HERE’S TO THE DEPARTED, TONY SCOTT

CRIMSON TIDE is his best movie. Helped by great performances of course.

MAN ON FIRE is his best.

Rest in peace. Maybe not as cerebral as Ridley, but arguably more entertaining.

Man on Fire is my current Tony fave, with LBS coming a close second.

 

You made some awesome Movie Burgers sir.

Great piece, Renn. Last Boy Scout is top for me.

A truly sad moment for cinema, and sadder still that he left a family behind.

MAN ON FIRE is definitely up there, although Denzel's towering performance makes it. The crazy editing seems to work there.

True Romance is my favourite, but I do enjoy the hell out of Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State.

So the early rumors are he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Horrific. I will say this, that if the man was dying sooner rather than later, this is certainly more in keeping with his life's work. Totally Creasy Bear.

Oh man...  I don't know what I would do if I learned I had terminal brain cancer, but I would like to hope suicide wouldn't be the answer.

It's CRIMSON TIDE and THE LAST BOYSCOUT that are my real favorites of his.

I do enjoy his other films like THE HUNGER (despite the bad ending), TRUE ROMANCE, ENEMY OF THE STATE and UNSTOPPABLE.

TOP GUN, BEVERLY HILLS COP II, and DAYS OF THUNDER qualify as genuine guilty pleasures for me.

I wanna give REVENGE another shot sometime, despite how the Costner and Stowe characters are stupidly written (really, who would have the balls to betray Anthony Quinn?). I found MAN ON FIRE too nauseating, and not in a good way.

 

I don't know - I think it makes a lot of sense, to be honest. That's an awful, slow, lingering way to go out, and you might not still be yourself by the time you go.

RIP Uncle Tony.

"I wish... you have more time"

 

Wow. If that rumour is correct that I can understand why he did what he did. I do feel for his two children, though I suppose - in his mind at least - it was better for them if he went out quicker rather than slower. 

I would like to state, at this point, that the whole facts are not out yet. He left a note apparently, and I imagine more information will be forthcoming. Sorry to put that out there, especially if it turns out to be incorrect.

 

I always liked Enemy of the State a lot, for some reason. I must have watched the DVD half a dozen times one year. But in the end, True Romance strikes me as the masterwork.

Crimson Tide, by a mile. No directorial flash trickery, just letting the script and the claustrophobia ramp up the tension little by little. He does great things with True Romance, but such a huge portion of that movie working is QT's script.

 

Man On Fire is also the only time the overexposed trickery he became known for worked perfect. Nothing but love for that flick.

 

The brain cancer rumor makes a ton of sense, and yeah, going out on his own terms seems right in line. Just terrible news, even if that's *not* the case.

If the brain cancer thing turns out to be the case - then that rings completely true to the docos, interviews and commentaries. A total "FUCK YOU, CANCER!!" badass move. Obviously no way around the pain it will cause his family, but I think the victim of such an illness should be able to make the call whether to linger or stick a fork in the bastard, and have that decision be respected.

 

(Plus it would very much be a relief to avoid yet another case of depression taking down an otherwise together/successful/dynamic person out of the blue.)

 

And Fuck Yes - what a catalog he's left us. Hard to stay sad ultimately. It's been fantastic to see the tweets from all the names that place him as an important inspiration and mentor. Not just concerned with his own movies, but making sure other talents were out there getting busy too. Speaks of a man with zero "smallness" in him.

I've seen comment already from some of the more highbrow news outlets that Scott's films lacked an appreciation of morality or ideas, or were nothing more than stylistic experiments without resonance in character or narrative.

 

Know what? You want to see "Top Gun" without an appreciation of the importance of character in action, watch "Iron Eagle" or "Stealth". Joe Hallenbeck was the epitome of the moral white knight, as was Denzel's character (from a certain point of view) in "Man on Fire" or (better) "Crimson Tide", or Christ, Hopper in "True Romance". "Crimson Tide" is also definitely about ideas, as was "Enemy of the State". Want an interesting take on the morality of immortality, watch "The Hunger".

 

Just because he enjoyed playing with the medium in a characteristic way doesn't mean he was some kind of vacuous idiot savant. His films were kinetic, visceral and stylised, genre-defining at best, and otherwise (mostly) superior examples of high concept movie making. He may have emphasised visual impact over meditations on the human condition, but generally speaking the characters in his films had strong perspectives and acted consistently with them, and motivation and narrative progression was based on a pretty strict sense of the internal logic of the story. In fact, I'd almost go so far as to say he had a better and more consistent command of his talent than Ridley has, even if his highest highs weren't as (accidentally?) impressive as his brother's.

 

Sorry for the rant, and maybe I'm attacking a straw man, but I'm already getting tired of the legend being writ (not here) that somehow he should be remembered only as an agent of 80s camp-fests, fetishing action and "style" (whatever the fuck that means) over more worthy pursuits and having no greater legacy than spawning a crop of banal blockbusters.

Holy shit, I was just watching a documentary on Ridley Scott last night and Tony was frequently featured on the doc as well...their early films were showed, and Tony was in a few of them as a young man.  Eerie timing.  Terrible fucking news.  Ridley must be devestated, as he lost his other brother between Alien and Blade Runner.

A tie between Last Boy Scout and Man on Fire for his best film, if you ask me; they guy already had legend status for Top Gun, though.

Really sad news, and a huge loss for the film world; Tony was a class act, and he even helped produce a lot of films that needed his boost to get made;  one of the best action directors out there.

IMDB claims he had an actual sequel to Top Gun on the works, which I hope never comes to pass now.

I think anybody trying to claim the artistic high ground in the wake of this is a)a near-sociopathic shut-in with a catastrophic lack of empathy, and b)more interested in the sound of their own opinion than anything resembling fact. Debate can and will rage about the quality of Scott's body of work, but the impact that he had on blockbuster film-making from the late 1980s onwards is irrefutable.

 

And on top of the place in history that his influence guarantees him, he was that rarest of beasts: an A-lister auteur. A Tony Scott film was, above all else, a Tony Scott film. That he maintained his pattern of pushing his stylistic boundaries whilst enjoying enduring commercial success is something of a miracle, and should be applauded rather than sneered at.
 

TRUE ROMANCE and CRIMSON TIDE all the way. Each was the perfect storm of great script, amazing cast, and exactly the right director for the job. He had other good ones for sure, but those two are legitimate masterpieces.

Sad news.  Guy was a defining director of our generation, no matter how you look at his movies.   I wasn't a huge fan of most of his 00's output, but I thought UNSTOPPABLE was a nice return to form.  Very sad.  He had many more movies to make. 

 

Best?  CRIMSON.   My personal fave?  TRUE ROMANCE by far.  

Best film is definitely Crimson Tide.

Spy Game is a criminally underrated gem.  Awesome performance by Robert Redford and the movie is tight as a drum.

 

He'll be sorely missed.

I've been painting all night and True Romance has been keeping me company.  Next up, The Hunger and later tonight, finally sitting down and watching The Last Boy Scout.  This is such horrible news and immensely deep condolences to his family and close friends.

 

His style was certainly evolving, would've been a treat to see what else he had in his creative vault to give us.  Such a shame.  Thankfully, he left behind some cinematic gems.  

 

Well said.  I actively dislike the back end of his filmography (weird soft spot for Unstoppable aside), but there's no mistaking a Tony Scott film for anything else and there's something to be said for that.

 

Regardless, The Last Boyscout, True Romance, and Crimson Tide?  That's a hell of a run right there.  Quintessential 90's actioners, through and through.

Inoperable brain cancer was just confirmed.

The last film of his I outright loved was MAN ON FIRE - the  last two thirds are just a freight train of righteous fury. But there's value to be found in all of his output. Even DOMINO. Hell, even PELHAM 1-2-3 - the only other guy who can get that kind of engrossing everyman performance out of Denzel is Spike Lee, which is pretty rarefied company.
 

Bummed big time.  I even enjoyed Deja vu.  My heart goes out to his family.

I already spoke out in the Dead Celebrity thread, and regardless of what I think of most of his films, this is a tragedy for Scott Free and my thoughts go out to Ridley Scott and the family.

So wait, the dude found out he had inoperable brain cancer and threw himself off of a bridge? That's kind of badass. RIP Tony Scott. THE HUNGER is a hoot.

And he cast Oldman as the Devil. Brilliant. Scott knew how to direct High Octane with style. RIP.

Yeah, the story went from being tragic to something...not inspirational, but less tragic. I've seen people rot away from cancer. Throwing yourself off a bridge is kind of a great way of giving it two middle fingers. 

 

Warren Zevon also had inoperable brain cancer and yet went on to make one last album.  I kind of wish Scott had done the same thing, but to each his own, I suppose.

He must've finally watched Domino. I keeeed, I keeeed.

 

Never really enjoyed much of the man's style. Still, sad for his family.

Tony Scott had one of those weird careers where I routinely forgot he directed certain films -- in particular, LAST BOY SCOUT. I was not a fan of the visual style he evolved into during the 00s, but THE HUNGER remains one of the best looking horror films of the 80s. 

Holy shit.

I can't stop wondering if he got a second opinion.  I'm serious, this is bothering me.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere about the Scotts having a third brother who died in the 80s (?) from cancer.  Maybe that was enough to push him over the edge, not only the fact that the cancer was, from what he knew at the time, inoperable.

The Wall Street Journal sums up Tony Scott's career:

 

The films often involved a couple of actors—typically a veteran and a rookie, or alpha-male rivals—and a form of transportation. Mr. Scott made movies about trains, subways, submarines, fighter planes and racing cars.

 

Have to say, it's a bad ass way to go for a Director of Action Movies.

 

I wouldn't say it's less tragic, just a different kind of tragedy. I would say it's less troubling though. When someone outwardly successful offs themselves it's mysterious and unsettling, but whether you agree with what he did or not, anyone could understand facing with a long, unpleasant death and deciding "I'm not going out like that". If it was because of terminal cancer, at least it's good to know it wasn't because he was secretly wrestling inner demons his whole life.

 

Scott's films often trafficked in nihilism, of believing the worst about humanity. Often his heroes would stand triumphantly over the ashes of their enemies with distinct reservations. Other times, they simply died. His films, even the sunnier pictures, had a pitch-black sense of morality to them.

 

It fits right in with his suicide, as it is inherently bleak to turn your back on life, and to embrace the abyss. The argument about this, about suicide, and about his films, is that there's no dignity of leaving the Earth on your own, there's no decency in leaving your loved ones behind, taking "the easy way out" and, by extension, making a series of ugly, violent, soulless films.

 

I do think this argument is inaccurate. Scott was one of my least favorite filmmakers, but I deeply respected his integrity and his approach towards what was, in the end, confirmed to be a very dark outlook on life. There is beauty in this, beauty in quietly ending it, leaving behind a considerable catalog that will long outlast most of us. Scott has left behind a legacy that proves this, even if his films ran counter to my own view of humanity.

 

I wrote a bit more about the man here, if anyone's interested. Rest in peace.

I respect not allowing cancer to dictate your life, if that's how the man felt. Obviously I have no idea how this will impact his family, and to what extent his decision was a selfish move, but objectively I tip my hat. I'd probably cling to every last second as cancer ate me away, but that's me. He was nearly 70, he'd lived his life, accomplished a hell of a lot. I can certainly understand the logic of "Well, fuck it." 

 It's mentioned in the Blade Runner featurette.  

I hope none of those photos and/or video ever surface.

*and no that wasn't supposed to be some joke in bad taste.

My favourite Tony Scott story was from the set of The Fan.  Apparently Scott wanted to cast some British actor as the Giants shortstop, but the guy was left-handed.  John Kruk, one of the baseball advisors on the film along with Cal Ripken, told Scott "Tony, you just don't see left-handed shortstops in baseball."  Tony said, "Why not?" Kruk thought for a second.  "I don't know," he admitted.

Yeah, I bet his two twelve year old sons thought it was 'badass'. What a stupid comment. It was selfish, not badass.

Clearly people have been watching too many movies if they think such a tragic way of leaving this world is "bad ass".  There is nothing bad ass about suicide...ever.  And I'm not saying he shouldn't have done it.

Oh fuck off. You stating that its selfish is just as ridiculous as someone saying its badass. Maybe its neither. Maybe its a guy who made a decision that none of us could understand even if we were in the same circumstances, since we don't know how he personally looked at things. Its a bad situation altogether, but it was a choice he made and although we shouldn't necessarily celebrate it you have no right to condemn it. Looking at it from a pragmatic standpoint how is it even selfish? He decided not to subject his family to a long slow drawn out period of suffering. Yeah, they're gonna suffer regardless, but if you can't see how this is at all merciful than you're kidding yourself.