5. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Tony Scott helped ensure that Bruce Willis' career didn't completely nosedive after the abject failure that was
Hudson Hawk, with this thoroughly entertaining buddy cop film coming from the pen of
Lethal Weapon's Shane Black. Though
The Last Boy Scout underwhelmed upon release, it has, like several of Scott's films, gained favour in later years as a cult hit of sorts, and though its plot is hardly that memorable, it is the excellent chemistry between Willis and his "buddy", Damon Wayans, that makes this picture pop and sizzle. Willis is essentially channelling John McClane here, and is clearly having a blast as the downtrodden, wise-cracking hero, while Kim Coates among others make memorable villains, and that opening scene - in which a PCP-pumped football player pulls out a gat and begins shooting the rival team - is simply unforgettable. "And then some", as they might say. It is also worth noting that the film is in part responsible for
True Romance, given that Quentin Tarantino hung around the set, eventually getting the script to Scott.