The Last Boy Scout
1991 · Directed by Tony Scott
Bruce Willis as a disgraced detective and Damon Wayans as a disgraced QB investigate a murder. Tony Scott directs. Shane Black wrote it. The football-field opening kill is one of the bleakest things ever in a Christmas-adjacent action movie.
Why It's Cult
The Last Boy Scout is the most acidic of the Shane Black scripts — buddy-cop format with all the hope leached out. Scott directs it like an extended music video, and Willis plays Joe Hallenbeck like he's already been beaten by the world. Bombed on release, beloved by a small constituency that has watched it many, many times. The Damon Wayans pivot to dramatic actor that didn't quite land elsewhere lands here.
The Plot, Officially
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.
Starring
Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
