Bruce Willis He is one of the most important actors in action movies. His work in different sagas of explosive films has allowed him to position himself as an icon in this genre and also to be part of contemporary pop culture. One way or another, any viewer knows him and, most likely, has seen some of his films. The announcement of his retirement, due to a diagnosis of aphasia, is the end of a career full of successful productions.
Since 1980, Bruce Willis has been making films. That year he made his first film, titled the first mortal sin. It was a minor role, one that may have gone unnoticed by many of his followers, since he only plays a man having dinner. However, it was the start of a career that lasted until last year, 2021. Between these years, dozens of films and people have become cults, in several cases.
Perhaps when we think of the actor, the immediate reference is his work in the saga hard to kill (Hard at heart). He plays John McLane, a detective who finds himself trapped in different situations that he solves with force, gunpowder and projectiles. The first installment of this franchise was released in 1988. movie This represented the launch of his artistic career to stages he had not reached before. The legend was born.
Bruce Willis, an icon of the 80s and 90s
The first installment of hard to kill raised in United States $83 million while globally the figure was $140 million. A more than adequate collection, considering that the actor did not have the notoriety with which he faced other projects. Gradually his memorable phrase, after defeating the villain of the film, entered popular culture: “Yippee ki yay, motherfucker“. Two years after the premiere of this movie, came the second part of this story. It was a time when action cinema also had lethal weapon as one of the franchises that has gradually begun to establish itself.
After this production, the actor made different productions in which his role varied and others in which he returned to arms. the last scout (Tony Scott, 1991) allowed him to continue in this ascending line. Then came her next key role, with pulp Fictionthe movie directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1994. In this moviepacked with other notable actors, Bruce Willis starred butch coolidge.
He was no longer just part of a successful franchise but was beginning to be considered in auteur productions. This explains his stint in other key films in his filmography: Four bedrooms (Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Allison Anders, Alexander Rockwell, 1995), twelve monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995), The fifth Element (Luc Besson, 1997) and Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999), among others.
The descent, on an exceptional trajectory
As happened after the success of hard to kill, the actor has alternated commercial productions with others much more careful in terms of history and production. He also immersed himself in narratives opposed to much of what he had done, as in my meeting with me (Jon Turteltaub, 2000). In this film, he portrayed a businessman full of trauma and insecurities who, through a younger version of himself, manages to change his future. He is perhaps remembered by few for what is perhaps his most commercial and popular roles: Armageddon (1998) and The sun’s Teardrops (Antoine Fuqa, 2003). However, after these productions, he made city of sin (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, 2005), one of the best comic-inspired films.
After this film saga, the actor started to take part in projects that weren’t as impactful, although that doesn’t mean his performances weren’t up to snuff. It can hold The mercenaries (2010), this invention in which Sylvester Stallone brought together several of the most important action figures of the 90s in a single film. At that time, his position within the collective cinematic imagination was respected in the action genre.
The photograph with which his daughter, Rumer Willis, shared the statement is a tribute to the figure of the actor. Bruce Willis was an alluring personality within the film industry. Part of that reputation, among other reasons, led him to such figures as Half Moore. With her he had one of the most famous marriages in the industry. After a divorce, this relationship mutated until they became great friends. Moore, a 90s icon like Willis, also signed the statement shared by her daughter.