ReaderKenka
Let's be realistic.
AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Comeuppance Reviews
Joe Hallenbeck (Willis) is a jaded private detective just trying to keep his family life together when he takes on the case of Cory (Berry), a stripper involved in a blackmail plot. When Cory's boyfriend Jimmy Dix (Wayans), a former pro-footballer for the L.A. Stallions gets involved, the two unlikely partners become embroiled in a conspiracy that goes...you guessed it, all the way to the top. Along the way, they have to avoid many perilous situations, trouble from goons, and perhaps a surprise appearance from Dick Butkus. Will Joe Hallenbeck truly be THE LAST BOY SCOUT?
Shane Black for President, man. Shane Black for freakin' President. That pretty much sums up our feelings for this great film, and if you haven't seen it in a while, we say it's time to revisit it. We guarantee you won't be disappointed. The great Mr. Black was the writer behind Lethal Weapon (1987), and here he develops that style even more - it's cool, it's funny, it's tough, it has action, it's totally entertaining, everything works, and everything ties up beautifully. As a writer of intelligent, masculine movies, Black is the heir apparent to John Milius. We're happy to give the movie this sort of enthusiastic praise.
It all opens with a slam-bang opening featuring fan favorite Billy Blanks, and never lets up from there. Even the accompanying video/song "Friday Night's a Great Time for Football" by Bill Medley sets the tone well. Bruce Willis is at his absolute best as the burned-out, grizzled private detective - smoking heavily, spitting out un-PC dialogue, and engaging in the sort of witty repartee you just don't see in movies anymore. Damon Wayans, also at his best, is "action Wayans", and we should have seen more of that later in his career. Despite their supposed character flaws, both men remain likable, and the viewer is highly invested in their fate.
While the movie was allegedly beset by production problems and changes, it remains extremely coherent and you'd never know that if you didn't read about it somewhere. If it's this good as it is now, one has to wonder would it be as good if there was no studio meddling - or maybe better? We'll never know, but let's appreciate what we have. It's also packed with many familiar names in the supporting cast, and although a lot of action movies feature a daughter, Danielle Harris as Hallenbeck's daughter Darian has to go on record as the one with the most edge. She has a lot more attitude than the normal tot (she's 13 in the movie but we tend to call them tots). There's even a WYC (White Yelling Chief) to top off the overstuffed package of punching, shooting, chasing, blow-ups, plot developments, and clever dialogue.
Sadly, they don't make movies like this anymore, but at least we have gems like this. What Shane Black has done is essentially fashion a Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade tale, but updated for 1991. The results are stellar, and we strongly recommend The Last Boy Scout, a movie that has proven itself over time to have reached classic status.
mathmaniac
Give me four million bucks to either pay Stephen Spielberg to direct or Shane Black to write a screenplay and there would be no contest. I'd send Spielberg to the corner store to buy some Twizzlers and I'd pay Black to produce dialogue - four million bucks and worth every penny.It took a long time for me to get around to viewing 'The Last Boy Scout.' In the meantime, there was 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' and 'The Nice Guys.' Here I am again, watching cool cool guys spout cool cool dialogue - and I find out it's a Shane Black script. Why did it take me this long to see this movie? 'Water's wet, the sky is blue, and I'm still in love with my wife.' That's just one line that comes to mind. I barely remember the actress who played the wife in this film - but even I could see that Willis' character would have put a bullet in that closet door! 'Alex the pediatrician.' What does that mean? We find out later, and then Joe's (Willis') reaction to the explanation is perfect. Thousands of theater-goers thought, 'Hmmm. I would have said the same thing.'Long may Shane Black write scripts that make us smile, keep the adrenaline level high of the characters AND the audience, and spin improbable stories that usually have cars flying through the air.
Leofwine_draca
A typical crime thriller in the vein of many '90s films, giving us clichéd characters and plenty of action, with little plot or character development. Despite having a predictable premise of two characters who initially hate each other, team up and grow to love one another, this film benefits from some good acting from Willis and Wayans. Willis plays the character role he was stuck with in the early '90s, basically the washed-up alcoholic cop (talk about typecasting...), but he plays it very well indeed and frequently manages to be very funny. Wayans, on the other hand, gives a very compassionate and likable performance. The chemistry between the two actually works for a change and this makes the film, as a whole, a lot easier to bear.The plot twists and turns for a bit while our heroes try to figure out who's responsible for a murder of a friend while in the mean time avoid being killed. The action scenes come fast and violent - just the way I like them. There are plenty of impressive moments, such as Willis killing an opponent with just one punch, or a stunt where a car flies over a house before landing in a swimming pool. The only negative point in the film - aside from the unoriginality that is - was the excessive and laboured swearing, which seemed a bit forced (unlike in RESERVOIR DOGS, where it seemed at home). Stick around for the excellent climax which has Willis battling the chief villain on top of some scaffolding at a football game. Otherwise, this is solid entertainment, even if we have seen it all before.
bowmanblue
I remember when 'The Last Boy Scout' was released. If my memory serves me correctly, it was considered a box off flop. However, I enjoyed it and, now I come to watch it again over twenty years later, I find that today's online reaction seems to back up my feelings towards it. In other words, it's actually quite fun.Bruce Willis plays... well, Bruce Willis really. This could almost be another Die Hard movie by another name. He's a wise-cracking alcoholic cop (or ex cop here, to be fair) who ends up taking on the bad guys. This time he's investigating the double murder of both his best friend and the client he was meant to protect, but whereas he tended to do things on his own in Die Hard, he's ably assisted by a disgraced football player, played by Damon Waynes.The first thing you have to know before you consider watching this is that it's kind of tongue in cheek. Today's action movies seem to be super serious (with the possible exception of the 'Expendables' series), so if you're looking for something tough and gritty, you'll probably find this one a little too far-fetched.It certainly has its plus points. Obviously, there are plenty of shoot outs and car chases, not to mention villains who are uber-villainous and strip clubs to arrange seedy underworld meetings in. But the film's major selling point is the chemistry between Willis and Waynes. They really do play off each other well and the dialogue between them is the very definition of banter.It is a little far fetched though. I will always remember a character being thrown off a bridge, landing on a car, only to get up and wander off like nothing had happened. I think that probably goes down as one of the most 'hardest to survive' falls in film history! Don't expect too much realism here; like I say – tongue in cheek! Having looked up some details online recently, I see that the production was apparently 'fraught with problems' behind the scenes. There are plenty of rumours surrounding what happened on set and I don't know how many are true. However, I still think that the finished product is actually something pretty good fun and very watchable (if you're looking for a pretty implausible buddy type cop film).And, if you're into internet rumours – look up the one about the squirrel, Bruce Willis' trailer and the hair-piece.
