Plot
A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.
Release Year: 1991
Rating: 6.8/10 (40,781 voted)
Director:
Tony Scott
Stars: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field
Storyline A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.
Writers: Shane Black, Greg Hicks
Cast: Bruce Willis
-
Joe Hallenbeck
Damon Wayans
-
Jimmy Dix
Chelsea Field
-
Sarah Hallenbeck
Noble Willingham
-
Sheldon Marcone
Taylor Negron
-
Milo
Danielle Harris
-
Darian Hallenbeck
Halle Berry
-
Cory
Bruce McGill
-
Mike Matthews
Badja Djola
-
Alley Thug
Kim Coates
-
Chet
Chelcie Ross
-
Senator Baynard
Joe Santos
-
Bessalo
Clarence Felder
-
McCoskey
Tony Longo
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Big Ray Walston
Frank Collison
-
Pablo
Taglines:
They're two fallen heroes up against the gambling syndicate in pro sports.
Release Date: 13 December 1991
Filming Locations: Beverly Hills, California, USA
Gross: $59,509,925
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Germany:
(cut version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The card Jimmy Dix signs for Joe's daughter is a Pro Set Superbowl Super Heroes card. That set, which was produced by the only card company ever fully endorsed by the NFL, was made only in 1991 and featured stars of the NFL's biggest game. On that note, Damon Wayans has been asked for "Jimmy Dix's" autograph in real life...and given it.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When the red convertible goes down the hill during the chase, the windshield is alternately missing/intact between shots.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Locker Room Kid:
Billy Cole. Billy Cole. Head Coach:
The first half stunk! Open the holes up! Get in there like hogs! Like pigs! Locker Room Kid:
Billy Cole. You got a call on line three. Head Coach:
Let's go out there in this half and kick some butt! Let's get out of this town as a winner! I hate Cleveland!
User Review
A genre classic - oft copied, never matched
Rating: 8/10
Although this film receives a lot of credit for reinvigorating the
action/buddy genre movie, the praise is too often misdirected. For
instance, whilst Bruce Willis gives a solid performance as low-life
private
eye Joe Hallenbeck, we have seen the act a dozen times. There are
remnants
of Die Hard's John McClane in every knowing smirk and pained cigarette
inhalation. Equally, Tony Scott's direction is still based on an
obsession
with placing bright lights behind the actors and turning up the volume of
car chases and gunshots. Jimmy Dix, the faded football hero, is given a
suitably comic persona by Damon Wayons and the action sequences are as
good
as you will find elsewhere in Hollywood. However, these are not the
attractions of the film for me.
You might think, from what is written above, that I disliked the film but
you would be mistaken to think that as I believe it to be an absolute
classic of its kind. I truly think The Last Boy Scout should be used as a
teaching tool at film schools the world over. In spite of its glaring
limitations it is a movie that has everything! The opening scene is a
modern movie classic - up there with those of Raiders Of The Lost Ark and
Goodfellas. If there is a film-goer alive whose mouth didn't gape in
wonderous amusement at the climax to the opening scene then I am amazed.
The plot, as far fetched as it is, provides a perfect vehicle for the key
elements that go towards making this the gem of a movie that it
is.
First in the list of key elements is the wonderfully funny dialogue.
Shane
Black's hallmark of snappy one-liners is all over the sizzling repartee
between the two heroes. Even Hallenbeck's daughter gets a couple of
laugh-out-loud lines. Secondly, the story benefits from the ideal
combination of: sport, gambling, violence, comedy, the odd topless dancer,
important values of family and friendship, revenge and honour. Take out
the
topless dancer and they pretty much all feature in The
Godfather!
The third crucial component for the success of The Last Boy Scout is the
perfect casting of the bad guys. Milo, played to chilling perfection by
Taylor Negron, is a bad guy with a difference. He isn't just a mindless
hard man. His brilliantly annoying habit of calling people by their
elongated names is a superb touch (Joe becomes Joseph, Jimmy becomes James
and so on), as are his attempts at civility when trying to "do a formal
introduction" with the kidnapped Hallenbeck. Other bad guys are fleshed
out
and distinguished by quirky traits or funny lines. They are not merely
there to make the good guys look good.
Overall, this film is not a piece of celluloid art. It is, however, a
perfect example of popcorn-friendly entertainment. It is the sort of
movie
you imagine the makers would like to see as movie-goers themselves.
Without
being utterly contemptible or mindlessly low-brow it entertains. An ideal
Saturday night movie to watch with a group of friends.
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