- Title: The Last Boy Scout
- IMDb: link
“You’re trying the save the life of the man who ruined your career, and avenge the death of the guy that fucked your wife.”
1991’s The Last Boy Scout is the kind of odd couple action story screenwriter Shane Black has explored over his long career before perfecting it in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The film stars Bruce Willis as down on his luck private investigator Joe Hallenbec who gets roped into a case by a colleague (Bruce McGill) secretly screwing his wife (Chelsea Field) that involves a dead stripper (Halle Berry), a washed-up NFL quarterback (Damon Wayans), and a greedy NFL owner (Noble Willingham).
Along with the football and political themes, Black’s screenplay plucks a classic noir-style detective, who when he isn’t talking wise or being haunted by his past is getting pummeled, and drops him into a modern buddy cop storyline while leaving the other trappings of the genre behind leading to some interesting results.
Playing up the sleaze and corruption of the world where they find themselves, Hallenbec and Jimmy Dix (Wayans) begin working together to solve the case and save the life of the man (Chelcie Ross) who ruined Joe’s several years ago. We also get Danielle Harris as Joe’s smart-mouthed kid and Taylor Negron as an adequately-creepy head of all the henchmen Joe will inevitably kill.
A troubled production, including several rewrites by Black during production, led to a lackluster box office and a mixed critical response. However, the film still has the guts of a fun action flick with smarter than average dialogue by Black and a slick look delivered by director Tony Scott. While nobody’s best work, The Last Boy Scout is a flick I’ll gladly return to now and again for its crazy take on the NFL, gambling, murder, friendship, and marriage.
The new 4K includes audio commentary by film critics Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler, interviews with Shane Black and Danielle Harris, extended and alternate scenes, a collector’s booklet, and featurettes on both Shane Black and director Tony Scott.
