To the chagrin of a considerable number of movie lovers, Bruce Willis announced his retirement due to a serious health problem. The diagnosis of aphasia, which the actor and his family announced a few weeks ago, put an end to a long and fruitful career. One that also marked a significant part of contemporary pop culture and turned the actor into an action icon. And this despite the questionable nature of his decisions in the projects in which he participated in recent years. But Willis continues to be an idol because of his distinct personality and involvement in projects of significant interest.
Currently, Bruce Willis is best known for his large collection of films that have little to do with the cinematic panorama. But for more than thirty years, the actor was a symbol of success. Since its appearance in crystal jungle John McTiernan in 1988, prior to his performance in the classic horror film. Sixth Sense M. Night Shyamalan. Willis’ journey has touched all registers and genres of cinema. It also showed the performer’s versatility in creating amazing characters in simple and unexpected ways.
So his retirement ends, perhaps prematurely, a long story full of ups and downs, but always full of imagination and creativity. Bruce Willis has succeeded in pushing the boundaries of what commercial cinema should be. And he’s managed to create a collection of titles that includes great plot experiments, a bit of pointless sass, as well as mocking humor.
To remember the importance of the actor in the seventh art, we leave you a list with five of his best films and places to watch them. A tribute to a long career, in most cases unusual, and in some cases even inexplicable. But always with Willis’s tongue-in-cheek look at the limits of traditional cinema. A gesture of rebellion for which his fans will thank him forever.
crystal jungle
John McClain (Bruce Willis) just wants to have a peaceful Christmas with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and maybe rekindle their relationship. But the plan falls apart when Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) decides it’s time for the heist of the century. The great action movie of the 80s didn’t make big claims about reinventing the genre.. It also doesn’t change how the traditional action hero was previously understood. But he did both, and achieved this by an unexpected move: by humanizing his protagonist.
John McClain, played by Willis, is a cop who wants to do the right thing. One who goes barefoot and with only his conventional weapons in tow to confront a sophisticated criminal organization. But he will do it because it is his duty and also because he has no other choice. The new approach to the traditional cliché of the “army of one man” struck with its honesty, mocking irony and vulnerability. And also for the significant success that made Willis one of the greatest actors of the action genre of the eighties and several beyond.
crystal jungle available on Disney+.
big falcon
Although Bruce Willis is known for his long filmography in the action genre, he devoted time to humor. And especially in the strange, always mocking and with a touch of strange cynicism, which has become the hallmark of the actor. big falcon It’s not just one of his best comedies, it’s also a complete replacement for Willis’ most famous comedy.
As if that weren’t enough, it’s also an exceptional foray into a tongue-in-cheek take on the action mixed in with sarcasm. The result is a black comedy that has become a unique classic of the film genre, which now surprises with its strange combination of registers. Certainly, it’s also the movie where Bruce Willis shows off his weird charm.
The Hudson Hawk, with his wry grin, is a mixture of thief, seducer, and strange outlaw criminal. In its famous second part, the film even has the luxury of playing pranks on itself and creating a kind of special universe. Director Michael Lehmann later said that the actor managed to bring a complex character to life without exaggerating the idiosyncratic tone. A feat that Willis would repeat several times in later years.
big falcon available on Netflix.
Sixth Sense
Cole (Hailey Joel Osment) has a secret. So strange, frightening and confusing that he became an isolated, scared and traumatized boy. Dr. Malcolm Crow (Willis) will try break the iron silence of your patient and look into what is hidden in their frightened looks and silence. But when he finally does, he won’t just find a new way of seeing the world as he knows it. And also about yourself and the very nature of reality.
Become an action hero no one expected Willis to be able to deliver a sensual, deep and strange game like the one he achieved for this horror classic. Considered one of the most terrifying films of all time, it is also a painful combination of drama, exploration of fear, and time. Except, of course, a great story with supernatural overtones that range from heartache to grief.
The actor was able to display the full range of emotions of his character with disarming sincerity. Also build a pained and fragile eye on the type of inexplicable emotion that he develops when carefully restrained. Turned into a cult film, Willis starred in what is considered the story that revived the horror genre for decades to come.
Sixth Sense available on Disney+.
crime novel
A film that became an instant cult hit and gave Willis the opportunity to showcase his ability to create unique characters. Director Quentin Tarantino built an interconnected map of brilliant narrative threads, as well as a story that redefined cinema as story building. Considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century., the film revolutionized the way complex stories are told. Also, Tarantino’s flair for creating extraordinary characters so amazing and defying classification that they take their place in cinema.
One of them is Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis. With a few words and a few bloody action scenes, the actor created a paradigm that seemed to combine action with something darker. Tarantino managed to combine in the face of a tormented character not only a difficult past, but at the same time a completely different perception of violence.
As a result, several iconic moments in the film turned into a masterpiece of scripting and editing. Tarantino played his stories like pieces on a complex board. gave Willis the opportunity to dive into dark ideas, in just a few minutes on the screen. Another big triumph in his acting career.
crime novel available on HBO Max.
protege
Before Marvel and DC took cinema by storm with their franchises, M. Night Shyamalan made a short, hard-hitting film on the subject. And he created one of the strangest and deepest trilogies about the superhero world of cinema. Protected is an exploration of the world of creatures with extraordinary abilitieswhose gaze is focused on everyday life. But beyond that, it also creates a disturbing and frightening insight into the horrors and darkness of a single world.
Willis portrayed David Dunn with deep sadness and devastated humanity, which once again surprised critics. And although at the premiere the film was despised and criticized for its inexplicability, little by little it became a cult work. Shyamalan has managed to bring a profound beauty to wounded, lonely, dark and unforgiving characters. To do so also, in a plot that is carefully expanded to tell a story in the shadows. Decades later, this character would become a link in the story’s sequels. Also his most recognizable face. Again, almost by accident, the actor managed to reimagine the genre with a brilliant performance.
protege available on Disney+.
Source: Hiper Textual
