1988)

One of the best action films ever made. The one that made Bruce Willis into a movie star. The one that introduced Alan Rickman to the world. And of course the one to start all those terrorists on a train, boat, plane, etc type movies. But this is the best one. Bruce is perfect as John McClane-the tough NY cop who battles terrorists one Christmas Eve in a hi rise in LA. Loaded with sensational action and plenty of one liners from Bruce. A must have in your DVD collection.
A
Supervisor: "Attention, whoever you are. This channel is reserved for emergency calls only.."
McClane: "No fucking shit, lady. Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza?"

Takagi: "You want money? What kind of terrorists are you?"
Hans: "Who said we were terrorists?"

 

DIE HARD - Maybe the best action film ever made

The best action film ever made? It's got my vote. The one that made Bruce Willis into a movie star. The one that introduced Alan Rickman to the world. And of course the one to start all those terrorists on a train, boat, plane, etc type movies. But this is the best one. Bruce is perfect as John McClane-the tough New York City cop who battles terrorists one Christmas Eve in a hi rise in LA. He goes all out to save the hostages, which includes his estranged wife Holly (played by Bonnie Bedalia). He also gets some support from LA beat cop Al (Reginald VelJohnson, yes the dad from the TV series Family Matters). And must contend with a vengeful Karl (a surprisingly whacked out Alexander Gudonov) who wants payback for his brother's death at the hands of McClane. Alan Rickman makes one of the best screen villians ever as Hans Gruber. Suave and sinister and the perfect foil to McClane. Loaded with sensational action and plenty of one liners from Bruce. A must have in your DVD collection. Followed by some pretty good sequels to boot. And it's a great Christmas movie as well since it's set during Christmastime. What's not to love?

A

Alan Rickman as uber villian, Hans Gruber.

Takagi: "You want money? What kind of terrorists are you?"
Hans: "Who said we were terrorists?"

McClane looking for some bad guys to shoot

Supervisor: "Attention, whoever you are. This channel is reserved for emergency calls only.."
McClane: "No fucking shit, lady. Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza?"