The Last Boy Scout

The Last Boy Scout is one of those movies that I would have enjoyed immensely, let's say, at the age of 18. I've been 18 twice already, and evidently, I'm not the target audience. I'm not a fan of action movies and I expect more from a film than just a barrage of one-liners and an invincible hero. On the other hand, a fan of the genre can give it five stars without a second thought, and there is no reason to be surprised by the film's popularity. It has two notable assets, namely Bruce Willis in the lead role, with a script tailor-made for him, and he was also at the ideal age to handle such a character. He's exactly that casual, phlegmatic guy who, despite his wilted appearance, crazy lifestyle, and family problems, can take care of an entire army of criminals without unnecessary emotions and even comment on the situation with a sense of detachment. In my opinion, the character is too cool, but as I said, I'm not the target audience. The Last Boy Scout is also a film where every shot exudes lightness and exaggeration, with which the director and screenwriter approached the project. It's not a smart film in the true sense of the word, like the famous Die Hard, because it has a very average script that doesn't exceed the usual genre clichés. Moreover, for the same reason, it is highly predictable, so whether the heroes are plummeting off a cliff in a car, crashing into a tree at full speed, or being targeted by concentrated gunfire, the viewer has absolutely no worries about their favorite characters. On top of that, it's a clichéd film full of notoriously familiar situations, where the villain describes for two minutes with a tough grin how he's going to shoot the hero, instead of calmly pulling the trigger, and where the hero approvingly compliments the top-level professionalism of the gangsters he had just gunned down when the viewer sees their incredible stupidity. Overall impression: 65%. (21/03/2010)

Shane Black wrote a brilliant screenplay that suits him perfectly. It's criminal, it's gritty, yet it's entertaining. There are great characters, and on top of that, an intriguing story that takes you into unfamiliar environments. Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans are a great duo and their dialogue is absolutely awesome. Tony Scott directed it brilliantly, especially the scenes with Willis' film daughter are superb. (10/06/2016)

I rewatched The Last Boy Scout only to confirm that it’s an absolute classic that I’ll never get tired of. The film is totally unsuitable for viewers with no sense of humor. Otherwise, it can be recommended to virtually everyone. The action scenes still look decent after all those years. But the reason why the film is still so good is the constant stream of one-liners delivered by practically the whole cast including the main character's daughter. To sum it up, an awesome movie. (16/01/2018)

It is hard to write anything about this gem, because you just don't see stuff like this every day. Bruce Willis, with his iron fist and the strongest nerves, delivering one legendary zinger after another, may be well known to us from Die Hard, but it’s here where he perfected the character of the fearless and garrulous detective. He, together with the likeable Wayans, who, with his relentless mouth, is just begging to be wiped out, and the hard-working director Tony Scott, who orchestrates everything so that Hallenbeck's iron fist is as permanent as possible, put together one of the most entertaining action blockbusters of all time, whose popularity will hardly fade in the future. (12/08/2012)

It is primarily a whirlwind of excellent wisecracks that make you forget about the simplicity of the story and the rather clichéd plot. Tony Scott is the type of director who doesn't really care about anything and just does whatever he wants, and thank goodness for that. The Last Boy Scout is a very fast-paced, modern action flick that doesn't get boring even after watching it multiple times. The biggest asset is, of course, the tough guy Joe Hallenback fantastically played by Bruce Willis. An excellent and stylish gem that perfectly captures the great atmosphere of the 1990s. (29/01/2006)