Bruce Willis names the greatest movie of his career: “Better than anything I’ve ever done”
Bruce Willis has done some fantastic work in the action movie space. Obviously, he is best known for his role as the sharp-tongued, shoe-shunning police officer John McClane, star of the ‘Die Hard’ franchise, but there’s more to Willis’ career than that. He’s starred in the likes of The Fifth Element, Sin City, and Armageddon, whilst also appearing in other series like ‘RED’ and ‘The Expendables’.
It’s not just films where everything explodes that Willis has made his name in. He lent his voice to an animated raccoon in the DreamWorks comedy Over the Hedge, played a man caught between two supernatural rivals in Death Becomes Her, and spearheaded the hunt for a missing boy scout in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. His success isn’t even limited to the movie world, as he’s even had a weirdly successful music career.
Basically, when it comes to favourites, Willis got a lot to pick from. However, when he gave an interview to Esquire, that’s precisely what he did, and with some apparent ease. The publication were surprised when the icon spoke so fondly about Looper, a sci-fi action romp from future Knives Out director Rian Johnson.
“It’s better than anything I’ve ever done,” he said with authority. “Rian did an amazing thing. He conceived an original story. He wrote it, sold it, stuck with it, directed it, and finished it,” Willis says. “That’s just tough to do in this town. Someone always weasels into the process. That didn’t happen here. And if he never did anything else except that Herculean effort, he’d have made it in the business. Amazing. It’s more than an original story. It’s a story people are going to talk about, and see twice. And argue about. I was arguing with myself about the story when I read it the first time. That’s all Rian Johnson, beginning to end. Great, great director.”
Looper stars both Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an older and younger version of the same character. Joe is a hitman, working for a shady corporation in the future who sends people back in time to be murdered in the past with no consequences. When Old Joe finds himself sent back to be whacked by his younger self, he escapes, prompting a battle of wits between two highly-accomplished killers who literally couldn’t know each other any better. The movie, which also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels, scored well amongst critics and audiences alike. It made over $176million on a budget of just $30 million, with many fans still clamouring for a sequel over a decade after its release.
It turns out Willis wasn’t the only person who enjoyed working on Looper. Gordon-Levitt also spoke about how good a time he had, referencing a particular compliment that the actor playing his older self gave him. These testimonies speak volumes to the atmosphere Johnson is able to create on his movies, as well as his ability as a unique creative force.
Sadly, with Willis’ very public health struggles forcing him to retire in 2022, he won’t ever get the chance to reprise his most cherished role. Still, in an era where original ideas (particularly in sci-fi) are a rarity, the fact that he was able to bring one to life so successfully is one hell of an achievement.
