Review of The Last Boy Scout (1991) by Olaolu A — 16 Mar 2010
Near the top of the list of the most underrated buddy/action flicks ever. No this isn't likely to be too many people's idea of great cinema but it's good solid entertainment if you're into this sorta thing.
The one-liners are often hysterical; the action sequences, while workmanlike, are still capable of arresting the attention and the leads, Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans, have enough chemistry with one another to make this a pairing that, while certainly not the equal of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson from the Lethal Weapon films (the first of which was penned by Shane Black who filled the same function here and became the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood at one point as a result), is still better than most similar duos in more recent films.
And the undercurrent of modern noir fiction in the plot-line (aided immeasurably by Ward Russell's evocative and atmospheric cinematography) adds a nice texture to the proceedings. I'm not one to disparage more serious, dramatic film-making on principle (check out my list of favorites if you doubt me on this) but every once in a while it's nice to just kick back, relax and enjoy a good mindless action flick and this certainly scratches that itch and then some.
I probably wouldn't put this on same plateau as the best films of this genre, such as Die Hard (which also starred Willis, of course), True Lies and the aforementioned Lethal Weapon series (the first two at least) but it's still better than most average efforts (such as the middling Bad Boys) and it certainly doesn't deserve mention with the worst films in this genre (such as the piece of shit that is Bad Boys II).
Sitting in the director's chair is Tony Scott whose resume is one long series of ups (such as Man on Fire, Enemy of the State and the Tarantino-penned True Romance) and downs (such as the incoherent Domino).
This is definitely close to former category than it is to the latter. At least, we're spared the over-the-top camera tricks and chaotic -I would go so far as to say frenetic - editing that have often hurt even some of his better films, especially more recently.
His camera is still fluid but not to the point that it interferes with our enjoyment of the movie. So for a couple hours of mindless action-oriented entertainment, this isn't the creme de la creme but it'll do in a pinch.
More to come later...
This review of The Last Boy Scout (1991) was written by Olaolu A on 16 Mar 2010.
The Last Boy Scout has generally received positive reviews.
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