With all the drama involving the Academy Awards and stuff this week, I wanted to shift the focus onto something, or rather, someone different: Bruce Willis. Over the last couple of years, people have been making fun of Bruce Willis’ direct-to-video movies, or more specifically, the amount of DTV movies that he’s been a part of. Even the Razzies created a specific award for Bruce. As it turns out, there may be a legitimate reason for why took those movies. Most people would assume that it was strictly for the money. That’s part of it. It just came out this week, according to members of his family that Bruce Willis is “stepping away” from acting. In simpler terms: He’s retiring from acting. Why? He’s only 67 years old. Well, according to various sources including the L.A. Times, NPR, and USA Today, Mr. Willis was diagnosed with aphasia. What is aphasia? It’s a language disorder caused by damage in a certain part of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension. Essentially, it leaves the afflicted unable to effectively communicate with others. They also have issues with reading, writing, and speaking. It’s the kind of disorder that can be devastating to performers. There’s no cure, and the only treatment is usually speech therapy. We don’t know how long he’s been suffering from this, but it answers a lot of questions over the last two years at least. So, the general assumption is that Mr. Willis took all these jobs to make sure that he and his family are financially secure, before he’s really unable to provide for them.
As tragic as that is, the fact that he has decided to step away now, while he can do so gracefully, speaks volumes about his character. Even if he didn’t have aphasia and decided to retire anyway, he leaves behind a remarkable career and legacy that spans over 40 years. He’s been in some of the most iconic movies and TV shows in film history. From Moonlighting to The Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis has entertained audiences for a long time. So, what I would like to do is talk about some of my favorite movies that he’s been in over the course of his career.
Die Hard
It’s a scientific fact, proven by hard evidence that you can’t talk about Bruce Willis’ career and not bring up the movie that really made him a star: Die Hard. He stars as a New York cop in Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife at the Nakatomi Plaza when it’s besieged by a group of armed thugs. This is about as classic an action film as you can get. Between the awesome one-liners and wise-cracks from Willis’ John McClane, as well as the awesome performance of the late Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, Die Hard has everything you want in an action movie. You’ve got a relatable hero that’s put through the ringer, without shoes; you’ve got big explosions and a pace that’s non-stop.
Hudson Hawk
Yeah, I know. This one got slammed by critics, but dammit I love the hell out of it. It’s pretty much a live-action cartoon. The chemistry between Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, and Andy McDowell is simply too awesome to pass up. This is absolutely one of the funniest things I’ve seen Bruce Willis do. Even the villains are blatantly over the top. While I’m not one to condone violence against animals, the scene where Bruce Willis blows Sandra Bernhard’s dog out of the window using a tennis ball machine is incredibly funny on so many levels. The movie is so utterly ridiculous that you can’t help BUT smile. Besides, the hat that Willis wears is awesome.
The Jackal
Bruce Willis has been known to play the good guy in most movies, but every once in a while, he turns to the dark side. In The Jackal, Bruce Willis plays a cold-blooded assassin who is also a master of disguise. This guy is ruthless. Richard Gere plays, Declan Mulqueen, the only guy to see The Jackal’s face and live. This is more of a cat-and-mouse thriller than a straight-up action movie, but it’s incredibly intense from start to finish. Willis’ Jackal is one of the scariest bad guys put on screen.
The Sixth Sense
It goes without saying that M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography is filled with ups and downs, but almost nothing in between. His movies are either really, really good, or they’re really bad. The Sixth Sense is actually one of his best. Bruce Willis stars as a psychologist who was hired to talk to a young boy who claims to see dead people. While most people accuse Shyamalan of forcing twists into his movies, the road to the twist in this one is actually pretty cleverly constructed. While the story might seem to about Haley Joel Osment’s character, it’s actually about Bruce Willis’. It’s creepy, it’s dramatic, and it’s one of the best movies of its kind.
The Siege
Before 9/11, most people in the United States never thought about being attacked by terrorists. They thought that the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was a one-off. So, movies about terrorism were regarded as harmless entertainment. The Siege was one of those movies. This movie is incredibly chilling to watch now in a post-9/11 world. The things that this movie was talking about we ended up having to deal with in 2001. We’ve never had to employ martial law, but this movie realistically explores what would happen if we did. Bruce Willis plays General Deveraux, a high-ranking Army officer that may have been indirectly responsible for the events happening in the movie. While one could argue that Devereaux is not the villain of the movie, he is NOT the hero. Bruce gives a very chilling performance as a general willing to do what it takes to restore order, even if it means sacrificing our rights. It’s a tough movie to go back to, considering everything that’s happened since 9/11. I still recommend it, though. It pulls no punches.
The Fifth Element
Now, THIS is a fun one. The Fifth Element sees Bruce Willis play a futuristic spec ops soldier-turned-cab driver when a fare almost literally falls into his lap. Turns out she’s an alien that’s supposed to a mysterious “fifth” element which is supposed to destroy an evil force threatening the galaxy. This is one of the most visually distinctive science fiction movies ever made. Is it deep? No, but it’s awesome, regardless. Bruce Willis is fantastic as Korben Dallas, but he’s surrounded by an amazing cast that includes Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, and Milla Jovovich. There’s not a thing about this movie I DON’T like. It’s fun for the sake of being fun, and we don’t really see a lot of that these days.
Armageddon
Sue me. I love Armageddon. While Deep Impact is narratively the better of the two asteroid movies, this one’s a lot more energetic and fun. Starting with a meteor shower that wrecks New York City in the first ten minutes of the movie, it’s a roller-coaster ride to the finish. Bruce Willis plays Harry Stamper, a world-famous oil-driller that’s been called up by NASA. There’s an asteroid the size of Texas headed our way, and he’s needed to drill a hole in that big rock to blow it to smithereens. The cast knows what kind of movie this is, and they are 100 percent committed. Bruce Willis is crazy awesome here. Yeah, the movie’s got problems, and I don’t care. It’s friggin’ amazing.
Bruce Willis’ career is one of a kind. He deserves respect for a lot of the things he’s done. While I can’t say that the last bunch of movies that he’s done were any good, the great stuff that he DID do will forever be ingrained in our hearts and minds. If this IS Bruce retiring from acting, what a career. Thank you, Bruce, for all the good times.