One of Bruce Willis’ best movies is now available on Netlfix – and no, it is not Die Hard. Netflix is now streaming The Last Boy Scout, Willis’ 1991 action-comedy movie with Damon Wayans, which was written by Shane Black and directed by the late Tony Scott. If you’ve never seen it, The Last Boy Scout features Bruce Willis as a private detective hired to protect a woman who ends up murdered (Halle Berry). The dead woman’s boyfriend, a disgraced NFL star (Wayans) teams up with the detective to track down those responsible. They end up climbing a ladder of corruption that goes from professional sports into the world of politics.
The Last Boy Scout is yet another of Shane Black’s unique hard-boiled stories that flew under the radar initially but has endured as a cult-hit film (see also: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Last Boy Scout was slammed by critics, but audiences really responded to the chemistry of Willis and Wayans- the sort of onscreen odd-pairing that paved the way for later franchises like Rush Hour. The film came as Willis was in his heyday, having made Die Hard 1 and 2 and established himself on both the action and comedy sides of the industry. Meanwhile, Wayans was just breaking out as a star thanks to In Living Color, but The Last Boy Scout was really his first big jump out into a leading man movie role (but certainly not his last).
Since its release, The Last Boy Scout has only earned a stronger place in film history since Willis, Wayans, Black, and others associated with the film have all gone on to become major stars. Now the film stands as a snapshot of a time when some of the biggest names in comedy and/or action films were still grinding hard to earn a name for themselves. It’s also an undeniable reflection of the late-80s/early-90s filmmaking style.
In other words: The Last Boy Scout is definitely worth a watch if you’re scrolling through Netflix today.
The Last Boy Scout stars Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans, but you’ll also see some familiar faces pop up, such as Halle Berry, Chelsea Field (NCIS: New Orleans), Bruce McGill (The Crew), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Eddie Griffith (Deuce Bigelow) and Danielle Harris (Halloween). It was written by Shane Black and directed by Tony Scott.
Synopsis: “When the girl that detective Joe Hallenback is protecting gets murdered, the boyfriend of the murdered girl (ex-football player Jimmy Dix) attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep-seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.”
The Last Boy Scout is now streaming on Netflix.
