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"Welcome to the party, pal." Celebrating Bruce Willis and his Career.

Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
in General Movies & TV Posts: 25,133
Bruce Willis to retire from acting due to aphasia diagnosis
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/30/bruce-willis-to-retire-from-acting-following-aphasia-diagnosis
Sad news indeed and wishing Bruce the best going forward and that he gets the care and support he needs.

I am a huge fan of his work from way back since Moonlighting no doubt like many members on here I own a great many of his films. This thread is to discuss and pay tribute to his career and films.

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Die Hard has to be the film that stands tallest, one of the greatest if not the greatest action film of all time.
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Comments

  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,634
    When he did Pulp Fiction, it was kind of like Robin Williams doing Aladdin: advertising on a superstar’s name to give it creditably. Nowadays, it’s just normal practice. I enjoyed him in it as well. I also think it was crude for the Razzie Awards to make that category for him, especially with this news. As I said before with others here: thoughts and prayers for him and his loved ones at this time.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,167
    Always been a fan. Loved watching MOONLIGHTING when I was a kid and the DIE HARD films. Pretty much elevated any film he worked on.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited March 2022 Posts: 25,133
    It just shows you there is often deeper reason for many things in life. Bruce has made a lot of films in the last two years and it makes a lot of sense why now, to help support himself and family going forward. I have only just learnt Sharon Stone has a type of Aphasia and was able to learn to read and write again. The cause and type of Aphasia is a huge factor if rehabilitation is possible,

    I like Pulp Fiction admittedly not my favourite Tarantino film, prior to the film Travolta career had declined considerably so Bruce was indeed the big name star.

    Aside from the Die Hard series, films like Fifth Element, Twelve Monkeys are films I frequently revisit.

    Blind Date with Kim BasingerI watched a lot as a kid and Sunset with the great James Garner, I still remember renting that from the local video store.

    Die Hard with a Vengeance Bruce Willis interview...

    Cracking film not far behind the original IMO.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,582
    Some of my favourites would be Fifth Element, Whole Nine Yards and the Stylo video clip from Gorillaz. The sideways look he gives to the viewer while driving is delicious.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    My favorite Bruce Willis role is as Hartigan in the Sin City movies, followed by his roles in Pulp Fiction and Unbreakable.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I loved Bruce from the moment I first saw Moonlighting.
    He's given us a lot to enjoy. I wish him peace and joy, even in retirement with serious health struggles.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,133
    I almost forgot about this, I remember watching this on Top of the Pops in 1987...

    Under the Boardwalk
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,187
    It’s too bad he can’t do one more DIE HARD to end the series on a far better note.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,133
    The last Die Hard film was the worst, the dodgy special effects did not help. I hope they leave the John Maclane character alone now, I have not heard anymore about the once touted young Maclane movie post Disney merger with Fox.
  • Risico007Risico007
    edited March 2022 Posts: 9,847
    it is a shame about Willis

    honestly the only Bad die hard film was the last one I loved the first four.. I know I am in the minority here but I loved Live Free or Die Hard... Die hard 5 had no central villain no real plot and just was bad

    I will admit I haven't seen a ton of his none Die Hard work... I got half way through some sci-fi film about robots that were avatars it was a detective film I always wanted to finish that one...

    I saw the end of 16 Blocks which I kind of wish was rewritten to be a die hard film


    I will go through his imdb page and see what else I saw him in. I hope he has a restful and good retirement.

    ok so I have his IMDB page and rather then rewrite my whole post I am going to add to it cause shockingly I saw him in more then I intially remembered

    First the robot movie Surrogates If anyone has seen it let me know if its worth finishing or not.


    The Jackel my god how did I forget this film.. People have their fan theories about The Rock to me The Jackel is the lost final confrontation with Bond and Blofeld with Gere as 007 and Willis and Blofeld...does it work no but neither does the rock as a 007 film so yeah
    \

    I loved his stint on Friends
    Completely forgot Armageddon was a movie let alone I saw it and I think liked it... I just remember the Animal Cracker scene,.... for reasons....

    There are a bunch of action films of Willis's I always wanted to see.

    The Seige
    Hostage
    Red
    Red 2
    the Cold light of Day
    Extraction
    and survive the game



    I vaguely recall the whole nine yards.. maybe I saw it./..


    and while He never was I saw a fan trailer that had him as Batman... It convinced me that he could of been a good batman... better then clooney anwyays.


    and that is pretty much everything


    I hope his retirement is restful and enjoyable.

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Die Hard, Sin City, and The Fifth Element are among my all time favorite films. I haven't gotten to enjoy his work in a while, since his direct-to-DVD/streaming fare doesn't excite or interest me, but knowing he's both an actor and a musician, that's a tough diagnosis for him to receive. It's a damn shame and the world of cinema will be losing someone incredibly iconic.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,167
    Re-watched LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD last week and had forgotten how much I'd enjoyed it. Very solid entry, IMO.
    I should give the last Die Hard film another try. I was quite disappointed during it's release, but who knows? Maybe I'd like it better now that some time has passed?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Re-watched LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD last week and had forgotten how much I'd enjoyed it. Very solid entry, IMO.
    I should give the last Die Hard film another try. I was quite disappointed during it's release, but who knows? Maybe I'd like it better now that some time has passed?

    I saw it in theaters, showed up late, still got a ticket, but the film had just began and I couldn't find a seat. Sat on the floor the entire time (as much as that sucked) and really had a blast with it. It's goofy at times but it's a whole lot of fun and has some really great stunts and setpieces throughout.

    I don't like the fifth installment but it's 1,000% worth it for that chase sequence through Russia alone. I wish the rest of the film had the same level of dedication and focus.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    I love Bruce Willis. I think He's the first action hero to successfully mix rugged action with humour...without losing his action persona. His distinctive style of always talking to himself during harrowing moments, made him different.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    His performance in The Sixth Sense is one of his very finest.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    His performance in The Sixth Sense is one of his very finest.

    He's excellent in Unbreakable too. Probably my favorite "superhero" movie.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,187
    Count me as those enjoying LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD. I don’t really count any of the sequels being on par with the original film, but they’re still entertaining, except for the fifth. My ranking:

    DIE HARD
    DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE
    LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD
    DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER
    [chasm]
    A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    Die Hard 2 falls down mainly because of its villains for me. That's likely why the fourth film is far more rewatchable for me. Olyphant is magnetic.

    Anyway, gonna give a shout out to The Last Boy Scout as one of my favourite Willis movies. Electric performances and great dialogue with Tony Scott's usual riveting style of directing.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,847
    So glad I am not the only one who loved Live Free or Die Hard... again the plots were always the best when it was Terrorists stealing money

    2 got away with deviating from the formula because the jokes were good and Willis was so charasmatic but 5 my god
  • IGotABrudderIGotABrudder UK
    Posts: 631
    Die Hard is magnificent. Bruce Willis vs Alan Rickman. I watched it quite recently and I was struck by how tightly plotted it is. Every scene follows on logically (or at least appears to follow on logically) from the previous scene.

    Now I have a machine gun … ho ho ho

    Perfect

    Massive shout out for The Fifth Element and Twelve Monkeys too.

    And Die Hard with a Vengeance which is quality. Better IMO than Die Hard 2 (although DH2 is still a hugely enjoyable ride)
  • Scaramanga1974Scaramanga1974
    Posts: 728
    I thought he'd retired years ago!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    Count me as those enjoying LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD. I don’t really count any of the sequels being on par with the original film, but they’re still entertaining, except for the fifth. My ranking:

    DIE HARD
    DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE
    LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD
    DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER
    [chasm]
    A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

    Not only do I agree with this sentiment but I have the exact same ranking as you do.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,167
    Here's my ranking being the odd one out here:

    1. DIE HARD 2
    2. DIE HARD
    3. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
    4. DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE
    5. A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    It’s sad to hear the news. Bruce isn't one of my favourites, but the first Die Hard is an absolute classic. The first two sequels we pretty good. Live Free Or Die Hard... eh, that one was ok. A Good Day To Die Hard was beyond awful.

    Outside of Die Hard, I haven't seen many of his films, though I thought he was good playing 3rd fiddle to Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn in Death Becomes Her.

    My Die Hard ranking is exactly the same as the order of release.

    1. Die Hard
    --
    2. Die Hard 2
    3. Die Hard With A Vengeance
    --
    4. Live Free Or Die Hard
    --
    5. A Good Day To Die Hard
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,133
    My Die Hard ranking is...
    Die Hard
    Die Hard with a Vengeance
    Die Hard 2
    Die Hard 4.0
    A Good Day to Die Hard.

    It occured to me that I have never watched The Bonfire of the Vanities, which suprises me as I am also a De Palma fan. Will try to find the film on steaming services.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,187
    Fire_and_Ice_Returns wrote: »
    My Die Hard ranking is...
    Die Hard
    Die Hard with a Vengeance
    Die Hard 2
    Die Hard 4.0
    A Good Day to Die Hard.

    It occured to me that I have never watched The Bonfire of the Vanities, which suprises me as I am also a De Palma fan. Will try to find the film on steaming services.

    I’m a big De Palma fan, and I wish you all the luck getting through that one. Woof!
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,847


    as i stated before I knew there were fan trailers with Bruce Willis as Batman.. if fan trailers arent your thing ignore this post obviously... but looking at it could it work honestly I don't know on the one Hand I cant imagine Willis giving a comic book movie like batman his all on the other hand if he did he would of been better then George clooney... lets be honest even without his all he would of been better then Clooney
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,133
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    Fire_and_Ice_Returns wrote: »
    My Die Hard ranking is...
    Die Hard
    Die Hard with a Vengeance
    Die Hard 2
    Die Hard 4.0
    A Good Day to Die Hard.

    It occured to me that I have never watched The Bonfire of the Vanities, which suprises me as I am also a De Palma fan. Will try to find the film on steaming services.

    I’m a big De Palma fan, and I wish you all the luck getting through that one. Woof!

    Having read some reviews earlier it sounds like a dud to be fair.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,187
    There’s one really well done long take that goes on for like eight minutes at the beginning, which is an excellent example of De Palma’s skill as a director.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited April 2022 Posts: 25,133
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    There’s one really well done long take that goes on for like eight minutes at the beginning, which is an excellent example of De Palma’s skill as a director.

    Thats encouraging I will still watch it, even some of de Palma's so called lessor films I tend to find some value in how he shoots the movie.

    @Risico007 Bruce would make an interesting Bruce/Batman more in the vain of Keaton if his Bruce had moments of being unhinged or at least projecting that.

    P.S. anyone is better than Clooney... sorry George lol
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