Movie Review: The Last Boy Scout
Tony Scott defined blockbuster cinema in the 80’s and 90’s. Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, and Enemy of the State are some of my all time favorite thrillers. Recently I checked out True Romance, a lesser appreciated but still very interesting flick with an amazing cast. It motivated me to take a look at the film that preceded it — 1991’s The Last Boy Scout. It was worth the time. While far from being a masterpiece it is still an enjoyable riff on the buddy cop formula.
Bruce Willis plays Joe, a former secret service agent turned burnout private detective. His work history and tragic backstory both explain the film’s name, its theme, and why he is able to get the best of the bad guys when outgunned. Daman Wayans plays Jimmy, a former NFL quarterback who was kicked out of the league for gambling. The movie follows a kind of noir structure with Jimmy discovering a political conspiracy involving the ultra wealthy team owner of the LA Stallions and a blackmail plot with Jimmy’s girlfriend Cory (played by the gorgeous Halle Berry).
It’s a fun detective adventure setup with lots of car explosions. The movie tends to go from 0 to 100 really fast with its tonal shifts. There is a lot of interpersonal drama involving Joe’s family, his foul-mouthed teenager daughter, and also Jimmy’s own personal demons. I like how both protagonists have experienced a kind of fall from grace and this adventure is meant to be their redemption arc. The directing and visual design is also pretty good. You have that endearing gritty early 90’s style with fun strip club and suburban locales. One thing I really appreciated was how prescient the film turned out to be with respect to sports gambling. It was funny to see this as a controversial political plot point in a film in 1991 given how prevalent legal sports betting has become today.
While the movie is fun it is likely to feel overly familiar. Willis has done the whole salty reluctant hero thing much better in films before and after this one, including Die Hard, Armageddon, and The Fifth Element. His being a secret service agent supercop kind of undermines that whole vibe. As a buddy cop movie it sort of works but Wayans, Willis, and even director Tony Scott have all done better work in this area in films like Beverly Hills Cop II, Bulletproof, and Die Hard with a Vengeance. In short, as fun as The Last Boy Scout is, it can’t help but feel kind of stale if you are at all familiar with its inspirations or the work of its main talent.
Two other stand out flaws: Firstly, the lack of a compelling villain. Shelly Marcone, the asshole good ol’ boy rich guy, doesn’t have enough screen time to leave an impression and his henchman Pablo never feels like much of a threat. The second flaw is the lack of chemistry between Willis and Wayans. They individually have some funny lines but I never really bought the idea of them as partners. You can’t help but compare it to Die Hard with a Vengeance where again you had culturally and racially mismatched partners bickering at each other and growing to appreciate one another. It worked so much better there both because of the better writing and the fact that Samuel L. Jackson is just a superior actor.
These issues contribute to this movie feeling like a diet version of better takes on its formula. It’s a shame because there are some inspired ideas. I loved the “Friday Night Football” song opening. That crazy first act with the shootout on the field was delightfully insane. Joe’s character arc with his unfaithful wife and daughter is also pretty heartfelt and memorable. Done as a more serious character drama with less craziness, this could have been a more impactful film I suspect.
The Last Boy Scout is not without its charms. You get peak Bruce Willis, lots of cool explosions, some snappy dialogue and a few inspired genuinely funny moments. It just lacks that enduring quality from other staples of the genre. It can’t come close to Die Hard in terms of its humor, protagonist, or villain, and it can’t compete with the likes of Lethal Weapon or Rush Hour in terms of chemistry between its mismatched heroes. In short, there are far better versions of this movie out there. That need not disqualify it entirely though. If you like Tony Scott’s over the top action or are just in the mood for some classic Bruce Willis, “I’m so over this shit” attitude, then give this a watch.
Grade: B
