2011 Unstoppable
2009 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
2006 Deja Vu
2005 Domino
2004 Man on Fire
2001 Spy Game
1998 Enemy of the State
1996 The Fan
1995 Crimson Tide
1993 True Romance
1991 The Last Boy Scout
1990 Days of Thunder
1990/I Revenge
1987 Beverly Hills Cop II
1986 Top Gun
1983 The Hunger
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Man, what a terrible loss. He was a pioneer in action cinema, and while some people might not have been happy with his style and how it pervaded Hollywood, he was a true original. This was a guy who made *movies,* the kind you stay up late for and skip school to watch as a kid. Here are my picks:
1) Man on Fire
2) Top Gun
3) Crimson Tide
4) True Romance
5) Domino
I am stunned and saddened. How awful for those he has left behind. I used to be so unforgiving about suicide, feeling that is so selfish, but with age I have learned that it is just not that simple. I really feel for his family.
And these are my picks (based on how likely I am to stop and watch when they are on cable):
1) Man on Fire (way, way up there, it gets me every time at the end when he sees Dakota Fanning, one of my favorite Denzel Washington movies ever)
2) The Last Boy Scout (pretty high up there, although I know many hate it, I really like it)
3) Enemy of the State (I love Gene Hackman in this)
4) Top Gun (summer fun)
5) Unstoppable
Top Gun
True Romance
Enemy of the State
Crimson Tide
Man on Fire
Perhaps he was given terminal news? Perhaps he was in psychical pain? What we do know is that we have lost a master of the VISUAL medium. The imagery that he and cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball put together from 1986 – 1993 is in my estimation still the height of of the medium.
1) True Romance
2) Top Gun
3) Unstoppable
And the rest congeal into an entertaining, alluring, and adult collection of work.
billie jo mcallister
I have not seen Top Gun in years. Wonder how it’d hold up for me. I think I’d have Enemy of the State as #1.
1. SCOUT
Cannot go wrong with any part of this film. Put the DVD in and skip to any random chapter – you’ve got a great scene.
2. FIRE
The absolute beginning and end of Revenge Movies. A beautiful relationship between Denzel and Dakota gives way to brutal carnage and ownage.
3. ROMANCE
Brilliant cast, great kinetic energy throughout.
4. REVENGE
Under-rated and underseen. The ending is a tragic gutpunch every time.
5. TIDE
Denzel. Hackman. What else you need to know?
Crimson Tide
Last Boy Scout
True Romance
Spy Game
Top Gun
Not many have five that good.
1. The Last Boy Scout
Loved it since I was a kid when I was absolutely, positively not allowed to watch it (But did anyway). As a grown up, I see a movie with some of the best chemistry between the two leads, one liners that hit the exact right spot when they should, and lots of character in every scene. I’m ALWAYS entertained when I watch it.
2. Man on Fire
For all the criticism of super-editing, this is a movie that takes its time and earns its emotions. It actually bonds with the characters before getting to the action, and the movie is much more affecting because of it. The movie also feels alive and Scott hits the editing tricks, tickers, subtitles, etc. perfectly to have a film that feels truly alive.
3. Crimson Tide
A class act all the way. Incredibly well crafted and acted.
4. Top Gun
Maybe it is under/over written at times, but it is pretty damn iconic, the aircraft sequences are awesome, and the actors all make their characters even when there’s nothing there, whether be a gesture, a line delivery, or interaction with the other actors.
5. Enemy of the State
True Romance should probably be here or higher, but I haven’t seen it. It’s a gaping whole in my film experience, I know. But hey, Enemy of the State is still pretty damn good. I always watch it when it’s on, and I never find myself regretting it. It’s very solid work.
And despite how people can dissect his work whether this or that was good, or if he succeeded or tried too hard on a project, if he was directing it, I was interested. Rest in Peace.
I’m stunned and saddened. He wasn’t always my favorite filmmaker but in terms of cinema being an art, I would rank him alongside the likes of Roy Lichtenstein. A pop-artist and his suicide is very, very sad.
Tony and Ridley Scott’s brother Frank died of cancer in 1979.
Incredibly sad and surprising. My first thought was “you don’t hear about many people in their golden years committing suicide, short of people suffering from a terminal illness”.
Why stop at 5?’
My personal favorite (Tony) Scott films are “The Hunger,” “Top Gun,” “The Last Boy Scout” (better than all of the “Lethal Weapon” movies combined), “True Romance,” “Crimson Tide,” “Enemy of the State,” “Man on Fire,” “Domino” and “Unstoppable.”
A remarkably kinetic visual stylist who will be sorely missed.
The Hunger opening sequence
5. The Last Boyscout: Maybe the best honed mix of violence and comedy amongst the 80s/90s buddy comedies. A kind of throw-back detective film but with Scott’s amped, smoky sensibility.
4. Top Gun: One of those movies that’s instantly iconic, and deservedly so. Probably did more to promote the Cruise as action hero we get today more than any other movie; it’s also probably one of the most throughly entertaining films ever.
3. Revenge: This is one I finally caught not that long ago, and I think it’s a classic. It’s such a sexy, sleazy, angry, heartbroken, and earthy piece of work. This movie has a wounded, battered beating heart at its pulpy center.
2. Man on Fire: The best of his work with Denzel (for me), and one of the best revenge films ever. Scott’s boozy, breakneck style perfectly captures the psyche of Denzel’s protagonist in his quest for redemption and something to live for. The ending still haunts me.
1. True Romance: One of the coolest movies of my lifetime, TR is one of those movies that, once I saw it, I knew it would never leave me. Right now, as I type, I can hear that music and see Slater and Arquette through Scott’s unmistakable lens. ‘You’re so cool’, indeed.
wow what a shock, i can’t even imagine what his family and loved ones must be going through right now but my heart goes out to them, and to Tony, who must have been suffering greatly in some way.
i guess i must be one of the few fans of ‘the hunger’ (along with movieman), that and ‘true romance’ will always be my quintessential tonys, with an honorable mention to ‘the angel of death smites mexico’ (man on fire). he had a certain style and rhythm and flair and energy, and while i may not have loved all his flicks his work was both distinctive and crowd-pleasing, an increasingly rare combination. he deserved to feel proud of his career, i hope he knew how much enjoyment he brought to so many. i hope he’s in a better place, RIP Tony Scott.
anghus says:
Incredibly sad and surprising. My first thought was “you don’t hear about many people in their golden years committing suicide, short of people suffering from a terminal illness”.
I started writing the same thing last night and erased it.
Tony either just received some terrible health news, or meds he was in made him delusional. Clinical depression needs something to push the person into the valley. The guy had everything.
No Tony Scott thread would be complete without..
1995 Crimson Tide
1993 True Romance
1998 Enemy of the State
1990 Revenge
1986 Top Gun
2011 Unstoppable
2004 Man on Fire
2009 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
2001 Spy Game
2006 Deja Vu
1990 Days of Thunder
1987 Beverly Hills Cop II
1996 The Fan
1991 The Last Boy Scout
Never Saw
1983 The Hunger
2005 Domino
JKill- “You’re so cool” indeed.
Thanks for that Top 5.
I may have to give “Revenge” another look.
Glad somebody else appreciates the underloved “Boy Scout.” I’ve always preferred it to any of the Mel/Danny “LW” flicks
P.S.= “The Hunger” rules, Leah! It’s my all-time favorite (lesbian) vampire movie.
Ebert had that great story about Last Boy Scout. He gave it a bad review and said something like “it has all the action and dumb humor that will probably make it an enormous hit.”
And the next week they ran ads that said “an enormous hit” – Roger Ebert.
Never seen The Hunger, but certainly will now. Some of his later stuff is certainly derivative of his earlier stuff.
My fave of his is True Romance.
Man on Fire is great…unfortunately, I saw City of God a week before I saw it. So it had much less of an impact. Though Denzel is fantastic in it.
Enemy of the State is well-done for what it is.
Well, his vampires could go out in daylight–as long as they kept their Ray-Bans on–but THEY DID NOT SPARKLE.
Man On Fire
Unstoppable
True Romance
Last Boy Scout
Crimson Tide
I don’t think there is a dud among any of his titles, even Domino had some really interesting stuff going on that just seemed to get away from him.
Such a crazy talent, when I saw in the news crawl this morning that he died jumping off a bridge my mind didn’t even immediatly go to suicide, but some crazy stunt went bad.
Minor note, David, but Unstoppable was 2010, not 2011.
I just copy/pasted imdb, Grady.
And God, how I remember the intensity around the screenplay of Last Boy Scout. You rarely have that kind of drama around a script these days.
Not sure what to tell you, David, as IMDB clearly shows 2010.
David,
Can you elaborate on the hubbub surrounding Last Boy Scout? Are you talking about when Shane Black was making record breaking sales?
Tony Scott’s death hit me harder than I anticipated. I grew up watching his films, I once owned The Hunger and Top Gun on VHS. Not all his films are good, but none of them are terrible.
My top 5:
1. True Romance
2. Unstoppable
3. Enemy of the State
4. Top Gun
5. Domino
The second half of Man On Fire was as good as any films he has made. Need to re-watch Crimson Tide again, haven’t seen it since the late 90s.
RIP
For me it’s “True Romance” & “Man on Fire”. Mr. Scott’s sudden death has hit me, too, hard & right in the gut. So sad. Condolences to his family. R.I.P., sir.