At 67 years old, Bruce Willis will be retiring from film due to a tragic health issue his daughter Rumer announced, and with it, cinema will be losing one of its greatest action stars. After rocketing to fame in the classic 80s sitcom Moonlighting, Willis defined the modern action film with Die Hard, and with it, became one of the cornerstone talents of his generation.
Willis became an irreplaceable piece across numerous classic films for some of the best directors in history, including Quentin Tarantino, Terry Gilliam, and Robert Altman, and turned in iconic performances in dozens of films.
Here are the 10 best performances of Bruce Willis’s career.
Bruce Willis’ 10 Best Films:
10. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Teaming with Tony Scott, one of the best action directors in history, was a perfect pairing for Willis as a pivotal point in his career, as he solidified himself as one of the 90s most bankable leading men, with a sense of humor all his own.
9. Looper (2012)
A late gem in the career of Willis, this showed next-generation master Rian Johnson, ever the student of film, knew exactly how to make use of Willis’ stoic charisma in a surprisngly emotionally affecting science fiction mind-blower.
8. Sin City (2005)
Willis always seemed built for classic film noir–so who better to cast in the ultimate genre pastiche?
7. Unbreakable (2000)
M. Night Shyamalan quickly followed up his first masterpiece with this still-underrated gem, despite the fact that it has now spawned a trilogy, which saw Willis reprise his role as latent superhero David Dunn.
6. 12 Monkeys (1995)
While Terry Gilliam’s films may no longer generate the buzz they once did amongst film fans, 12 Monkeys is ripe for rediscovery, a film that Willis grounds from start to finish.
5. Death Becomes Her (1992)
A now-cult classic from a director who some might think only makes mainstream hits, Robert Zemeckis’ Death Becomes Her, complete with its A-list cast, is even funnier now than it was when it was released 30 years ago.
4. The Sixth Sense (1999)
It may now be known for containing the greatest twist in movie history, but this may be the best pure performance of Bruce Willis’ career–grounded, and achingly human.
3. The Fifth Element (1997)
A mad-cap masterpiece and the finest film of Luc Besson’s career, The Fifth Element has aged beautifully, with an energy built for the TikTok generation.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Eminently quotable, inspiringly cast, and perfect from start to finish–Pulp Fiction remains an oft-imitated, never-bested marvel–a film that boasted Willis as its biggest star at the time. While some may remember it differently, without Bruce Willis, Pulp Fiction would never have become was it was.
1. Die Hard (1988)
One of the best scripted films in history, rightfully taught in nearly every film school on earth, Die Hard for most of us is merely the most rewatchable action film ever made–a film so good that it turned Willis into a Christmas icon–even though (sorry) this is hardly a Christmas movie.