Back to 1991: A Look at “The Last Boy Scout” (35th anniversary)
Before getting into this week’s reviews, I fully planned on having my usual five reviews that I usually have for the Examiner! But, due to a few setbacks with my phone being locked out for some reason and then my laptop (which hopefully by the time that this is read, everything is resolved LOL), I trimmed down by slate for this week! I will be checking out the new release “By Any Means” when it’s available on Paramount Plus (and review it then) and decided to wrap up my Franchise Flashback review for the “Terminator” franchise.
Anyway, now to the review! For this week’s Rewind Series review, I took a look at the 1991 action-comedy “The Last Boy Scout,” which is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Known for its kinetic action, sharp one-liners and gritty 90s aesthetic, the movie has developed a strong cult following over the years.
Once a first-rate Secret Service agent, Joe Hallenbeck is now a gruff private investigator whose latest gig is protecting a dancer. When she’s murdered, he grudgeonly teams up with her boyfriend, Jimmy Dix, an ex-quarterback with a gambling problem, and the two go after her killers.
Before long, they stumble onto a plot by a well-known football magnate to bribe federal legislators into legalizing sports gambling.
Even though this 1991 action-comedy didn’t perform well in theaters and received mixed reviews during its initial run, “The Last Boy Scout” is still a fun, action-packed watch for die-hard fans of the genre.
“The Last Boy Scout” delivers a lot of snappy, profanity-laced banter between the two main leads (Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans) and it’s highly entertaining. Throughout this action-comedy, written by Shane Black” after the first two “Lethal Weapon” movies, there’s plenty of dark humor, relentless sarcasm, and endless one-liners that are perfectly delivered by numerous characters.
As disgraced Secret Service agent turned private investigator Joe Hallenback, Willis delivered a darker, more cynical variation of his well-known “Die Hard” persona. His exhausted, “too tired to die” attitude works perfectly and his deadpan delivery with his comedic one-liners in high stress situations is great. The on-screen dynamic between Willis and Wayans works really well and grounds the buddy cop formula that the movie offers quite well.
The late director Tony Scott brought his signature visual style - moody lighting, fast pacing and kinetic action. This movie offers stylized, over the top action sequences, including an unforgettable opening football stadium sequence and a very lethal helicopter blade climax.
“The Last Boy Scout” features plenty of high-octane moments that action fans will really enjoy, such as the previously mentioned opening sequence where the running back shoots several defenders (after receiving a mysterious phone call from the villain to do whatever it takes to score - while also being under the influence), a high speed case that eventually ends as one of the cars goes right into a neighborhood pool and a brutal stadium fight between Hallenbeck and the movie’s main villain … and a helicopter blade.
The overall audience response to the 1991 action-comedy “The Last Boy Scout” has shifted from a mildly disappointed shrug upon its initial release to a passionate cult classic status in the decades since. During its initial release, the movie’s tone, combined with its intense violence and hyper-cynical banter, alienated mainstream movie-goers at the time. Over the years, however, especially through home media and streaming, action fans completed re-evaluated the movie, turning it into a cult classic!
MPA: Rated R for graphic violence and very strong language (running time 105 minutes)
Initial release date: December 12, 1991
Streaming services: Tubi/Philo/The Roku Channel/various PVOD services (as of working on this review)
Final collaboration between producer Joel Silver and actor Bruce Willis. The making of this film, as well as Die Hard 2 (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991), took a toll on their professional relationship. Coupled with Silver's ousting from Fox due to production delays and budget overruns on Die Hard 2, Silver was no longer involved in further Die Hard films.
In a New Yorker profile, Joel Silver said that the making of this film was "one of the three worst experiences of his life." Tony Scott also spoke about how miserable production was, largely because Silver and Bruce Willis took over the production, altered parts of Shane Black's script, and made him shoot scenes he hated under threat of being fired and having to forfeit his salary.
Damon Wayans trained with Los Angeles Raiders quarterback, Vince Evans, in preparation for his role as a former NFL quarterback
Shane Black and Tony Scott both said in later years how the original script was far better than the final film.
One reason that Warner Bros. turned to Stuart Baird to do an emergency re-edit of the movie was because of his successful last-minute work on another WB film, Tango & Cash (1989), which involved reducing the impact of the graphic violence so that the Sylvester Stallone-Kurt Russell vehicle got an R rating instead of NC-17. Since The Last Boy Scout had already gotten an NC-17 on its first MPAA pass, Warner Bros. felt that Baird could not only get the movie into coherent shape, but also ensure it would receive the desired R rating. He succeeded.
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