A Complete Review of Tony Scott's work

Cast : Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson

What was it about?
With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

My two cents:
Usually, I'm not really a big fan of action movies since I find them rather preposterous and predictable. However, this one was quite enjoyable. Indeed, Tony Scott is one of the best action movie directors and it definitely shows on the screen. I mean, how could you make an exciting movie about such a static and inert thing such as a train?!? Mr Scott actually pulls it off and for 90 minutes, I was actually wondering what would happen next. For the 5th time around, Denzel Washington is working again with Tony Scott and delivers one of his usual performances, the righteous man under a terrible ordeal. It could be nice if he did something else once a while but he does it so well, I won't blame him. Honestly, Washington and Pine don't have much to do and actually, nothing much happen during the whole thing but, surprisingly, it remains quite entertaining and I think it has to do with the fact that they chose a realistic approach and it worked very well.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, James Gandolfini

What was it about?
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

My two cents:
First of all, I haven't seen the original version so I can't compare the two movies. There was a lot of talk about how the original version was much better and all but I thought this remake was not bad at all. Indeed, Denzel Washington and John Travolta both did a good job and were both pretty convincing in their perfomances and as usual, you can trust Tony Scott to direct a cool action movie. I have to say I always enjoy John Travolta when he plays such a bad guy, I mean, you can say whatever about the guy but he sure can act, if you compare his performance in this movie, to what he did in 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Pulp Fiction' or 'A Love Song for Bobby Long'. Furthermore, I was rather captivated by the story until the end which I found rather weak and too much action-oriented. Eventually, the whole thing does feel like a rather pointless remake, even if it is very well made.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Elle Fanning

What was it about?
An ATF agent travels back in time to save a woman from being murdered, falling in love with her during the process.

My two cents:
First of all, you can say whatever you want about Tony Scott but the guy definitely can direct an action movie. It is like Denzel Washington. He basically spent his all career playing the same character over and over again (with a few notable exceptions) but I actually don't care since he always thrills me. Here, working together again (they made 5 movies together eventually), they both managed to transform this rather preposterous story into an explosive action feast and I was really entertained throughout the whole thing. You also have Val Kilmer and Jim Caviezel in supporting parts but I thought they were both rather under-used which was really too bad. Was it possible to get more, to get something better from this plot? I highly doubt it but it is a compliment to Scott and Washington's talent.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Édgar Ramírez, Delroy Lindo, Mo'Nique, Mena Suvari, Macy Gray, Jacqueline Bisset, Lucy Liu, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering

What was it about?
A recounting of Domino Harvey's life story. The daughter of actor Laurence Harvey turned away from her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.

My two cents:
For once, Scott decided to make a movie without Denzel Washingtion and to hire Mickey Rourke instead who was making his comeback back then. To start with, I think it was a really awesome story. I mean, a model who decides to become a bounty hunder, it doesn't get better than this. It was also nice to see Keira Knightley trying something completely different than her usual costume dramas and I thought she was quite convincing. Furthemore, the directing was visually rather impressive, really kinetic with a nice use of colors. Unfortunately, the whole thing remained rather trashy and shallow. Indeed, Scott shows how badass Domino has become but he doesn't get further than that and we never get to really know her, what makes her tic and what she is actually thinking and feeling. Eventually, they turned a rather intriguing story into a mildly entertaining action flick and that was rather underwhelming and disappointing. Still, like I said before, Tony Scott was one of the best action movie makers and I wasn't bored watching this.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Mickey Rourke

What was it about?
In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

My two cents:
Almost 10 years after 'Crimson Tide', Tony Scott and Denzel Washington were reunited again and it seemed they had a pretty good time since they rapidly made 3 other movies together. From all the movies starring Denzel Washington, it is pretty much the only one which managed to reach cult-status. Seriously, I don’t know how many times I met someone who were claiming that this was one of the best movies ever made. And indeed, the directing was really dynamic and efficient, something expected from a seasoned action movie director like Tony Scoot and Denzel Washington gave a very strong performance as usual. Still, even though I thought the whole thing was pretty entertaining, I also thought that the story was nothing really amazing and actually rather predictable. I guess, it depends what you expect from your typical action flick. If you just need some impressive and cool action scenes and a really bad-ass main character, than you will love this flick. However, if you also require a certain amount of depth in the characters and/or in the story (like I do), you won’t be really impressed.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clive Owen, Gary Oldman, James Brown, Marilyn Manson, Danny Trejo

What was it about?
Decades ago, the legendary James Brown sold his soul to the devil for fame and fortune. Now he wishes to renegotiate. Hired to take Mr. Brown to a rendezvous with the devil (Gary Oldman), the driver soon finds himself entangled in fiendish plans.

My two cents:
From all these short promotional movies produced by BMW, it is apparently one of the most popular movies in this serie. Anyway, it is easily by far the weirdest one. To be honest, it is not my favorite (I prefer the 1st flick directed by John Frankenheimer) but it is really daft and it is definitely a cool short movie.

My rating: 07/10

Cast : Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack

What was it about?
Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.

My two cents:
Well, to be honest, I always had some mixed feelings about this movie. Indeed, on one hand, it was a well made and entertaining spy flick, no doubt about it, but, on the other hand, since it was a flick starring two Hollywood giants, shouldn't it have been better than this?!? The first issue was that the movie never seemed to be able to choose who was in fact the main character. It is obvious that studio wanted to put on the focus on Brad Pitt since he was the bigger star but, eventually, you never really get to know his character and most of the really exciting stuff was actually done by Redford. Then, finally, the old gimmick of having all the action taking place during Muir's last day in Langley was rather weak and, the end, when you see how he managed to take all these actions within a few hours, was rather ridiculous.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight ,Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Loren Dean, Barry Pepper, Ian Hart, Jake Busey, Scott Caan, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne

What was it about?
A lawyer becomes a target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime.

My two cents:
According to IMDb, it is apparently Tony Scott’s 3rd best movie only behind ‘True Romance’ and ‘Man on Fire’ and I have to admit that it is indeed a really entertaining movie. Indeed, Tony Scott has always been a solid action flick director and he delivered here one of his most effective features. What was also pretty neat with this movie is that it was actually pretty realistic and even prophetic, considering the Edward Snowden scandal that occurred only a few years ago. Furthermore, there was some neat tributes to obviously ‘The Conversation’ but with Will Smith playing this ordinary guy involved some convoluted conspiracy, they gave also a more subtle reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s work. Unfortunately, Tony Scott apparently couldn’t help it and the guy still had to dumb the whole thing down. For example, the opening scene was rather ridiculous. Indeed, why on Earth should be Jon Voight’s character present on this crime scene? It didn’t make any sense. And, of course, even though this movie should have ended with something really dark and cynical, they forced the most ludicrous happy-ending you can imagine. EVentually, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that I really have a weak spot for the damned thing.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin, John Leguizamo, Benicio Del Toro

What was it about?
An all star baseball player becomes the unhealthy focus of a down on his luck salesman.

My two cents:
Do you remember the time when Robert de Niro used to be the greatest actor ever and you would basically sh*t your pants every time this guy was showing up on your screen? I know, that's a long time ago... Anyway, in this flick, he gave probably his last awesome performance. Apparently, this movie never received much love but I thought that De Niro was just amazing here. On top of that, there was a really interesting concept but, instead of properly developing this idea, they went for the usual annoying gimmicks and you basically ended up with another average US thriller. So indeed, it is in fact a rather standard thriller and the whole thing was really predictable but De Niro gave such an intense performance, he just pushed the whole thing to the next level all by himself, at least, that’s my opinion, and as long as the movie was focusing on his character, I thought it was quite spellbinding to watch. Anyway, even though it is obviously not a masterpiece, I think it is actually quite underrated, it is in fact a really solid thriller.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, Steve Zahn

What was it about?
On a US nuclear missile sub, a young first officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.

My two cents:
It was the first movie Denzel Washington and Tony Scott made together and, in my opinion, it is definitely and easily the best one. Yeah, even 'Man on Fire' which has become a cult classic is not that good in my opinion. Coming back to our main subject, it is easily one of the best submarine features I have seen. Of course, it doesn't come near 'Das Boot' which will remain the ultimate best in this genre for a very long time but it is still damned fine entertaining and this Clash of the Titans between Washington and Hackman was just awesome. Actually, it could have been pretty neat if they switched, you know, Hackman playing the righteous man and Washington playing the devious bad guy for a change but I guess it would have been too confusing for the average viewer. Still, even though the whole thing is actually rather pedestrian, it remains a very well made and really entertaining thriller.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore

What was it about?
Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

My two cents:
It is probably the most popular movie directed by Tony Scott and it has generated a huge cult following ever since it has been released (like everything else involving Quentin Tarantino as a matter of fact). To be honest, it is actually rather sad that Tony Scott’s most heralded work would be mostly remembered as a Tarantino feature. Anyway, personally, I always had some rather mixed feelings about the whole thing. I mean, sure, I did like it, it is and remains a fun flick, very well made with an impressive cast but, honestly, I never thought that there was anything really mind-blowing about the story, at least, that's my opinion. At the time, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette were both really in demand and, 20 years ago, nobody would have expected that Slater’s career would turn out to be a let-down. Anyway, even though I don’t think it is really amazing, it is still a classic from the 90’s, it is one of the best movies directed by Tony Scott.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Danielle Harris, Halle Berry

What was it about?
A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.

My two cents:
Even though this flick didn’t turn out to be a massive box-office success when it was released, I actually think that it is rather underrated. Indeed, even though I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of action movies in general, I actually have a weak spot for this one. Sure, the title was rather lame, Damon Wayans can be pretty annoying and Bruce Willis pretty much did another version of John McClane but I'm a sucker for those action flicks when Willis plays his typical washed-up cynical guy. I never knew that before but it was apparently a rather messed-up production with some major conflicts between producer Joel Silver, director Tony Scott and lead actor Bruce Willis. It was so bad that both Silver and Scott went on record saying that this movie was one of the worst experiences in their respective careers. As a result, the whole thing was heavily re-edited by the studio but, somehow, the end-result was still satisfying.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly

What was it about?
Cole Trickle enters the high-pressure world of Nascar racing. He's a hot driver with a hot temper, and this attitude gets him into trouble not only with other drivers, but members of his own team as well.

My two cents:
I have seen this movie like ages ago but I still remember that the whole thing was pretty boring... The biggest issue, in my opinion, is how can you make an exciting movie about a sport like Nascar racing?!? I mean, no offense, but you only have those guys making circles for hours and it looks rather tedious, except maybe when they crash but it sounds rather morbid to follow a sport for those reasons. Anyway, back then, Tom Cruise was becoming the biggest movie star on earth and it was the second time around he was working with Tony Scott, following 'Top Gun' which was for both their first bonafide box-office success. Honestly, this movie was not so bad, I mean, Tony Scott is one of the best action director, no question about it but the story was kind of boring, not original at all and completely predictable. Even the great Robert Duvall couldn't make this more interesting. For Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, it was the start of a new romance but, eventually, it didn't end up very well for them, I'm afraid.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn, Madeleine Stowe, John Leguizamo

What was it about?
Michael "Jay" Cochran has just left the Navy after 12 years. He decides to visit Tiburon Mendez, a powerful but shady Mexican businessman who he once flew to Alaska for a hunting trip. Arriving at the Mendez mansion in Mexico, he is immediately surprised by the beauty and youth of Mendez' wife Miryea.

My two cents:
I think this one must have been Tony Scott's most obscure feature. As a matter of fact, the whole thing was actually a pet project for Kevin Costner and Costner was in fact planning to direct himself the movie as his directorial debut. Eventually, back then, producer Ray Stark talked him out of it as he didn't feel Costner was ready to helm a project just yet. Anyway, I thought it was not bad and there was above all a pretty cool cast. Indeed, both Kevin Costner and Madeleine Stowe were pretty much at the top of their game at the time and they had some pretty good chemistry. Furthermore, the whole thing was rather entertaining but, unfortunately, as it is often the case with Tony Scott's work, the plot was just terribly pedestrian and unoriginal and, to be honest, I had a really hard time to care for the whole thing.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Brigitte Nielsen, Dean Stockwell

What was it about?
Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogamil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.

My two cents:
I know, it sounds rather blasphemous but, in my opinion, this flick is actually the best installment involving Axel Foley. I'm probably in the minority on this one but, personally, I think it is the best movie in this franchise. Indeed, I think it is better than the first movie which I found actually rather disappointing. I mean, the first installment was a decent feature and they definitely created a nice concept which was perfect for Eddie Murphy’s type of humor. Still, I thought that the flow and pacing were not really great and I was always rather surprised this movie received so much love. Eventually, in my opinion, the sequel offered a better mix of action and humor and it went much more smoothly than the first installment. One of the main critic is that it was rather violent but, in my opinion, it was actually one of its best assets and it provided a nice contrast between the humor provided by Eddie Murphy and the darker violent moments.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, Adrian Pasdar

What was it about?
The macho students of an elite US Flying school for advanced fighter pilots compete to be best in the class, and one romances the teacher.

My two cents:
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, first of all, I was actually surprised by how little I actually remembered and, on top of that, I have to admit that, this time around, it turned out to be actually fairly entertaining. I mean, even though it is a huge classic from the 80's, I'm still not a huge fan but I think I was at first too harsh. It is also funny than the only thing that I did remembered where the impressive dogfight scenes but, in fact, I was also surprised by the fact that there were only a few of them after all. In fact, it turned out that at least half of the movie was about the romance between Maverick and his instructor. So, basically, it is an action flick mixed with a fairly generic romance. Eventually, what actually impressed the most was to see a young Tom Cruise in his breakthrough performance. Indeed, even if it was hardly his best work, the guy was just really charismatic and it was also quite neat to see the similarities between Maverick and himself. Basically, Maverick wanted to be the best pilot and to rule the sky and Tom Cruise wanted to be the biggest movie star and to rule the box-office (which he did for a very long time) and Cruise was actually a perfect choice to play this character. Anyway, to conclude, I'm glad it a second chance and even it still might not be a masterpiece, it is actually quite entertaining.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon

What was it about?
The vampire lady Miriam subsists upon the blood of her lovers. In return the guys or girls don't age... until Miriam has enough of them. Unfortunately that's currently the case with John, so his life expectancy is below 24 hours. Desperately he seeks help from the famous Dr. Sarah Roberts. She doesn't really believe his story, but becomes curious and contacts Miriam ... and gets caught in her ban, too.

My two cents:
It is a really intriguing flick and for many reasons. First of all, it was Tony Scott’s directing debut and the weirdest and most interesting thing about this flick is that it has absolutely nothing to do with anything else Tony Scott has done afterwards. Indeed, Tony Scott has made mostly solid action movies throughout his whole career but hus debut was definitely something quite different. As a matter of fact, it is actually one of the most intriguing vampire films ever made, with some rather steamy sex scenes with 2 giants, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon. To make things even cooler, you even have David Bowie starring as a vampire. To be honest, since it was a directing debut, the narration was sometimes rather weak and the pacing was also rather sluggish so I have to admit that even though it was really intriguing, it was still not entirely successful. Still, it remains my favorite movie directed by Tony Scott.

My rating: 07/10

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