Reviews (135)

The Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection is the best!!!
The Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection may be the best action/adventure series of the last two decades (vastly more enjoyable than the sporadic Bond films, and the self-indulgent Lethal Weapon movies), and a lion-share of the credit must go to Bruce Willis, the wise-cracking, superhuman yet humane hero. Willis became a superstar with the first Die Hard, and he is riveting as John McClain, the New York cop in L.A. With the always watchable Bonnie Bedelia as his wife, and the flashy Alan Rickman as the mercenary/entrepenour, the film is a non-stop rollercoaster ride! Die Hard 2 lacks Rickman's charisma as the villain, but Willis again gives a dynamite performance, and Bedelia is even better than in the first film. Spectacular special effects abound! Die Hard With a Vengence, the weakest of the trio, was originally intended as Lethal Weapon 4, but was rewritten for Willis and Samuel Jackson. Bedelia's absence hurts the third film a great deal, but Jeremy Irons (as Rickman's equally greedy brother) is an excellent villain. Incredible pyrotechnics highlight this film, and Willis is still a joy...And rumor has it, there WILL be a Die Hard 4!

"One of the greatest action trilogies ever made"
The Die Hard trilogy is quite in fact action-packed but you can't really say that it is the best. Overall, it is great and never boring even if you watch it 200 hundred times. Bruce Willis was perfect for the role as the crime-fighting, trash-talking John McClane, a cop who always finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. I enjoyed these movies and had to watch them over several times before quitting but anyway, here's the review:

Die Hard: In the first one, made in 1988, McClane, the NY cop, is coming to visit him wife Holly in an Los Angeles building. He soon finds himself in a room on the top floor filled with parties and drinks and begans to relax. However, at the lobby, something is wrong. The guards have noticed an unknown truck entering the parking lot. They don't know that inside this truck is a ruthless gang of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his best role). Well, you know what happens. They kill all security and try to break into a vault to steal a couple million as well as rounding up some hostages. However, they don't know that they haven't caught McClane. And now it's up to him to save his wife and the hostages in a brutal and bloody battle against Alan Rickman! Very fast-paced. You won't know where the time went as well. Great directing by John McTiernan. Overall, the best movie of the series.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder - It seems that McClane is in trouble again when a group of terrorists take over an airport that is threatening to blow up all the planes (one plane has McClane's wife) if they don't receive a wide load of cash. Once again, it's time for McClane to grab his guns and save the day! This movie was much worser than the previous two (probably because it wasn't directed by John McTiernan) but Renny Harlin. I mean, Cliffhanger and Deep BLue Sea was good but every other film was hardly interesting. It's a very edge-of-your-seat thriller though I recommend not seeing this first because you will think the whole Die Hard series is a waste of time.

Die Hard with a Vengeance - McClane is back in New York City working with Samuel L. Jackson! After Simon Gruber, (I think) the brother of the main terrorist in the first Die Hard, blows up a local building, cops send John McClane to check it out. However, they discover that this man doesn't want revenge, he just wants money! A brutal deadly game of cat-and-mouse follows with plenty of action that will keep you gripped.

Well, that's it!

Three Of The Greatest Action Films Ever Made
With action films all the rage in the 1980s', director John McTernian took a stab at it and struck gold with "Die Hard". This was the film that made Bruce Willis a star and proved that action films could be more than rediculous, overblown shootouts. It inspired two smash sequels. All three are in this boxed set.

1988's "Die Hard" is where it all began. Hardened New York City cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) just wants to fly out to L.A. and spend Christmas with his kids and his estranged wife Holly (Bonny Bedelia). But when he goes to meet his wife at her work station at Nakatomi Plaza, things go awry. A group of Russian terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his best pre - Harry Potter role). They kill the office's head boss and hold everyone hostage - including Holly. McClane goes out on a limb with only his gun and his cunning to protect him. What ensues is nonstop, heartstopping action and some great moments of humor. Also in this film is Reginald VelJohnson, the star of the longrunning tv show "Family Matters".

McTernian was absent for 1990's "Die Hard 2: Die Harder". so Renny Harlin was tapped to direct. Willis, Bedelia and VelJohnson were the only original castmemebers for this one. In this one, McClane is at a Wshington D.C. airport waiting for Holly's plane to land. While waiting, he gets involved in a shootout that results in death and has an argument with an imcompetent police chief (Dennis Franz). Worse, he gets word that a group of terrorists are planning to take over the airport and free a drug lord. All this chaos throws McClane back into action. This causes flights to be delayed, and many planes are running low on fuel - including Holly's. While not as good as the first one, this one has enough thrills and comedy to satisfy.

After a five - year absence forom the screen, 1995 saw "Die Hard With A Vengeance" released. This is one is my personal favorite. Willis once more plays McClane. This one is quite different from he first two. First, the plot has nothing to do with Holly (Bonny Bedelia). In fact, Holly isn't even this film at all. Second, this film has McClane in his official city of work, New York. Still, it's a great movie. In this one, a bomber named Simon (Jeremy Irons) is targeting McClane for a delightful game of cat and mouse (wait until you find out why). So McClane once again goes out on a limb to risk his life for innocent people. Only, this time he has help from a reluctant civillian (Samuel L. Jackson). Once more, heartstopping action and hilarious humor fills the movie.

Extras include documentaries, tarilers and comentaries. This a great collection movies that I highly recommend. Also recommended is the "Lethal Weapon" boxed set and the "Dirty Harry" boxed set.

4.5 STARS
I could have chosen the Lord of the Rings box set, Star Wars box set, or the Die Hard box set and in the end I chose this one. I love this set. What your getting hear is 6 discs, 3 movies, 3 hours 44 minutes of featurettes, trailers, interviews, "making of" documentaries, ONE AWESOME SET, and much more. I'm not going to explain that much about what happens in each movie because either you already know what happens or you have seen other reviews that tell you about the movies. This is a great set though. I'm very proud to own it.

DIE HARD (1988) Length-132 minutes 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, and more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary, Subtitle commentary, scene Specific commenatry.
-Branching Version of movie with Extended Power Shutdown Scene put back in movie.
-2 Extended scenes, Editing room where you can re-edit- and re-mix scenes.
-Deleted Lines and Sequences reel, gag reel (12:49)
-3 trailers (4:54), 5 TV spots (3:37)
-Featurette (7:22), Slide Show (9:24)
-Whole script
-DVD-ROM-Script to Screen Comparison, Links, Game Demos.
-more

DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990) Length-124 minutes, 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedilia, William Atherton, Franco Nero, John Amos, William Sadler, more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary
-Making of Die Hard 2 (23:05)
-Featurette (4:00)
-4 Trailers (6:26)
-TV Spot (:32)
-4 Deleted Scenes (:51, 1:05, 2:50, 3:47)
-Interview (6:41)
-Villians Profile (6:36)
-3 Behind the Scenes Vignettes (4:07, 7:50, 2:56)
-5 Visual Affect Breakdowns (3:06, 1:45, 1:26, 3:26, 2:03)
-more

DIE HARD 3: WITH A VENGENCE (1995) Length-131 minutes, 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons, Colleen Camp, Graham Greene, and more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary
-Behind the Scenes Vignettes, making of documentaries (21:44, 21:35, 8:45, 10:22, 7:50)
-Featurette (4:09)
-Alternate Ending (6:01)
-Storyboard sequence (2:14)
-Bruce Willis Interview (6:10)
-Villians Profile (4:22)
-Visual Affect Breakdowns (6:42)
-2 Trailers (3:51)
-10 TV Spots (5:17)

-more

PROS about movies:
-GREAT action, acting.
-Awesome Cast of characters.
-Cool Explosions.
-Movies are 2 Hours long each.
-Great story

CONS about movies:
-Vulgar
-In Die Hard it looks like McKlanes shirt changes color around middle of movie.

PROS about DVD box set:
-Cool Case
-Contains all 3 movies
-6 DVD's
-LOT'S of Special features

CONS about DVD box set:
-too expensive
-Nothing Extra comes with the set if you buy the 3 movies as one set.

I don't recommend this set to anyone who is younger then 16 because the movies do contain STRONG language, nudity, and graphic violence.

One of the classic action trilogies!
For me, this will always be one of the classic action trilogies. John McClane is a great action-movie hero---a domestic James Bond in the guise of everyman---and Bruce Willis will forever be linked to the character. As for the movies: DIE HARD is an influential action classic, now and forever; DIE HARD 2 is not quite as good but still a worthy sequel, and a lot of fun to watch; and DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE is the least of the series, generic and incoherent despite its skillful action sequences. Still, the DIE HARD trilogy will always have its place in action-movie history, and this Ultimate Collection is the definitive DIE HARD DVD collection, with all three Special Edition releases in a box that is slightly less expensive than buying all three separately. For fans of the trilogy, snap it up while it lasts! ... Read more

Amazon.com

You get two hostage crises for the price of one in Hostage, an overwrought but otherwise involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way to Die Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Angeles hostage negotiator, now working as a nearly-divorced police chief in sleepy Ventura County, California. Willis suddenly finds himself amidst two potentially deadly stand-offs when a trio of hapless teenagers seize hostages in the fortress-like home of an accountant (Kevin Pollack) whose connections to organized crime result in Willis struggling to rescue his estranged wife and daughter, who are being held hostage by faceless thugs at an undisclosed location. Having directed two of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell video games, director Florent Siri brings plenty of slick, competent filmmaking to Willis's desperate dilemma, and the film boasts a gritty, graphic style that draws attention away from implausible plot twists. The bothersome, over-the-top performances by the teenaged villains also slightly compromise this gloomy but emotionally gripping adaptation of Robert Crais's novel, named as one of Amazon.com's best books of 2001. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (25)

WORST OF WILLIS
I DID NOT HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THAT MOVIE.BUT AT LEAST IT IS A WILLIS MOVIE I SAID TO MYSELF.IT WAS MUCH LOWER THAN EXPECTED.THE THEME WAS INTRIGUING BUT THE SCRIPT IS HORRIBLE.YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO IS WHO.THERE ARE THOSE VILLAINS YOU DO NOT KNOW TO WHICH ORGANISATION BELONGS,A PYSCHO KID WHO STARS ALL AND OVERWHELMINGLY TAKE CARE OF ALL PROFESSIONAL KILLERS.A FATHER IN A LETHAL CONDITION WHO GETS WELL MY A MAGIC!! INJECTION.A KID WHO KNOWS ALL SECRET PASSAGES OF A RATHER COMPLICATED BUILDING.
ALOT OF SOUND AND VISUAL EFFECTS HAS BEEN USED TO COVER THE SHAME BUT UNNECESARLY HEAD BLOWING.AND THE STORY END WITH A LOT OF LOOSE ENDS.
SORRY MR.WILLIS BUT THIS IS YOUR WORST MOVIE EVER.MY SECOND WORST AFTER K.COSTNER'S POSTMAN.

WILLIS IS GREAT!!!
devistated by a hostage situation which resulted in the deaths of a young mother and her child, LAPD negotiator jeff talley (willis) exits los angeles for a low profile job as chief of police in the low-crime town of bristo camino in ventura county.
when three delinquent teenagers follow a family home intending to steal their car, they inadvertantly pick the wrong house on the wrong day. the trio find themselves trapped in a multi-million dollar compound on the outskirts of town owned by an accountant. panicked, the teenagers take the family hostage, placing tally in exactly the kind of situation he never wanted to face again. soon after, talley readily hands authority of the hostage situation over to the ventura county sheriffs department and leaves the scene. after it becomes clear that the sheriffs department cannot handle the crisis, talley is forced to resume the command he had abandoned where the stakes quickley evolve into a hostage situation far more volitile and terrifying than anything he could ever imagine.
based on the novel by robert crais.

Wait for the Video
Hostage begins with Bruce Willis as a LAPD hostage negotiator, and not a very good one at that. In the opening sequence, Jeff Talley (Willis) waves off a SWAT sniper from killing a would-be assassin, while raising a sign stating, "No one dies today". Well someone forgot to inform the killer, because moments later the killer, the killer's wife and kid were all dead. Oooops......

Flash forward one year later. Talley is now the chief of police in the hick town of Bristo Camino, CA. He is separated form his wife, but they still meet for weekends. He has issues with his teenage daughter. Talley's life to this point really sucks. But wait there's more.

Three high-school dropout stoners are casing possible car jack-able vehicles, when one of them recognizes a fellow student riding with her family in an Escalade. Bingo! The three punks follow their prize home, only to have the silent alarm on the house tripped, while they're in the middle of their heist. This in turn, sets up another hostage situation. (Did we have any doubts?)

Talley, however, after reporting to the scene of the crime upon receiving reports of an officer being down; turns jurisdiction over to the state authorities. Only after Talley receives a phone call for one of the hostage victims, and has his family kidnapped; does he return to the scene of the crime to negotiate for the victim's freedom.

In a completely unrelated storyline, Kevin Pollack (the hostage family's father) is an accountant for some underworld organization (i.e. drug lords, dirty cops, etc.). Who these people are is never revealed to the audience. However, he has encrypted the entire underworld banking information onto a "Heaven Can Wait" disc, which is located within the confines of the house. The house which is now surrounded by cops, television camera, etc. Talley's family has been kidnapped by the underworld villains in order to motivate Talley (Willis) to retrieve this banking disc from the house; without anyone else finding out.

There are several loose ends in this film that are foreshadowed, but never come into play. For example, the movie makes a point to introduce two "Heaven Can Wait" DVD boxes; however, neither comes into play. Talley negotiates to keep $1 million dollars of the accountant's money for himself; again, it doesn't come into play. Lastly, who is this villainous group seeking the banking disc? With the way the film ended, doesn't anyone fear that they might be back?

Anyways, this is definitely a film worth waiting for. I bought this movie on a disc with four others, all for the low, low price of $5. So I really can't complain all that much.

http://farisreel.com

Waste of time!!!!
OK, this movie is just terrible.In my opinion movies can get away with a lot. if they are great action movies then they dont need a great plot to be good movies, and vice versa.If they are suspense movies they dont need amazing special effects or ground breaking science fiction.But what a slow moving suspense "thriller' needs is content!!!Be very clear, this not an action movie, maybe for about 15 minutes at the end, but for 1 hour and 45 minutes this is suppose to be a plot based thriller, a situational drama.

I am not going to go into a recap of the movie(thats why this is a "review" and not a "recap").The main villians in the movies have no background given on them whatsoever, ni fact you dont even know who the agency controlling all the moves is EVER!!!Who is the kid thats controling everything inside the hostage situation?I wish I could tell you, but all I can say is he's some messed up punk kid, but what normal person kidnaps a total stranger, so of course hes really messed up.The movie does nothing to establish a reason that anything in the movie happen, except that the "voice on the other end of the phone" says so.

This movie tried to tackle too much. You get two hostage situations in the plot, but never really know anything about either one of them. The result is that you are left with two stories that you have no idea what or why anything happened in either one of them.Although I have not read the book, I am sure, like so often happens with book movies, the background required to really get into the movie was cut out to save time, BAD MOVE!!!

The other beef I had with this movie was the whole Virgin Mary thing with the young girl in the movie.I mean it was a little, and when I say a little I mean way, over the top.I hate when artsy directors throw things into a movie that have nothing to do with the plot or story, but just want to show their pseudo-creativity.

Not just good ~~~~ GREAT!
Not going to relate the whole movie for you but will simply say that if you like action and Bruce Willis you better see this FOR SURE!
Best performance by Willis that I've seen yet, guy really can act which I hadn't seen to this degree before.
Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! ... Read more

Reviews (557)

Powerhouse film will enhance your DVD collection
I will admit to being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction from my first 10 minutes into the theater and getting yanked by my shirt colllar into the story and not being released until the final credit rolled. OK, so I'm biased.

BUT...it's not without well-earned bias. This movie easily qualified as an instant classic. The story is top notch, even though it comes in several different, smaller packages, Tarantino earns his directing stripes in effortlessly taking these seemingly random tales and believably weaving them all together. The acting/casting doesn't leave any stone unturned (It's Uma Thurman's best performance to date, Samuel Jackson WAS the best supporting actor winner that year, even if they didn't give him the trophy. Even Willis demonstrates some wicked acting chops in a beautifully understated performance. Christopher Walken, too, provides the most satisfying and memorable cameo!), and even the choppy editing style works.

Casual movie lovers will enjoy this as just a great film. Movie fanatics will love this DVD for the satisfying extras it provides.

Too good a DVD for you to pass up!

"Saved by a miracle of God..."
You know what, some people say that this movie sucks because it is way too hard to follow in story. I don't believe a word of that. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't a bit confused about this movie's un-cohesive plot.

This movie is reminiscent of the Pulp comics and magazines from yester-year, with it's high octane violence, graphic depiction of drugs, and of course...sex.

What I personally liked about Pulp was that characters can enter or exit the movie at anytime without much explanation. One minute you see John Travolta...next minute he is blown to bits by a M-16 machine gun. No questions asked.

Quentin definitely establishes that he knows what he doing, with unique camera angles, sparkling script, and wonderful acting...some of it done by the master himself!

I reccomend anyone watch this movie. It's completely awesome if you can handle the content.

oh yeah. "saved by a miracle of God" refers to a memorable line by Samuel L Jackson who plays a hitman that is convinced that the reason he survived near death is beacuse God's mighty hand came down and stopped the bullets. He soon quits his profession while on the other hand John Travolta stays...and we all know what happens to him! heh heh heh heh heh heh

Quentin Tarantino's best before Kill Bill
This classic by Quentin Tarantino was the first ultra-violent movie and it was fantastically well executed. An American Independent movie at its best.

The Most Fun You'll Have Watching A Movie!!
From the beginning five minutes of two people planning on holding up a diner, you know you're in for some fun. This is Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's undisputed masterpiece. Simply put, a genius rollercoast ride from beginning to end. With a large list of stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman in some of their greatest performances to date.

The movie is broken up into three stories, all revolving around two hitmen (Jackson, Travolta), a mob boss's wife (Thurman), a boxer planing on retiring (Willis), and a mysterious breifcase, this fast paced film is probably one of the greatest action films EVER. The dialogue is what you would expect from Tarantino, with plenty of funny but memorable lines that you will remember forever.

With a die-hard cast, a chaotic but focused storyline, and an unbelievable soundtrack, including the classic "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, this film is definately Tarantino's funniest, most violent, and most fun romp to date, and one of the top ten greatest films ever! See it and you will not regret it.

awsome
this is one of the must see crime movies. very funny and never dull. great acting. not actually that hard to follow like some reviewers say. there are not that many jumps between time. the dvd is great. ... Read more

Reviews (535)

THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME
I LOVE THIS MOVIE. It is si-fi action film which is made perfectly. The cast is amazing with my favorite actor, Bruce Willis who does a good job. Please buy this and enjoy it as much as I do!

Awful crap
We can't believe this load of crap was called Star Wars for the ninties! Three of us were watching it. One fell asleep as the other two watched a ridiculous plot with annoying as hell characters unfold. If you have insomnia, this movie is recommended but if you vomit frequently, don't watch it!

Great.
This movie is a great furturistic fantasy style movie in which a cab driver played by Bruce Willis has to save the world from the evil, Darkness. This movie has great special effects such as when driving through the city, where I think Star Wars Episode 2 stole the idea. It has a good story but as usual it always ends good. The acting was superb. I still don't know why no one went to go see this when it came out. I guess it was ahead of its time. This is a fabulous movie, Don't miss out.

"The Fifth Element"
The Fifth Element (PG-13) ****/5
Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, Milla Jovovich.
Directed by: Luc Besson.
Synopsis: A "perfect being" and a taxi driver must save the galaxy from evil.
Special Features: Widescreen and Fullscreen Versions of the Film.
Review: A perfect being (Jovovich) crashes on Earth and must prevent evil from destroying it. She gets help from a cab driver (Willis), and a priest (Holm). Bad guy Gary Oldman proceeds to help the evil attempt to destroy the galaxy for some unknown reason. To be honest I did not understand this film really. I got the basic plot, but it's a bit goofy. Do I care? No not really this was one of the most enjoyable times I had at the movies, and I have no idea why. Willis gives a fun performance, Jovovich is terrific as Leeloo, Ian Holm gets the job done splendidly as usual, and Oldman is one of the best bad guys going. Luc Besson injects this film with energy, and a fantastic futuristic vision. As for the DVD? Weak buy the Superbit disc instead.

This Movie is Art
This movie is a "forty-timer," that is a movie I have watched over and over and still marvel at it. Not only is it a terrific story, fun and and fast paced, but the film is shot and edited with stunning perfection. The ONLY complaint I have about the DVD is there are no extra features. I want to see the "Making of" and hear comments by the director and the stars. There are so many little details and artistic touches to this movie that I don't believe I will ever catch them all. Better yet, I won't get tired of looking as I view this movie time and again. A+++ ... Read more

Amazon.com

With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (557)

Powerhouse film will enhance your DVD collection
I will admit to being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction from my first 10 minutes into the theater and getting yanked by my shirt colllar into the story and not being released until the final credit rolled. OK, so I'm biased.

BUT...it's not without well-earned bias. This movie easily qualified as an instant classic. The story is top notch, even though it comes in several different, smaller packages, Tarantino earns his directing stripes in effortlessly taking these seemingly random tales and believably weaving them all together. The acting/casting doesn't leave any stone unturned (It's Uma Thurman's best performance to date, Samuel Jackson WAS the best supporting actor winner that year, even if they didn't give him the trophy. Even Willis demonstrates some wicked acting chops in a beautifully understated performance. Christopher Walken, too, provides the most satisfying and memorable cameo!), and even the choppy editing style works.

Casual movie lovers will enjoy this as just a great film. Movie fanatics will love this DVD for the satisfying extras it provides.

Too good a DVD for you to pass up!

"Saved by a miracle of God..."
You know what, some people say that this movie sucks because it is way too hard to follow in story. I don't believe a word of that. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't a bit confused about this movie's un-cohesive plot.

This movie is reminiscent of the Pulp comics and magazines from yester-year, with it's high octane violence, graphic depiction of drugs, and of course...sex.

What I personally liked about Pulp was that characters can enter or exit the movie at anytime without much explanation. One minute you see John Travolta...next minute he is blown to bits by a M-16 machine gun. No questions asked.

Quentin definitely establishes that he knows what he doing, with unique camera angles, sparkling script, and wonderful acting...some of it done by the master himself!

I reccomend anyone watch this movie. It's completely awesome if you can handle the content.

oh yeah. "saved by a miracle of God" refers to a memorable line by Samuel L Jackson who plays a hitman that is convinced that the reason he survived near death is beacuse God's mighty hand came down and stopped the bullets. He soon quits his profession while on the other hand John Travolta stays...and we all know what happens to him! heh heh heh heh heh heh

Quentin Tarantino's best before Kill Bill
This classic by Quentin Tarantino was the first ultra-violent movie and it was fantastically well executed. An American Independent movie at its best.

The Most Fun You'll Have Watching A Movie!!
From the beginning five minutes of two people planning on holding up a diner, you know you're in for some fun. This is Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's undisputed masterpiece. Simply put, a genius rollercoast ride from beginning to end. With a large list of stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman in some of their greatest performances to date.

The movie is broken up into three stories, all revolving around two hitmen (Jackson, Travolta), a mob boss's wife (Thurman), a boxer planing on retiring (Willis), and a mysterious breifcase, this fast paced film is probably one of the greatest action films EVER. The dialogue is what you would expect from Tarantino, with plenty of funny but memorable lines that you will remember forever.

With a die-hard cast, a chaotic but focused storyline, and an unbelievable soundtrack, including the classic "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, this film is definately Tarantino's funniest, most violent, and most fun romp to date, and one of the top ten greatest films ever! See it and you will not regret it.

awsome
this is one of the must see crime movies. very funny and never dull. great acting. not actually that hard to follow like some reviewers say. there are not that many jumps between time. the dvd is great. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In giving 1991's The Last Boy Scout a three-star review, critic Roger Ebert was properly performing his duty as an objective reporter, praising the filmmakers' professional skill while observing that "the only consistent theme of the film is its hatred of women." For the purposes of this capsule review, there's no such obligation to level-headed fairness; the simple truth is, this ultraviolent, action-packed vehicle for Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans is disgustingly rotten to the core. Not only is it fueled by a bitter and spiteful attitude toward women, it's also the kind of profanely vulgar movie that doesn't hesitate to put foul-mouthed children in the path of vicious thugs and potentially deadly situations. Willis plays an ex-secret service agent turned private detective who is hired to protect a stripper (Halle Berry) and then teams up with the stripper's boyfriend (Wayans), a disgraced NFL star who was kicked out of football for gambling. They catch on to a criminal plot leading all the way up to a corrupt football team owner who wants to legalize gambling on pro football. Willis and Wayans get in and out of all sorts of trouble along the way, and naturally there are plenty of explosions to go along with the brutal beatings, gunfire, and constant cussing. Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon infamy) set a Hollywood record (since broken, several times) for the sale price of his slick but vile screenplay, and Top Gun director Tony Scott handles the action with his trademark gloss and high-impact style. But, seriously, is this a movie that anyone could bear to watch twice? --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Much fun indeed.
Back in 1991 there was still only one way that studios could sell Bruce Willis and that was as various incarnations of his Die Hard hero. Even Eddie (Hudson) Hawkins had similarities to John McClane. Joe Hallenback is a sort of mix between McClane and Snake Plissken. Watching him mumble and grunt thru various near-deaths and close shaves makes for much fun.

Hallenback is a P.I. and scrounges for work wherever he can find it. So he takes up a job protecting a stripper named Cory and soon finds himself in a lot of trouble. Bad guys are trying to get him left right and centre and his bratty 13-year-old daughter tagging along doesn't help much. The bad guys are truly evil and Hallenback seems more like an anti-hero. This adds to the rough nature of the movie and heightens the sense of adventure.

Tony Scott's style of direction is best suited to this type of action flick. The flashy, exotic editing and cinematographic techniques lend a lot to the witty script and compliment the seedy or pretty locations. Shane Black has also written dozens of one-liners and riddled the script with funny dialogue and exciting situations. It's no surprise that this was once the most expensive script ever sold in Hollywood.

Some people say that this film is too violent and misogynist but I honestly cannot understand what they are talking about. I guess it was just a little out of the norm back in 1991. But still the tone of the film is so light and enjoyable you begin to wonder how this never made up for it. Check it out for yourself and I am sure that you will enjoy.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and is remastered in Dolby 5.1. Love that opening song, man

Great Trash Movie
This movie is one of those love it or hate it movies. I loved it. "The Last Boy Scout" is where Bruce Willis is a low down private detective who is hired to watch a stripper. When she is murdered, Willis and the stripper's boyfriend, a fallen NFL hero (Damon Waynes), track down the killers. The conspiracy is all about corruption and pro football gambling. The banter between Willis and Waynes is very funny, although very sexist and racist sometimes. They both are world weary, and have been burned and are disillusioned and cynical, which is where much of the humor comes from. But the action is fast, brutal, and angry. This fast paced thriller is in the vain of "Die Hard" (once again produced by Joel Silver, I love this guy!). Director Tony Scott's hyper speed dircecting keeps the pace in high gear at all times. But there are a lot of things people might not like, like the 12-year-old girl with a mouth like Andrew Dice Clay's. I really dug this movie, it's everything that a "guys movie" should be; violent, vulger, with really seedy humor. Enjoy.

Very trashy but still entertaining action flick
Tony Scott's THE LAST BOY SCOUT may be trash, but for an action flick it is very well-made, highly entertaining trash.

Of course, you could make a very good case against this film. Though I did not find it quite as woman-hating as some of the critics said it was upon the film's release, I would recognize that there is a subtle layer of misogyny throughout the movie---particularly with the two women characters in Joe Hallenbeck's life, his uncaring, cheating wife and his bratty, verbally abusive daughter---that might make some viewers more queasy than I was. And, objectively speaking, THE LAST BOY SCOUT is basically a retread of writer Shane Black's superior LETHAL WEAPON---a more foul-mouthed, ultra-violent retread with a lot of corny humor. This is an all-out testosterone-fest if I've ever seen one. If you've got a problem with people, just punch 'em in the "head or gut"---if anything else, that's the message of this movie. Really, Shane Black, where did your taste go since LETHAL WEAPON and LETHAL WEAPON 2?

Despite all that, though, this movie still delivers what matters most in this genre: thrills and exciting action scenes. Having seen this movie only recently, I must say that it is probably one of the most exciting action pictures I've seen in a long while, perhaps enjoyable because of its excesses. Tony Scott definitely knows how to film action scenes well (the climactic action scenes in the football stadium is a good example of his skill here), and of course he brings his customary slick style to the material. And its plot, involving a ruthless attempt to legalize gambling in pro football, takes some kinda intriguing twists and turns along the way. (It's like a hardcore action-film version of one of those hardboiled detective films of the '40s.)

In short, THE LAST BOY SCOUT is very trashy but still entertaining action movie that can be quite fun to watch, depending on whether you can overlook lapses of character logic (why on Earth is Shelly Marcone giving away his plan of framing Hallenbeck for Senator Baynad's murder just so Hallenbeck can outsmart 'em all?) as well as the more objectionable misogynistic aspects of the film. Personally, I felt a little guilty about enjoying it so much...but not guilty enough not to admit it. Marginally recommended.

The Last Boy scout says it best.
The best action movie of the 90's hands down! All this crap about the film being misogynistic is ridiculous. Willis' character is a burned out, embittered, down and out, has-been PI and former secret service agent ("a long time ago he saved the president's life" )who has seen too much and who has no faith left in anything. He is in a bad marriage, never home, drinks too much, a victim of marital infidelity. But he is still in love with his wife. ("I wish the sky wasn't blue, I wish water wasn't wet. I wish I didn't still love my wife.") He is a man's man of the old school; strong and ever silent with a black and white morality. He is loyal to a fault, taking on the case of the stripper and her boyfriend to avenge the car-bombing death of his best friend (who was sleeping with his wife.) His foul mouthed daughter is screaming for discipline which she finds (and drinks in ) at the end of the film. The one liners are great. The action scenes are awesome. The justice meted out in the end is fitting.

Not for the Faint of Heart
One of the most brutal, foul mouthed, and unrepentent action movies to come out of the early 90's. Adding the child to the action scenes and profanity laced screaming matches is gutsy, to say the least. Last Boy Scout is also smart, funny, fast paced & intense. Willis is a drunken P.I. & Wayan is a banned football QB. They're both losers. Most of the movie involves them running around L.A. shooting and punching people. The plot is some nonsense about legalizing sports gambling. Worth repeated viewings. ... Read more

Reviews (203)

Nigeria's Bitter Tears
TEARS OF THE SUN starts out as an actioner for star Bruce Willis, but soon morphs into an introspective soul-searching film that disguises itself in a series of bloody jungle ambushes. Director Antoine Fuqua presents an image of Africa that has become increasingly commonplace in the media, a continent rent with tribal internicene warfare that degenerates into genocidic ethnic cleansing. Fuqua chooses Nigeria as the background for some truly horrific tribal slaughtering. The elected president, his cabinet, and his family have all been executed by advancing rebels who do not pause to kill anyone found in their path. Monica Belluci is Doctor Lena, a good-hearted woman who chooses to tend to the suffering of a tormented population. With her is a priest, Father Gianni (Pierrino Mascarino) and a nun Sister Grace (Fionnula Flanagan), all of whom choose to remain in harm's way rather than abandon some 70 wounded natives. Enter Bruce Willis as Lt. A. K. Waters, who is ordered to enter Nigeria with his Special Ops team to extricate only Doctor Lena. Waters and his team find Doctor Lena, but she refuses to go with them unless her 70 wounded can go too. Most reluctantly, Waters agrees to this change of orders. Until this point, Waters is a strictly by the book officer, one who regards this war, this country, and its natives as irrelevant to his mission. But he cannot close his eyes to the ubiquitous suffering to which he has a ringside seat. He surprises Doctor Lena, and probably himself as well, by making a genuine effort to extricate the entire group of helpless natives.

TEARS OF THE SUN is a violent film filled with both disturbing images of jungle battle and the even more malific glimpse into the depths of sadism and inhumanity that seemingly reside within the collective breasts of all the rebel commanders. Malick Bowens as rebel Colonel Sadick is especially convincing as one who is as equally determined as is Lt. Waters to complete his own mission but allows not his conscience to bother him in the least. To Colonel Sadick, natives of his own country, but of a different tribe, are disposable people. As a moral counterbalance to Sadick, Sammi Rotibi as Arthur Azuka, the son of the slain president, is the reincarnated collective soul of his bitterly abused people, most of whom see in him the restored dignity of a once proud Nigeria. TEARS OF THE SUN suggests that the evil and insanity of ethnic cleansing is a moral disease that, far from being an epidemic, afflicts only those who are predisposed to violence. Lt. Waters and Arthur Azuka remind the audience that for good to triumph, brave men must show their bravery, not to an armed enemy wearing a different uniform, but more to their own kind ordering them to commit acts that differ from those of the rebels more in degree than in kind. The tears of the son that are being shed for his people are constant reminders that this sort of bravery cannot be assumed to exist in any great quantity.

Not bad, but it just didn't do it for me
You can't really call "Tears of the Sun" a bad movie. By any account it's certainly a decent action war movie, and I enjoyed it. Where "Tears of the Sun" fails to succeed is in it's somewhat one-dimensional and shallow aproach at including policical and social messages, and in it's seeming impotence at crossing the lines from mediocrity to greatness.

The plot is pretty much a no brainer that gets set up right from the get-go. The Democratic government in Nigeria gets ousted by a military coup and rebel forces execute the presidential family and begin an genocidal killing spree, killing christians and rival tribes. Bruce willis and his small special forces team is sent to to find and evacuate several US Citizens, including a doctor working at a christian mission. The doctor wont leave without her patients, and so Willis and his team agree to escort the people to the Cameroon border. Of course they are followed by the rebels the whole way and are grossly outnumbered and it becomes a race to get to the border and to safety before they are completely over run.

Not exactly full of surprises and not much food for thought. of course there is the initial lie/double cross, and then the classic (not to mention very cliche) moment where our heroes grow a conscience after witnessing the horrors and extent of ethnic cleansing that is taking place and decide to help the people as thier way of making amens with thier own guilty consciences. other than this there is little to talk about plot-wise.

The acting is pretty good, although it varies throughout. Willis himself does a very good job playing his charcter though other than him and the doctor none of the characters grew on me. The setting is great, and the shots of the african landscape were very nice. For being an action war movie, "Tears of the Sun" offered only sporadic action until the climatic battle at the end which was mildy impressing, though nothing you havent scene before.

There is a constant attempt throughout the movie to bring attention to the brutality the ethnic cleansing that occurs in Africa that most americans are unaware of. We hear about bosnia, kosovo, but not so much about the many war torn regions in africa many of which are subject to constant guerilla warfare, famine, tribal clashes, and civil wars. The current attention being given to the situation in Sudan is very similar to what is shown in the movie. The look we are given however, although sad and mildly graphic, is a little one dimensional, and doesnt really explore the complexity of the political, ethnic, and religious angles of african conflicts. instead this is all reduced to "good guys vs bad guy" with the US as the good guys who sit idley by of course. I think many people will wish that the movie had a more realistic and more complete look at this angle of the plot rather than just showin "a bunch of rebel guys in red hats who run around killing all the christians and guys from the other tibes".

Other than that there is an overwhelming lack of depth and substance to the movie. Character development was underdone and there just arent many layers beyond what you see on the surface. And what is on the surface, though not bad, is not spectacular either. While I liked the movie over all, it just didnt have enough meat to it I felt. There were times I would just feel like something I couldnt put my finger on was missing to this one.

"Tears of the sun" does win points however for atleast trying to shed some public light to the attrocities in africa that most of the world lives happily ignorant to. It also serves as an effective, and enjoyable military action movie that is hard to hate but impossible to love.

One-dimensional but...
I really have quite ambivalent felings about this movie. From one hand, it's full of cliches and very simpleminded. You pretty much know what will happen, a lot of things are overdramatized (not the scenes of atrocities though). The acting is mediocre but it's not a problem of actors but rather of a bad script. On the other hand, the scenes of atrocities in the movie (somewhere in Africa - Sudan comes right away to mind) make people to realize that such terrible things are really happening today. It did really resonate through probably some shock - at least that's the way I feel. And who knows, maybe a simplemindness of this movie helps to deliver the message. I would give one star for cinematographic qualities and five stars for revealing the problem and showing disasters really happening in the world today.

DOA Near the End....
Rent it when you've seen the better combat stories. Well I had high hopes for this one at the theater, and the first half was good enough. Then on the second half the whole "reality" of the movie fell through. If you ever read any real SEAL stories you will wonder what happened at the end. Bad tactics, bad acting, and just poor story. They all died about the start of the "big battle", somehow walking out in the B-movie end. Total science fiction. Sorry, that was just too much. And Why? No one to write a realistic script? Ran out of ideas? What a waste for the budget and huge effort. Thats my take. BlackHawk down Was a good movie though!

Tears for Humanity
Bravo to the filmakers for making this movie based on the plights of many war torn countries in Africa. This film exposes some of the atrocities faced by Africans, genocide, rape, torture, mass graves and the list only grows. A very necessary exposure for the world as it sits back and watches a great nation destroyed.

The direction is excellent, war scenes mixed with touches of humanity and nature giving a sense of what people are fighting over. Some of the acting is a bit overdone, but then what other reason is there to watch a Bruce Willis movie? The most touching scenes are unfortunately the most brutal, the slaughter of towns, the piles of dead bodies, innocents pleading for life and the factual account of women being raped by militias who "de-breast" them so that future generations are deprived of something as simple as a mother's milk.

I highly recommend this film for the horror it provokes and try to imagine the nations of Africa pleading for their lives while our fat and happy nation only fights for oil. Shouldn't war be about saving lives? This movie says it all....the right way. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bruce Willis's awful, 1991 vanity piece is an abuse of audience goodwill and a waste of a good cast and director (Michael Lehmann of Heathers). The story, cowritten by Willis, concerns a cat burglar pressured into stealing precious art, including some from the Vatican. But the script is just a convenience upon which Willis piles his vaguely boorish brand of hip irony, assuming his audience will stay with him every step of the way. Certain, self-congratulatory scenes induce cringing--Willis and Danny Aiello, for instance, sing "Side by Side" (to brassy accompaniment on the soundtrack) every time they're working a job--but the overall effect is more irritating and baffling. Keep a good thought for Willis (an underrated actor better than the summer junk we usually see him in) by checking out his superior work in Pulp Fiction and his small but memorable role in Billy Bathgate. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (93)

Almost Believed The Hype
My love of this movie began when I was home alone channel sufing. Stumbling across this film on UPN, I checked my Trusty TV Guide and found they only gave it one star. I decided to do a MST3K on this apparently rotten film. I Was unable to do so because there was one small problem. This film is the most convoluted, twisted, Hitchcokian piece of Funny stuff I've ever seen. Being of Fan of totally random stuff, I was over whelmed by the randomness of this film. A butler has Knives spring out of his Arms. Bruce willis ( as Hudson) and Danny Allieo time a burgarly with a rendition of "Swingin on a Star" The pope watches Mr. Ed. And THrough it all, Hudson just wants a coffee. You see the McGuffin of this film may be Da Vinci's Book of Fun & games, but the real driving force in this film is Hudson's coffee. This movie has many one-liners that I can say to my friends and they have absolutly no idea wher it comes from. Many other reviews talk about A Deus Ex Machina ending. I have no idea what tha is really, but the end, the beginning and yes eventhe middle are full of great stuff. Dont Listen to critics! in Some fashion. everyone should see a portion of this underated classic.

Ahead of It's Time
I, too, was one who saw this movie when it was first released (right after "Die Hard") and fell to the original disappointment. Recently, I decided I had to buy the DVD to add to my Bruce Willis movie collection because I knew it was an important movie to this artist (he created it, helped write it, etc) and I am such a fan of his talent. You can't imagine my surprise to find that watching it now, years later, I thought the movie was hilarious! It is the kind of movie that is best described as "just plain fun". My jaw hurt from laughing so hard for so long! The only explanation I have for not liking it when it first came out...but, loving it years later is that the type of humor that was in "Hudson Hawk" (Bruce Willis humor) was simply ahead of it's time! I am glad I finally caught up! Buy the DVD if possible and listen to the director's commentary to find hidden humor that surely passed by you unnoticed when you watched the movie. If you only like movie's that have twisted plots and make you think...then, this movie is not for you. But, If you like to kick back and just get lost in the fun...you'll enjoy this movie tremendously!

what the hell...
This is one of the worst movies ever made. The comedy can only be enjoyed by a preteen. An R-rated movie starring Bruce Willis with loney-toon style sound effects and all of the crappiest things you can think of. This movie is horrible. In order to like this movie you must have had a full lobotomy.

Classic film like no other!!!!
I remember really diggin the hell out of this at the theatre, despite the fact that it tanked and I was all of 12. What gets me is that- I understand why your average brainwashed zombified office drone wouldn't like this but the critics panned it too. Actually, that doesn't surprise me, given the heidi fleiss treatment they've lavished on the wretched 'Troy.' Anyway, Glad to see there's a little amazon cult of like-minded souls who appreciate the hilarious absurdity, one-off jokes, great performances, neat ideas and all around craziness this movie delivers.

Yeah, there are some plot problems and pacing is off-kilter, but heck, this film is so much fun from the first second til the end when Eddie finally gets his- no I won't ruin it... Give it a chance. I haven't perused the DVD but doubt it has much extra stuff. This isn't the kind of film the gets the redux.

If the thought of Danny Aiello, Bruce Willis, James Coburn, Sandra Bernhardt, Andie McDowell (no relation to Malcolm), a young David Caruso, and a handful of other dynamic character actors doesn't appeal to you then stop reading now. Moreover, if the thought of the world's greatest jewel thief stealing Da Vinci treasures, a Vatican spy agency, an over-the-top madman entrepreneur and his depraved wife aimed at destroying the world's economy, a corrupt CIA covert ops team called "The Candybars," doesn't pique your interest then go back to bed.

Some of the best one liners I've ever heard. They never get old. "I must speak with the dolphins now." "Just kill her- Darwin! This is supposed to be torture, not therapy." "Bettie Jo Baijarsky? I can get you an address on that." "Bunny?!? Ball Ball!!!"

If you like Bill Murray's everyman attitude in ghostbusters then this film's humor will appeal.

In summation- If you dug 'Ice Pirates,' "The Princess Bride," or any Terry Gilliam film you will probably dig this one.

ciao.

Oh, get over yourselves
I hate stupid movies. Mel Brooks annoys the hell out of me. But I like, nay, LOVE Hudson Hawk. One of the few movies not directed by David Lynch that constantly leaves you thinking "What the f___?" in the same way that "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" leaves you thinking "What the f___?" It's an acid-soaked Catholic caper with snappy dialogue and great Bond-esque one-liners. You just have to let go of sanity and roll with it. As for the all-knowing movie gods who panned this scategorical masterpiece, what do they call you, Ig and Ook? ... Read more

Reviews (1140)

"Armageddon" is GREAT entertainment!
I recently saw "Armageddon" for the first time on DVD and thought it was a fantastic example of movie entertainment. It's an excellently-produced science fiction/action/adventure movie. The special effects are top-notch and truly breathtaking. Script and character development are above average for this type of film--but of course, this is NOT "Othello"! The storyline is extremely interesting and the movie's pacing is packed with edge-of-your-seat suspense, with just enough deadpan comedic relief. I found no fault with the actor's performances--Bruce Willis does his usually-good "John Wayne" and considering this is sci-fi, the others gave FAR less wooden performances than, say, would be seen on ANY episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The movie could've done without the dumb Aerosmith tunes in the soundtrack, but that's a minor criticism.

Since I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I was dismayed to see a lot of negative comments by Amazon.com reviewers who appear (in my opinion) to be "cinema snobs." And after "reading between the lines" of these reviews, I see a pattern of thought--which I thoroughly disagree with.

The underlying "theme" of "Armageddon" is simply that for the most part, Americans--in addition to American values and technology--save the world. The attributes that Americans (although certainly not exclusively) are known for--courage, heroism, patriotism, both stubborn individuality AND one-for-all/all-for-one team determination--are very much a part of this story.

I wonder if many of the negative reviewers were put off by the "Rah-Rah USA!" tone of the film. There is a certain type of liberal/artsy, anti-American, anti-NASA, anti-patriot attitude that would loathe a movie like "Armageddon"--and such a mindset would probably color such a reviewer's comments. That's unfortunate, because although "Armageddon" is very much an "American" story, it also exhilaratingly examines some of the very BEST elements of the all-inclusive human spirit.

A Bruckheimer/Bay space dud
We all love sci-fi disaster movies. It's a guilty pleasure. I can tolerate disaster movies as long as there was effort involved to make it as entertaining as possible. This movie was watchable, but it was not an entertaining experience. "Armaggedon" is a movie that is bombastic, nonsensical, cliched, ridiculing, and is an insult to a moviegoer's intelligence. The Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay team is the worst Hollywood duo next to Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Sure, "mindless fun" can have its moments, but "Armageddon" pushes this way too much.

The summary in a heartbeat: An asteroid "the size of Texas" is on its way towards Earth, and the US government hires oil drillers to drill into the asteroid's center to nuke it internally. The writers seemed to reach for some undesired effect here. So what if the asteroid is the size of Texas? You don't need an asteroid that size to wipe out Earth. A city-sized asteroid is all it would take. Were the filmmakers paranoid that the movie will lose flavor if the asteroid were only the size of Seattle? And despite it's size, an asteroid does not have the same gravitional pull that the Earth or even the Moon does, yet the astronauts walk on the asteroid as if they're strolling through the city park.

"Armageddon" plays like a montage on steroids. It just does not know how to enjoy the scenery. Camera angles shift and change so fast like an MTV-style music video, as if the filmmakers wanted to prevent you from taking a better look. It felt like the film was going to short-circuit on me. This is not stylish filmmaking, it's just a gimmick to toy with the audience. The disaster scenes are among the worst ever filmed. Closed-up shots so that the audience can't comprehend the mayhem is an insulting film gesture. On top of that, I thought I was going to get an epileptic seizure. Bruckheimer and Bay need a slap in the face.

The script is one that is completely dry of original ideas. The usual world in peril and average Americans have to save it. The usual sentimental farewell of the sacrificial hero. The usual love complications. The usual fumbling of high authorities. There's a scene in the movie where the nuke is turned on and the crew must disable it. What do you need for suspense? Duh, a timer! In reality, what purpose would timers have? If the nuke was successfully planted inside the asteroid, who would stay and watch the time run out? And of course for this scene to end with a bang, there must be an edge-of-your-seat moment where the so-called "bomb expert" has to decide whether to cut the red or blue wire. This movie ridicules everybody, and it's not done in good taste. It ridicules NASA. It ridicules the President. It ridicules Russians. It ridicules average citizens. Everybody is a half-witted pawn for the plot's progression. The movie lovingly sets up human beings for doom as if they're too stupid to know what's coming. There are a number of scenes were the filmmakers decided "Hey, let's insert a disaster here!"

What's with this love story phenomenon in disaster movies? This one serves no purpose for the plot. Liv Tyler is cast only for her to show off skin and serve as the angsty daughter of Bruce Willis (Harry). Ben Affleck (AJ) is Liv Tyler's love interest, and this little fiasco serves as the personal center for the three main characters. What for? At the end of the movie, Harry says to AJ, "I've always thought of you as a son." Right. At the beginning of the movie, he was chasing him around the oil rig with a shotgun.

The movie is littered with other kinds of nonsense. The nuke is about blow in less than a minute, but Harry takes his time to talk about his determination. The asteroid is about to hit the zero barrier mark, but Harry takes his time to say a final goodbye to his daughter. The world is about to end, for crying out loud. Giving lengthy banal eulogies seems more important to the director.

"Armageddon" is an ugly, frantic, burdening experience and is a movie that makes you wonder if the filmmakers even went through any edits in the screenplay. Another asteroid movie "Deep Impact", while not great, still wipes the floor with this one. Hopefully this movie will serve as an example of what NOT to do with making disaster films.

Exceptionally well-crafted story line
For me, this is an incredibly difficult movie to review and critique. I feel that the movie did a phenomenal job of developing the story; however, the acting in the movie left something to be desired.

In case someone has not seen the movie, I do not want to give much of the story away. An asteroid, classified as a global killer (a global killer meaning that if it impacts earth, there will be total destruction of life), is on a collision course with earth. NASA comes up with the idea of landing on the asteroid, drilling a hole, and dropping a nuclear weapon in the hole and blowing up the asteroid with the intent of splitting it in two and altering its path so it misses earth.

While it is a simple story, the movie does an exceptional job developing the plot into a 2-hour movie. The movie incorporates a "gloom and doom" plot with a second story of love, romance, and hope. The first plot is about an oil driller and his band of misfits attempting to work with a group of highly educated astronauts and military pilots to drill a hole on the asteroid (and of course the work together as well as Worcestershire sauce and ice cream). The second story line involves one of the oil drillers falling in love with the owners daughter. The relationship reminds me of a terrible "teen-age" relationship with the seemingly perfect love that young people share coupled with a resentful father who seems to not want to lose his daughter.

It is difficult to explain how well the two story lines integrate without ruining the movie for someone who has not seen it. While the plot is superb, the acting in the move is just so-so. I thought the acting of the three headline actors (Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler) was weak at best; they had their great moments, but mostly their acting seemed almost emotionless. I did think a couple of the lesser known actors (mainly Michael Clarke Duncan as "Bear" and Peter Stormare as the Russian astronaut) were incredible in this movie.

Personally, due to the overwhelming depressing plot about the end of the earth, I don't think this is a movie I would cuddle with on the couch with a new date. However, I nonetheless think the plot is excellent and I do highly recommend seeing this movie. I give the movie 5 stars for how the movie integrates the two story lines together and develops them into a great plot, not the acting in the movie.

I love this movie!!!
Okay, there's a reason that we go to the movies...to escape everyday life and just enjoy some good old fun for a couple of hours and this movie does it. I don't know, maybe I'm just a Bruce Willis fan, but this movie did entertain me and it's on cable right now and I'm watching it, which is what compelled me to write and defend this fun movie because everyone else is trashing it!

Dull
I enjoy most Jerry Bruckheimer movies. There almost always just plain fun, like "Beverly Hills Cop" or "The Rock." I somehow missed "Armageddon" in the theaters, so I rented it as soon as I could.
Despite all the popularity it got, I wasn't dazzled by it like so many others. The story is about a gigantic asteroid racing towards earth. If it hit, every human on the planet would die. So the U.S. government, led by a NASA administrator (Billy Bob Thornton) hire an oil-drilling team to take a space shuttle out into space, land on the asteroid, and blow it up with a nuclear bomb. Easy, right? The team is led by a guy named Harry (Bruce Willis), and includes such actors as Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Steve Buscemi, Will Patton, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Then we get assaulted with Bruckheimer/Bay's trademark action sequences: loud and mesmerizing.
Except that in "Armageddon," I didn't buy any of the action. The special effects, which were awesome in some parts, were horrible looking in others. Willis' and Affleck's performances were awful; most of them were. I realize that a mindless blockbuster like this one doesn't matter if the acting is bad, but it was so bad here that I just couldn't take it. Actually, the best performances came from Owen Wilson (who died in the middle) and Peter Stormare as a Russian cosmonaut. I also thought that when Willis sacrificed himself, all those shots of his daughter (Liv Tyler) were unnessecary. Too much gloss for me.
No, this movie isn't very good. "The Rock" was just so much better. Heck, I even enjoyed "Pearl Harbor" more. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

I love it to death.
This has to be one of the best action, western and gangster movies I've ever seen. Willis was perfect for the part of John Smith (his voice-over has some of the best dialogue ever and if you don't believe me check out the opening scene), a gun for hire without a conscience. All elements of each genre are highly spoken for.

The editing, dialogue, cinematography, music, direction and acting are all top class. Everything is fantastically overblown but never preposterous.

As for the film itself, it is very empty but the mood and tone are so very distant and weird, and I totally love it. Walter Hills direction is a well balanced cross between Sam Peckinpah and John Woo. And Cooder's score will transport you right into the movie even on it's own. This wall always be one of my fave movies and it is very much worthy of 5 stars.

The 2.50:1 anamorphic picture is stunning and there are rumors that Hill originally wanted to make it in B/W but New Line Cinema would not let him. To test this out turn your color right down and see how much the film's atmosphere is enhanced from already gloomy to undeniably depressing, BUT IT IS SO COOL.

The DD 5.1 sound quality on this DVD during the gunfights is absolutely amazing. It will bug the hell out of your neighbors, but who cares? Every now and again Walter Hill injects a sudden burst of ferocious, furious and brutal violence that takes your breath away. When people are killed they don't just fall down, they FLY across the room and thru windows.

Extras are brief and not very good (Cast Bios say that Die Hard 4 was released in 1998!) and there is a cool clip of Loaded Weapon 1 hidden in there too.

A letdown -- could've been much better
I actually would give this film 2.5 stars. I opted for 3 (instead of 2) because it's leaning more toward 3, as it is not boring and didn't cause me any feeling of pain.

As you probably have discovered by now, this is a remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, or, as more of you know, Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, starring the great Clint Eastwood. It's a pretty interesting story and concept, but in Last Man Standing the execution is not there.

For one, the characters are just plain bad. I like Bruce Willis, and here he gives a decent (at best) performance. But Clint Eastwood he's not. They try to go for character development with him (and only him) and it more or less fails. I've seen worse, but this is hardly memorable. The other characters are not even worth discussing, other than the fact that the dialogue is particularly wretched.

And then there's the action. It's simply not that good. This movie could have possibly redemeed itself had the action been remarkable. The director Walter Hill goes for the Peckinpah-Woo style of gunplay (which I happen to love), but unfortunately does not succeed. The result is a second-rate job. It's not terrible, but Rodriguez did a better job in Desperado for sure. Hill unwisely does not use enough slow motion, which is too bad. That would've helped a lot. You would think there would be a western in the past 30 years that could top The Wild Bunch's quality of action, but nope.

Not only is the action not that impressive, but there's not nearly enough of it. Leonard Maltin wrote in his review that this movie is "rife" with gunplay. In actuality, it's not. You don't get a whole lot. There should have been much more.

Visuals are uninteresting. There's not much to see. The DVD picture quality is good, though, I'll give it that.

There are no special features on this DVD worth mentioning, just so you know. A director's commentary would have added, so we could hear Hill defend this film.

The one thing I'll give this film is that it isn't boring. Fans of The Wild Bunch and John Woo will be diappointed. It passes the time fairly quickly, but in the final analysis, Last Man Standing is a forgettable movie.

a good story... poorly done
I wish to keep this short, so I'll only say this: I liked this movie better the first time-- when it was called 'A Fistfull of Dollars'.

Awful!
One of the silliest pretexts for a movie, ever! This film has all the substance of an AT&T commercial, and the "story" is nothing more than one establishing shot after another. After about an hour and a half, we get to see Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis eyeball each other and act macho... That's if we haven't fallen asleep or otherwise lost interest by that time.

At this time, you can buy a used VHS edition of this movie for $.49 on amazon, but at less than a half a buck, it's still not worth it...

A novel take on a classic movie
Akira Kurosawa's film "Yojimbo" is a cinematic masterpiece, and in the time it came out, Westerns and Samurai movies were practically one in the same. Consider "Seven Samurai" and "The Magnificent Seven" both excellent films in their own right. Similary, "Yojimbo" was remade into the classic Spaghetti western, "A Fistful of Dollars" with Clint Eastwood. It's with this remarkable history that "Last Man Standing" was made.

If you know the story fo Fistful of Dollars or Yojimbo, it becomes clear that this is a role that Willis is well-suited for. He plays a man passing through a town in the middle of nowhere, and the town's split between two rival crime families. As a man skilled with guns, he plays the families off of each other to make a buck, but can't help getting pulled into the dilemmas of this little town.

If you loved Yojimbo or Fistful, and don't want to see this movie out of fear that it will ruin the story, I would put those fears to bed. This movie takes a novel and more modern approach to the story, and Willis adds his own flavor to the 'man with no name.'

Of course, I liked Yojimbo more. But Last Man Standing is a good film in its own right, with a good performance by Willis and excellent performances by Chris Walken, Bruce Dern, and William Sanderson. The gunfights in this movie are enjoyable, but unrealistic in a sort of John Woo/Killer/Hard-Boiled style.

So, if you're interested in seeing a reworking of a classic movie, or if you just want to see a good shoot-em-up, this movie fits the bill. ... Read more

Reviews (189)

Die Hard is one fast spectacular wild ride.
This is it the masterful film that started all terrorist films and gave them a genere. John McTiernan's fundimental action film is a classic action aventure film that made Bruce Willis an overnight star.New York City cop John Mclane is vacationing over the holidays to see his wife and spend time with his family ,his wife played by Bonnie Bedilia (Holly Gennero).But just as John Mclane is enjoying his vacation a group of terrorists , take over the 30 story highrise and declare war now tired and trapped, he is the only hope for his estranged wife and the other hostiges who are being held by Hans Gruber played by Alan Rickman. John has the experience for mortal combat and antiterrorist tactics his only support is officer Powell a officer that is on the scene. With only a handgun and what he seemingly gets from the terrorists he launches his own one man war with the terrorists. Bleeding and bruised he attacks dissapears and reappears to attack again and with the brains and intelligence of a cop if there's one thing John Mclane is it's that he's hard to kill and as tough as steel taking out the terrorists like flies in a spider web it's only a matter of time before Mclane makes the terrorist his prey. Bruce Willis plays John Mclane with style making him compareable with Clint Eastwoods Dirty Harry but infact this is the best cop movie since the likes of Dirty Harry. The specal edition has fun and interesting options such as an editing feature
where you can edit chosen parts of the film it's as if you have your own film school in Die Hard, other features are sound editing and a vault of deleted scenes and a branching version of the film.If you want an action classic then this film is the one your looking for amazing special effects and incredible action make Die Hard a must have for any DVD owner so get your popcorn buckle up and get ready to be blown out of your chair!.

Extra power, extra punch for an already hard-hitting film
Sure, this first installment of the Die Hard trilogy came to theaters 13 years ago, but to add freshness to this classic action ride, director John McTiernan and his crew technical craftsmen and producers have united to bring the power of INTER-action to the DVD viewer in their own home.

You, the viewer, can examine and re-examine, review and re-edit bits and pieces of the film in the editor's workshop section. Believe me, you've never seen anything like this before. Besides being fun to have the power over what you're manipulating, an added appreciation for the craft of editing is easily achieved. The entire screenplay is also on the second disk, word for word as it originally was handed to the actors. This allows the views to see how the script evolved in the hands of those who made the film. The usual outtakes, bloopers, and deleted scenes are here (fairly standard nowadays), too. Commentary and behind the scenes words from those who were there are also here for your enjoyment.

The best appreciated bonus is the amazing clarity of the digital transfer. Cinematographer Jan de Bont's dark and moody work is seen sharper and clearer than anything which could have been put on a silver screen in any cinema house. The full-bodied sound is spectrually sharp and defined. This is how all film experiences should be.

If you're tired of DVDs which are little more than "theatrical trailer, feature, and scene selection" (and SOOOOO many are just that), then get your hands on this special set right away and see what the DVD experience is all about. For those who don't yet own DVD, this would be the perfect excuse to invest in a player. My only warning would be to not expect all these fabulous goodies on every DVD you buy--for now. I know this set is going to revolutionize the way companies package and "re-package" their upcoming DVD releases.

"Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza?"
John McTiernan's "Die Hard" is one of the more celebrated entries in the action-adventure genre. Yet, the film upon close inspection is really just another "shoot-'em-up" production that ultimately wears out its welcome long before the final baddie is gunned down.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a New York police officer who has arrived in Los Angeles for Christmas. His wife (Bonnie Bedelia) has accepted a vice-president position with Nakatomi Corporation. While McClane is attending a Christmas party at his wife's new office building, a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) seize the high-rise so that they may steal millions of dollars in negotiable bonds. McClane takes it upon himself to defeat the terrorists and free the hostages they have taken.

"Die Hard" does introduce some novel aspects to the genre - it's a nice change of pace to see an everyman hero instead of the typical secret agent or military super-soldier at the center of an action film, it's nice to see an action hero with a sensitive side, and it's also nice to see a villain with a degree of sophistication. But "Die Hard" intermixes these elements with so many loud explosions and gunfights that one becomes numb after awhile. Throw in too many supporting characters who are deficient in the intelligence department and one inexcusable resurrection at the end, and all you're left with is a film that is great to look at but nothing more. Willis more than proves he can play an action hero and Bedelia adds a welcome degree of charm to the proceedings. Yet, "Die Hard" turns out to be only a smidgen better than its action contemporaries from the period and that is not enough to make it something special.

As Good As Action Gets
In 1988, a film was released that changed the face of action films forever. That film was "Die Hard".

"Die Hard" is, quite simply, as good as an action film can be. Just what makes this movie so different from all the other generic rip-offs out there? "Die Hard" has just the right blend of witty, intelligent writing (yet still not forgetting the profanity), exquisite acting, intense plot twists, and just the right amount of bloody killing. And to top it off, all of this expertly directed at break-neck speed by John McTiernan.

This DVD gives the film a cleaner, newer look, keeping it looking fresh and exciting for the digital era. The sharper picture and sound maybe even add a little something.

After "Die Hard", every action movie was just a wanna-be. They try to mimic what "Die Hard" managed, but never even come close. (This group of films even include the two sequels the film spawned.)

If you're looking for something fun, intense, intelligent, action-packed, and maybe even a little graphic, look no further than the legendary "Die Hard".

Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedalia, Alexander Gudonov, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Reginald Vel Johnson.
Running Time: 132 minutes.
Rated R for extreme violence, language, and brief nudity.

Fresh of his success with the popular television series "Moonlighting", Bruce Willis takes his stab at the motion picture business with full force. "Die Hard" works on many levels--mainly as an action flick with a powerful leading star that adds a touch of normalcy and humor--but it also discusses more important views such as the criticism of the culturization of Japanese technology that was taking place at the time as well as the horrific, ongoing threat of terrorism. It s a film that shows just how vulnerable any business or workplace really is to a terrible force but also how one man can stand up to the challenge and ultimately make a difference.

John McClane (Willis) is a New York City cop who travels to the Los Angeles area to reconcile with his seperated wife (Bonnie Bedalia) and family, who left him to pursue a lucrative job with a Japanese financial industry skyscraper. While participating in a Christmas Eve party, the building is overtaken by German terrorists who want to use the hostage Japanese executives to break into the company safe. McClane watches as the head terrorist (played brilliantly by Alan Rickman) blows the brains out of the Japenese CEO realizes that the game is on.

With the help of a gun-shy cop (Reginald Vel Johnson--yes, that's right--Mr. Winslow from "Family M