Le Dernier Samaritain

The Last Boy Scout is without a doubt one of the greatest action movies ever made. There is nothing a good action film needs that isn't woven into Tony Scott's vision of Shane Black's screenplay. We have shootouts.... lots and lots of shootouts. We have Bruce Willis. We have football. We have some beautiful women at our disposal. There are some fast cars. There are drugs. And the profanity-laden dialog is so well-written that virtually the entire script can be read in the memorable quotes section of this site.

Our story, though completely preposterous, has some real depth. We have multi-dimensional characters and we are taken on quite a ride with them as the action unfolds. Bruce Willis plays a burned out private investigator who helps a disgraced former pro football player solve the murder of his girlfriend. Before our story ends, we have a dirty US senator, a greedy football team owner, and about a hundred seedy henchmen thrown into the mix. Things move so quickly that only towards the end does one of our characters actually speak a line that sums up how ridiculous it all is. Damon Wayans, who plays the former football star gives Willis some sobering insight. He points out that Willis must be one of the dumbest people alive. He is not only trying to save the life of the man who ruined his career, but also trying to avenge the death of the man who was f*#king his wife! But somehow, we the audience care about the outcome, and getting there couldn't be more fun.

The film has dated fairly well up to this point. Being as though it came out in 1991, you can still see a high top fade on a black character or two. The football uniforms have changed a little, too, but these are minor things that take nothing away from the enjoyment of the story. Water is still wet, the sky is still blue, and this is still one hell of a movie...and then some!!! This film scores a perfect 10 of 10 stars. It couldn't have been made any better.

So sayeth the Hound.

It's been 14 years since Tony Scott's The Last Boyscout was released and it was not a major hit at the box office.

Too bad.

Still, this guilty pleasure is one of funniest action movies ever made. The movie starts with the rocky (and cheesy) theme "Friday Night is A Great Night For Football" sung by Bill Medley. You can't top that way to begin a movie.

But then Scott surprises us again. the opening sequence, where a football player is going to use any way possible to score a touchdown, is breath taking too. Enter Joe Hallenback (Willis) and Jimmy Dix (Wayans) two fallen heroes. One, a detective, the other an ex pro of the Stallion's league. The mob is there too, gamble, money, bets, a murdered young girl and big explosions. All of this wrapped up in a great story, which I won't spoil. This film is one of Tarantino's favorites. It's full of one liners and classic scenes. Violent and graphic. "Touch me again and I kill you..." says Willis' character to one of the gangsters. You should see the result. Written by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) you've got a guarantee you're going to have a great time. Taylor Negron is great as Milo, the villain, a young and beautiful Halle Berry is Kory a girl that knows too much, the sexy Chelsea Field is Hallenback's wife and Danielle Harris is her daughter a great characters that nearly steals the show.

This is not an "art" movie. It's pure entertainment, an excellent flick. Is anything better than that?

Back in 1991 there was still only one way that studios could sell Bruce Willis and that was as various incarnations of his Die Hard hero. Even Eddie (Hudson) Hawkins had similarities to John McClane. Joe Hallenback is a sort of mix between McClane and Snake Plissken. Watching him mumble and grunt thru various near-deaths and close shaves makes for much fun.

Hallenback is a P.I. and scrounges for work wherever he can find it. So he takes up a job protecting a stripper named Cory and soon finds himself in a lot of trouble. Bad guys are trying to get him left right and centre and his bratty 13-year-old daughter tagging along doesn't help much. The bad guys are truly evil and Hallenback seems more like an anti-hero. This adds to the rough nature of the movie and heightens the sense of adventure.

Tony Scott's style of direction is best suited to this type of action flick. The flashy, exotic editing and cinematographic techniques lend a lot to the witty script and compliment the seedy or pretty locations. Shane Black has also written dozens of one-liners and riddled the script with funny dialogue and exciting situations. It's no surprise that this was once the most expensive script ever sold in Hollywood.

Some people say that this film is too violent and misogynist but I honestly cannot understand what they are talking about. I guess it was just a little out of the norm back in 1991. But still the tone of the film is so light and enjoyable you begin to wonder how this never made up for it. Check it out for yourself and I am sure that you will enjoy.

Love that opening song, man. 7/10

The Last Boy Scout is an action hero movie with a dirty mouth. It's one of the first mainstream movie to use the F word in all its variations and glory multiple times in each scene.

The good. Plenty of action. Funny banter. Tough hero. Interesting intrigue.

The actors. Bruce Willis plays a dirty version of his seminal role, John McClane. Halle Berry started her rise on the big screen in this flick.

The bad. The hero does a lot of killing, yet he's not handcuffed once.

The ugly. The lackeys are walking caricatures.

The result. Nice action entertainment with a bit of intrigue. If you're a fan of Willis, I highly recommend it.

In the early 90's, there was a definite, consistent presence in action movies: slow motion cinematography, wild gun-play, and funny one-liners. Granted, there are still some of those today (2004), but it just wasn't the same as back in the day. Now there are so many special effects in the current action films that it drowns out what used to be the great style of a "popcorn flick".

Die Hard paved the way for these type of movies, and some of the offspring of this did well and did not. The Last Boyscout was one that did well. This was a very intelligent and fun action/thriller/buddy-comedy that can still be enjoyed to this day. Tony Scott is the master of under-appreciated action movies in the 90's, such as this and True Romance.

My suggestion is to get a 6-pack, go rent this movie, sit back and enjoy the ride.