With the sudden and shocking passing of one of my favorite directors, I felt the need to go over some of his best work. The sad thing about Tony Scott, aside from his death, was that I felt he never really made a magnum opus. He made a ton of great movies, but nothing that really rose to the level of masterpiece. Still, the movies below show that he was much more than just the younger brother of that guy who made “Blade Runner”.
Top Gun
Some movies are really easy to make. They have very basic concepts with a very simple attraction. “Tomb Raider” is a good example of an easy movie because it’s just a large breasted chick in an Indiana Jones rip off. But just because a movie is easy to make, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. You would think that an easy movie would turn out well even if the talent behind it is less than mediocre, but you would be wrong. “Tomb Raider” was a downright terrible film which can tell you a thing or two about how big the hacks are in some corners of Hollywood. Even though this isn’t a “Tomb Raider” review, I bring it up because “Top Gun” was NOT an easy movie to make. “Top Gun” was essentially a war movie that was made in America’s long period of peace between Vietnam and third world skirmishes like the first Gulf War. Sure we were still in the Cold War at the time, but to be honest it was just the world’s most expensive staring contest.
Despite “Top Gun” being a difficult film to make, it still turned out to be one of the best films of the eighties. The script is well witty and well paced. The action is tense even though most of it takes place over nonlethal proving grounds. The cast is very strong with stellar performances from almost everyone involved. I feel the need to point out character actor James Tolkan who does his best job at yelling at people since “Back to the Future.” The soundtrack for “Top Gun” is also of extreme quality, and remains one of the most popular to date. While I should be against the idea of an overly 80s soundtrack over that of a traditional score, the compilation and implementation are too good to ignore. The only real downside to this movie is that the conflict at the end has little real meaning. We’re not given any background into who they’re fighting and the enemy is about as faceless as it gets. The final battle plays out well, but it is just really two dimensional. In fact, the “MiG-28”s they encounter and talk about over the course of the movie aren’t even real planes. The impression is that they belong to the Reds but they’re really just Blues with a different paint job. But this issue stems from the reality that we weren’t actively fighting anyone at that time, and the film needed a proxy enemy. Still, “Top Gun” remains a great film that anyone over the age of twenty-five should be able to enjoy. If you don’t like “Top Gun”, then get your punk rear off my lawn.
True Romance
“True Romance” is a film with Christian Slater in a starring role that is actually good. That, in and of itself, is a rarity. However with all of the other talent attached to this film, Slater might just be the least appealing thing about this movie. It was directed by the talent Tony Scott and fashions a great script by Quentin Tarantino. It also has a complete cast that includes greats like Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. In fact, the best scene in the movie takes place between those two. With so much awesome stuff going on around Slater, he spends most of the movie being a third wheel. He isn’t ‘bad’ in this movie, but it’s hard to look good next to Dennis Hopper.
If anything, Slater, as with everyone else, is helped by the script by Tarantino. The movie has a welcome array of diverse characters and smart dialogue. The only thing that doesn’t blend well with the movie is the action. While the action is satisfying, it plays off too much like a crazy shootout where no one runs out of bullets. The film also isn’t as charming or engaging as other Tarantino scripts. It’s still very good, but not everything can be “Pulp Fiction” I suppose. “True Romance” is a worthy attention to your viewing library, but it just has the feelings of not living up to its potential. You’ll come for the Tarantino and the Hopper, and you stay for the… Tarantino and the Hopper.
Man on Fire
“Man on Fire” (2004) is either a really good film, or I have severe anger issues. Or maybe both. I enjoyed the righteous onslaught of the protagonist so much that it might have made me overlook flaws I normally would have noticed. However when I take a step back, I notice it still is a good film even by Tony Scott’s heightened standards. MoF is a well crafted action thriller that does well with the broad strokes and the subtleties. The overall plot is convincing and is very heavy on characterization. The film could have used better pacing, but it wants you to fall in love with the characters before it rips them apart. As with the subtlety, the movie takes place in Mexico City and does some very interesting things with the subtitles. This, combined with the great camerawork, makes for a very creative film based on a fairly simple plot. Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning also have great chemistry together that works better than most film’s adult love interests.
The only major downside to this film is the ending. Especially with the epilogue, the ending just isn’t very satisfying. The film works so hard to bring us through the motions and then it ends with shots that are ambiguous and confusing. The nature of the epilogue itself sums up things in a way that makes you think it’s based on a true story, which it isn’t. It’s adapted from a novel and wrap around in an ugly truth about South America, but the story itself is fictional. Aside from a few script and structure problems, the film still turned out very well. In craftsmanship it is probably Tony Scott’s best work and the pinnacle of his films with Denzel. Some people might be turned off by the film’s intensity, but I personally enjoyed it. But then again, I have anger issues.
Also, in a shameless plug to myself, check out Bruce Osborne on Facebook. I post/link all my stuff there, including chapters on a book I’m working on. Feel free to hit the ‘Like’ button as if you’re an addict.
I also write publish works of fiction on my Bruce Osborne Blog. Feel free to read, follow, or even hate my stuff. I don’t care if people like it, only that they read it.
There are too many movies for me to review in full, so I created a twitter account to give brief opinions on the many movies I view. If you wish to read my smart ass remarks, follow M.O.V.I.E. Reviewer @MutantOpossum.
 Tony Scott, Live in… $18.00
|
 Set of 50 different… $13.50
|
 vintage 80′s re… $7.00
|
 Top Gun gold 45 rec… $79.95
|
 Denzel Washington P… $90.00
|
 TOPGUN Commission 4… $4500.00
|
 Top Gun – Original … $8.00
|
 Dennis Hopper Poste… $80.00
|
I loooooove True Romance!