Review of The Last Boy Scout (1991) by Lorenzo V — 21 Aug 2012

"This is the '90s. You can't just walk up and slap a guy, you have to say something cool first.".

A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.

REVIEW.

You look at this movie and what do you see? A patterned action movie. A patterned Bruce Willis vehicle. The simple fact is they just don't make 'em like this anymore. It gives us what we want, when we want it and that's why 'The Last Boy Scout' succeeds. In instant gratification, a comfortable level of predictability and by not pulling any surprise punches. No stranger to the cracking down-and-out tough guy roles, Willis is in form and Damon Wayans makes for a surprisingly good supporting turn. 'The Last Boy Scout' shows he can carry a serious role when his thing has mainly been comedy.

Written by Shane Black and with the layers striped away, it's a movie we've seen and heard before plenty 'o times. The good guys versus bad guys is pretty black and white. It's got a crackling script apt with one liners and situations perfect for action showdowns or character moments, but it also seems to have a multiple personality disorder. Dealing with the professional sport of football, the initial tone is quite serious. It all gives away to territory traveled before soon enough, but I wonder if the serious start was just to establish the dark path or was it something more. Something darker never to be? There's glimpses that the story is trying to be more than just an action trip however that sediment is far and away gone by the time we reach the wacky end as only seen in action movies, but it begs the question. At the end of the day, the Last Boy Scout is everything you remember it to be. Loud, violent, politically incorrect, crude, funny and definitely quotable. The kind of light fare rift with lots of junk blowing up, cursing and little in the way of asking the viewer to think. It might pale in comparison to Willis's diverse catalog and again, the start is much stronger than the end, but it's still a hoot if you know what you're looking for!