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Director/Producer Tony Scott, best known for the films Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop II, died in an apparent suicide when he jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California. He was 68 years old and had a lot of projects in production, including a rumored sequel to Top Gun. Amidst the tragedy, we’ll be seeing a lot of tributes to his work and legacy. He directed iconic films and was a very prolific producer, especially later in his career and up until his death.
I wanted to contribute my own thoughts on some of the projects that had an impact on me.
True Romance
The 1993 film Scott/pre-Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino collaboration starred Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater (plus Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Val Kilmer, and lots more) in a blood-bathed romp that stirred up some ire from the media at the time due to the violence. I didn’t see this until the early 2000s, but I remember a particularly good evening watching this with a lot of wine and a couple of friends and really enjoying it.
Enemy of the State
I saw this in the theater on a first date in 1998. It was one of those movies I really expected to dislike (I hadn’t chosen it), but actually ended up liking. Gene Hackman and Will Smith (still riding high post-Independence Day) star in the political/action thriller.
The Pillars of the Earth
As a fan of the book (and sequel), this was an easy choice. Scott produced this miniseries in 2010. It had a great ensemble cast and was a quality offering from Starz, who tends to waver on that sometimes. While others may have forgotten this little gem in the wake of the grander Game of Thrones, I still remember it fondly.
Top Gun
Possibly Scott’s most famous film, it also remains one of Tom Cruise’s most star-making films. I didn’t see this in the theaters in 1983, but I remember seeing it sometime in the early ’90s. As a tween, it wasn’t hard to love anything with Tom in it. I always consider this a prototypical muscle film that was common in the ’80s, and it’s box office reflected that popularity.
R.I.P. Tony Scott. You can follow how Hollywood is reacting to Scott’s death here.
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