Bruce Willis is one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood. With a swaggering attitude and a killer stare, Willis has cemented himself as one of the great cinematic action heroes. And when he steps outside the shoot-em-up genre, he also reminds us that he is a fairly versatile and charismatic actor.
But with a career as long as Willis has had, not everything can be solid gold. In recent years especially, Willis’s output of film has been less than stellar. But of course, we take the good with the bad even when it comes to beloved actors. Here are some of Willis’ best and worst films according to IMDb.
Best: Twelve Monkeys (8.0)
Willis can sometimes be criticized for playing the same stoic and tough-guy roles again and again. However, when Terry Gilliam chose him to star in his mind-bending science-fiction mystery, it gave Willis a chance to stretch his acting muscles. In a future in which humanity is forced underground by a mysterious virus, Willis plays a convict who is sent back in time to find out where the outbreak came from.
The movie is a unique and surreal story that demands to be watched more than once. Willis shows off a lot of vulnerability as a man on this incredible journey.
Worst: Vice (4.2)
Vice (not to be confused with the Oscar-nominated Dick Cheney film) showcases the exact problem with Willis’s latest film efforts. The actor seems resigned to making film after film that are uninspired, straight to video, action films that he seems to be sleepwalking through.
In the film, Willis stars as the creator of a luxury resort that allows its guests to fulfill their most taboo fantasies, using the resort’s robotic slaves however they please. But things go awry when one robot gains a mind of its own and escapes. The movie offers nothing that Westworld didn’t do better.
Best: Sin City (8.0)
Frank Miller has created some of the most iconic comic books of all time so it’s no wonder filmmakers are so keen to stick to his unique vision when adapting his work. For Sin City, Robert Rodriguez brought each panel of Miller’s violent noir anthology film to life on the big screen. Willis stars in one of the stories as a cop hunting a madman before his retirement.
The movie is a stylish and inventive ride filled with memorable characters and some wild stories. Rodriguez’s passion for the work shines through and the all-star cast including Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, and Clive Owen are a lot of fun.
Worst: Reprisal (4.2)
The latest lackluster action films Willis has been apart of makes it clear he is no longer very interested in playing the action hero role. In these films, he usually plays a supporting role that doesn’t require much of him while another actor takes on most of the action sequences.
In Reprisal, Frank Grillo takes the lead as a former bank manager haunted by a violent robbery that happened under his watch. In an attempt to move on, he begins hunting down the thief responsible with the help of his ex-cop buddy, played by Willis.
Best: The Sixth Sense (8.2)
Willis has made some of his most interesting work of the last few decades with M. Night Shyamalan with The Sixth Sense being a standout film on both of their resumes. Willis stars as a child psychologist who begins working with a troubled child (Haley Joel Osment) who claims to see dead people.
The movie is a brilliant ghost story with Shyamalan maintaining a creepy and effective tone throughout. Willis gives one of his best performances and Osment in stunning. And, of course, the film features one of the greatest twists in film history.
Worst: Extraction (4.1)
Extraction is yet another case of Willis phoning it in for a straight-to-video release, this time playing a secondary role to the likes of Kellan Lutz and Gina Carano. The movie centers on a former CIA operative (Willis) who is kidnapped as part of a terrorist plot and his son (Lutz) who sets out to save his father and the world.
The movie is more of the same from Willis’ recent films. The action is dull, the acting is bored and there is nothing new that we haven’t seen in a dozen other action films.
Best: Die Hard (8.2)
Willis’ long career as an action hero started with Die Hard which many still consider to be the greatest action movie ever made. Willis plays John McClane, a hard-headed New York cop who finds himself facing off against a group of terrorists who take over a Christmas party in a Los Angeles skyscraper.
The movie is a thrilling, funny and clever action-adventure with some nail-biting sequences. Willis is the perfect put-upon hero who Alan Rickman creates an iconic villain with Hans Gruber. It also happens to be one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made.
Worst: 10 Minutes Gone (3.5)
Willis seems to have formed a strong collaborative relationship in his later career with director Brian A. Miller. But seeing how they have made the likes of Vice and Reprisal together, it might be time for their partnership to end.
However, the two reunited again in 2019 for 10 Minutes Gone which stars Michael Chiklis as a man betrayed during a heist who sets out to exact revenge. Willis plays the man Chiklis works for. The result is a crime film filled with clichés and nothing interesting to add to the genre.
Best: Pulp Fiction (8.9)
Quentin Tarantino has made many beloved films in his career, but many still consider Pulp Fiction to be his true masterpiece. The movie is a crime saga, telling multiple stories of colorful characters that intersect and collide with each other. Willis headlines one of the stories as a boxer who gets on the bad side of a gangster.
The movie really lets the world know Tarantino’s unique voice as a filmmaker. The dialogue-heavy film is full of iconic lines and hilarious moments that have made their mark on pop culture. It is a brilliant, fun and energetic film like no other.
Worst: Air Strike (3.2)
Air Strike (also called The Bombing) is a Chinese action war film that enlisted the star-power of Willis to sell the film to a Western audience. It is inspired by the true World War II story of the Japanese bombings of the city of Chongqing.
Despite the incredible true story, the film fails to do it justice. Given the awful special effects of the film, it’s a surprise it ever saw the light of day. The corny script and uninspired performances don’t do anything to elevate the film at all.
