These are the best ranked Bruce Willis movies

Bruce Willis He is one of the most popular movie stars in the world. Originally starting out on the hit TV series Moonlighting, he eventually broke out as an action star with his role as John McClane in The Movie Die hard. Die hard It became a hit and launched a franchise that is still producing sequels to this day. It also provided the opportunity for Willis to work with some of the best filmmakers in Hollywood. Throughout his career, he has worked with filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, M. Night Shyamalan, and many more. Although primarily associated with the movement, he is also known for his comedic pieces and for dealing with a wide variety of genres.

Updated June 1, 2023: To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Amira Abdel-Fadel.

Willis’ icon status will never be questioned, but sadly, his acting days are over. In 2022, the actor and his family announced his retirement, and he suffers from aphasia, which leads to a weakening of his speech and memory. In 2023 it is announced that he has dementia. Combined, Willis’ films have made him one of the highest-paid actors in the world, and while audiences will never see him act again, he has plenty of great movies to watch. Here are the best Bruce Willis movies, ranked.

17 The Jackal (1997)

Jackal It sees Bruce Willis playing a hitman seeking revenge for a man from Azerbaijan who was killed in a joint operation between the FBI and the Russian MVD. It’s tense and fast-paced, and Willis portrays a ruthless and ruthless killer really well. While many didn’t think it lived up to the original movie, it has great editing, cinematography, acting, and music that make it a fun throwback to the ’90s.

16 Over the Hedge (2006)

Bruce Willis has lent his voice to animated films before, most notably Spike in the Dark Rugrats go wild. After his role as RJ the Racoon in the 2006 DreamWorks animated film On the edge He is his best. Originally, RJ was supposed to be voiced by Jim Carrey but was then replaced by Willis, and honestly, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the part. Willis imbues RJ with the sense of suave swagger he gave action heroes like John McClaine.

15 Tears of the Sun (2003)

Sun tears It highlights a moral dilemma between one’s duty to work and one’s humanity. Set in the Nigerian jungle after the fall of the Nigerian government, the country is on the verge of a serious political conflict. Meanwhile, a US Navy team led by Lt. Waters as Bruce Willis is ordered to rescue Dr. Lena Kendricks from the jungle where a civil war is raging.

Related: Top Bruce Willis Moments in Movies, Ranked

However, when the doctor refuses to go with them unless they rescue her patients, who happen to be refugees, a delicate situation arises. How will they deal with it? The movie is exciting and thought-provoking with a message to tell. Tears of the Sun is a solid war-themed motion picture with a great cast and where Bruce Willis steals the show.

14 Armageddon (1998)

Despite the 1998 Michael Bay disaster movie disaster Cannibalized for its scientific inaccuracies, it is undoubtedly an action-packed ride from start to finish. Willis plays Harry Stamper, a crude and hard oil rig. When NASA discovers a planet-killing asteroid hurtling towards Earth, Stamper, along with the crew of oil misfits, must travel into space to destroy the asteroid.

disaster It has a great cast, including Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Billy Bob Thornton, and Liv Tyler. In real life, NASA is showing this movie in its management training program, tasking its new employees with finding as many scientific errors as possible. They have now found 168.

13 The Last Scout (1991)

The last scout It is an action, thriller, thriller in which Bruce Willis plays a bodyguard who is supposed to protect a pole dancer. When she is murdered, he uses his past of being a detective and teams up with her boyfriend to go after her killers. Their investigations lead them to discover a lot of corruption. The action-packed film features humor, violence, and the vibe of a classic ’90s cop.

12

11 Looper (2012)

Rian Johnson’s sci-fi thriller looper It gives the audience a look into the future where time travel is possible. The movie follows Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is a “lopper”; Someone who kills people who are sent from the future. In the end, Joe is given the task of killing his future self, played by Bruce Willis. Things go wrong, and Joe is sent on a mission to destroy his future self before it’s too late.

The thought-provoking film was a critical success and launched Rian Johnson’s directing career to a new level, eventually allowing the director to achieve massive financial successes, such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi And Take out the knives. It was one of many high-profile films by Bruce Willis that year, which included Sunrise Kingdom.

10 The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

The whole nine yards It was a box office hit, and watch Willis in this comedy about a contract killer who worked for the mob but now wants to start a new life. Willis is having a great time in this comedy and has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, including Amanda Peet, Matthew Perry, Rosanna Arquette, and Michael Clarke Duncan. The movie plays to Willis’ strength as a man who hooks audiences into the action but also has a good sense of comedic timing.

9 Sin City (2005)

In Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s thriller crime thriller novel Sin CityBased on the Frank Miller graphic novels, Willis plays Officer Hartigan, an aging cop intent on stopping a child killer from claiming his fourth victim. Willis plays to perfection, capturing the grit needed for Miller’s violent and dark story. Willis would later reprise his role as Hartigan in the prequel Sin City: A Lady To Kill For (2014).

8 The Fifth Element (1997)

In one of the most fun and engaging sci-fi movies of the ’90s, The fifth element It follows futuristic taxi driver Corbin Dallas (Willis) as he teams up with Lilo (Milla Jovovich) to stop cosmic evil from falling into the hands of Zorg (Gary Oldman). This is one of Willis’ most fun gun movies, and the aesthetics and designs are some of the best in the sci-fi genre.

Related: The Fifth Element 2 was supposed to happen, and here’s what killed it

The film was nominated for Best Sound Editing Effects at the Academy Awards and had an impressive ensemble supporting cast, including Chris Tucker and Ian Holm. Although Willis was a little hesitant about taking the role after that Hudson Hook And Billy Bathgate Performing poorly to critics and the box office, he took on the role only two hours after reading the script.

7 Sunrise Kingdom (2012)

Willis plays a different kind of cop compared to his previous roles as Wes Anderson Sunrise Kingdom. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike and received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The story follows Sam (Jarren Gelman), a rebellious kid who runs away with the love of his life, Susie (Kara Hayward). Captain Sharpe (Bruce Willis), along with others, must try to track down the young couple and bring them home. This will also be the second movie in which Bruce Willis co-stars with Harvey Keitel, her first Pulp Fiction in 1994, though the two never share a scene together.

6 Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Although it is now as likable or as good as the first movie, Die hard with a vengeance It was quite a step up Die Hard 2. John McTiernan returned to direct and added Samuel L. Jackson to the cast, as well as Jeremy Irons, who played the brother of Hans Gruber, the famous villain from Die hard. The chemistry between Willis and Jackson is great, and some of the best lines from the franchise come out in this movie. This would help establish a cinematic relationship between the two as they would later work Unbreakable And is divided Together and previously appeared in Pulp Fiction Although only one scene is shared with no dialogue.

The action was fantastic, and the film blew the doors off its budget, bringing in $366 million against its $90 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1995. There was some negative reaction to the film’s subject matter as terrorist plots were similar. The Oklahoma City bombing took place exactly a month before the movie was released.

5 Unbreakable (2000)

M. Nate Shyamalan Unbreakable It follows David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a security guard who is discovered to have superhuman strength and endurance. Through the direction of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Shyamalan), the film was an intriguing take on the superhero mythology, and the filmmaker would go on to create two sequels: is divided And glass.

4 Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi epic tells the story of James Cole (Bruce Willis), a convict sent back in time to retrieve information about a man-made virus that wiped out nearly all of humanity. Twelve monkeys Brilliantly directed by Gilliam, Willis gives an outstanding performance. The film was critically acclaimed and nominated for Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards. Brad Pitt earned his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting performance.

3 The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense Putting M. Night Shyamalan on the map, the film would go on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The story follows Cole (Haley Joel Osment), a boy who can see and communicate with ghosts and seeks help from a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). Willis gives a wonderfully dramatic performance opposite Osment, and the movie gave us one of the most iconic twist endings in history.

2 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Willis plays Butch, a tough boxer on the run, in Quentin Tarantino’s The Game Pulp Fiction. An all-time classic, this movie contains drama, violence, comedy, and much more. Pulp Fiction It would go on to win the Palme d’Or in 1994 as well as garner seven Academy Award nominations, winning Best Original Screenplay.

Butch is the main focus of the film’s “The Gold Watch” chapter, and Willis gives a bloody and gritty performance. Although Matt Dillon was originally wanted for the role, Tarantino offered it to Willis after he was disappointed that John Travolta was casting Vincent Vega instead of him. Pulp Fiction It would help redefine Willis’ movie persona in the 1990s which led him to films like Twelve monkeys And The Sixth Sense.

1 Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis will forever be famous as John McClane, the quick-thinking cop who saves an entire office from a group of terrorists on Christmas Eve. Die hard It has action from start to finish, but the movie shines mostly because of its fantastic script written by Jonathan Hensley, interesting characters, and a well-balanced mix of drama and comedy. Die hard is a classic action movie, and although there are skeptics, it can be considered a great Christmas movie, too.