Home Opinion Midweek Mouth-off: Fond memories of Tony Scott's work

Midweek Mouth-off: Fond memories of Tony Scott's work

45 second read
4


Monday morning included the sad and shocking news that 68-year-old filmmaker Tony Scott, the younger brother of Ridley, had committed suicide.

Since the mid-80s, Tony Scott had been establishing himself as one of the most influential action movie directors (and producers) working in mainstream cinema. He consistently turned out stylish, punchy hits – from Top Gun to Enemy of the State; Man on Fire to his final effort, Unstoppable.

Today we want to know what your favourite Tony Scott films are. And if you need a little refresher course in Scott’s work, here’s his compete directorial filmography.

Rest in peace, man.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.

Last Updated: August 22, 2012

4 Comments

  1. James Francis

    August 23, 2012 at 13:32

    Seriously, NOBODY commented on this? You fucking heathens…

    Okay, where to start? In no specific order:

    1. True Romance: not only the best non-Tarantino direction of a Tarantino script (Oliver Stone and NBK can suck it), but immortal if only for this scene:

    2. The Last Boy Scout: pretty much an unofficial Die Hard. It not only had one of Bruce Willis’ best lines (“Think I fucked a squirrel to death and don’t even remember”), but also this:

    3. Days of Thunder: One of the most under-rated racing films made. It also had an incredible cast and is one of the best things Michael Rooker ever appeared in:

    4. Man On Fire: Not his greatest and perhaps a bit long, but it shows how he brought the best out of the already fantastic Denzel Washington.

    5. Crimson Tide: More great work from Washington and Gene Hackman, not to mention an excellent entry to the submarine genre:

    The Fan, Enemy Of The State, Unstoppable and Spy Game also deserve nods. Alas, not such much Domino, Deja Vu and the remake of The Taking of “Watch Travolta Chew Scenery” Pelham 123

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      August 23, 2012 at 14:08

      Agreed on everything except the dismissal of Deja Vu, which I really enjoyed. Most importantly though, it’s just good to hear somebody else voice my opinion that Man on Fire is not Scott’s best work, and needed to be reined in a bit.

      Reply

      • James Francis

        August 23, 2012 at 14:36

        Um, I think I confused Deja Vu with The Gift, that Sam Raimi movie with Julian Moore and Katie Holmes’ boobs. So, scrap Deja Vu – I haven’t seen it…

        Reply

        • Justin Hess

          August 23, 2012 at 19:01

          I don’t know abut De Ja Vu. It had some cool ideas but for the most part, it felt rather flat to me. Certainly the weakest of the Scott/ Washington partnership, though Pelham gives it a run.

          For my money, Scott’s best films were

          1. True Romance. It was always going to be True Romance. It’s a great film.

          2. Crimson Tide

          3. The Last Boy Scout. Hilarious, Violent, no holds barred action. Fucking fantastic

          4. Man on Fire

          5. Enemy of The State

          6. Spy Games.

          Now that I look at that list, I’m drooling at the prospect of giving the last two a rewatch. But all in all, that is a cracker-jack list of top class entertainment and a legacy that any director should be proud to leave behind.

          Rest in Peace, Tony. It’s only with his passing that I realize how much I’m actually going to miss the prospect of another Tony Scott film on the horizon. Dunno what you got, huh…

          Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Denzel Washington tracks a serial killer in the crime thriller The Little Things

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel Washington) joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter (Ra…