1. The Last Boy Scout
The Last Boy Scout was immediately one of my favourite action films upon my first viewing, and it remains so to this day. What is essentially a buddy cop movie becomes so much more from the performances given by Willis and Damon Wayans and the tight, humorous, screenplay written by Shane Black, of Lethal Weapon fame. The plot revolves around Willis's Joe Hallenbeck, a private investigator who is hired to act as a bodyguard for a stripper named Cory, who was then played by a relatively unknown Halle Berry. However, it is not long before Cory is killed and Joe has joined forces with her boyfriend, Jimmy, a former star quarterback who was banned from competing for sports gambling, to solve the murder and exact revenge. The film stands out for me because of the large amount of memorable moments that it threw at audiences, whether it was the villainous Milo, who has more than a passing resemblance to Skyfall's Silva, or the insults traded between Willis and Wayans as they attempt to learn how to work together. One particular scene that aways sticks in my mind takes place when Willis is being held by two men, one of whom punches him when he asks for a cigarette, Willis warns him he will kill him if he does it again and immediately after he obliges, Willis bursts out of his seat, pushing his palm into the man's nose and killing him instantly as the other man just looks on in shock. What's best about this scene is that whilst it sounds shocking and horrific, it is in fact humorous and exciting, a testament to the script and performances. As well as that, who can ever forget Willis dancing a jig on top of the stadium's light platform after knocking Milo onto a helicopter's rotating blades? Of course, a sequel whilst intriguing, is now unlikely due to the tragic death of Tony Scott, the film's talented director. Whilst it is entirely possible that Black could pen another script that could be helmed by another director, would it truly be anything that anyone wants to see? Despite that, the film ends with Joe and Jimmy deciding to become partners and there is no end to the amount of mysteries they could investigate and solve together, so there could almost certainly be room for a sequel and there are many directors out there who could surely turn the Last Boy Scout into a successful series, even if Bruce is older than he was when he first played the role.