12 films that marked the career of Bruce Willis

After achieving worldwide fame for his role as David Addison in the series Moonlighting (Moonlight) for five seasons, between 1985 and 1989, Bruce Willis surprisingly abandoned television to dedicate himself entirely to film. He had been working in films since 1980, but his success would only be achieved by the end of that decade. It was a succession of successes and also a spectacular filmography.

In the last five years he made a lot of low-quality cinema, but not to be fooled: his career is spectacular. A list is always arbitrary, but next are twelve important titles: some are masterpieces, others are giant blockbusters, several are both. There are 12 could have been 24 on the list. Sorry for the omissions. The great Bruce Willis retires from the cinema, but his work will never leave the affection and respect of the public.

Duro de matar (Die Hard, 1988)

The great character of Willis, the one who changed everything. The hero in a shirt who fights at Nakatomi Plaza against a group that claims to fight for ideals even though they are is a band of thieves. An unforgettable character, named John McClane, is born in this, one of the most successful and influential action films of all time. The villain played by Alan Rickman and the direction of John McTiernan are two keys to rounding out this definitive classic. Available on Star+.

El último boy scout (The Last Boy Scout, 1991)

Although at its premiere it may seem like a minor film, the years have only improved this action title directed by another great one that was vindicated: Tony Scott. Willis presents here one of his best characters: his work is enough to justify a review of this film. Available on HBO Max.

Hudson Hawk (1991)

Misunderstood and unrated great action comedy under the direction of Michael Lehmann. Willis combines his talent for comedy and action in a single title. They are accompanied by Danny Aiello, Andie McDowell and James Coburn. Adventures and songs in a film about an adorable thief and a mystery that reaches Leonardo da Vinci.

Death Fits Him (Death Becomes Her, 1991)

Black comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. Willis plays a surgeon who has been in love with both women and who now helps them look beautiful after they both achieved immortality but their bodies suffered all kinds of damage. He is the moral axis of a brilliant film full of evil. Available on HBO Max.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

A rudder stroke in Willis's career, which connected him to the next generation. Quentin Tarantino directs his most famous film, where Willis plays Butch Coolidge, the boxer who rebels against an arranged fight: one of the intertwined stories of this 90s classic. Willis shone in a cast where Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta also made history. Available on HBO Max.

12 monos (12 Monkeys, 1995)

Terri Gilliam directs Willis in this ambitious remake of the French film La Jetée (1962), a science fiction film that shows a more complex side of the actor. Although he is perfect, it was Brad Pitt who took the laurels. Being a sober and classic actor does not give awards, but it gives a filmography like the one that Willis continued to grow in the nineties.

El quinto elemento (The Fifth Element, 1997)

Luc Besson, director of The Perfect Killer, made this blockbuster of French cinema where Willis joins forces with Mila Jovovich to create a rare film that installed a visual imaginary that still lives on today. Rarity within the actor's career, but another title of the most famous.

Armageddon (1998)

Hardly anyone can say that it is one of the best, but it is one of the highest grossing and remembered. NASA sends a group of oil well drillers into space to destroy an asteroid that can destroy Earth. Willis is the hero sacrificed par excellence; his role is huge, as is the budget of the film and the cast, which includes Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Steve Buscemi and Billy Bob Thornton. Available on Star+.

Sexto sentido (The Sixth Sense, 1999)

Bruce Willis did many dramas, but with this film he took a new turn to his career and convinced him with a totally new character for him. A child psychologist sees in a new case the chance of claiming himself by another patient from his past whom he could not save. Great film and a giant blockbuster: proof that quality and success can go hand in hand. One of the best in Willis. Available on Star+.

The protege (Unbreakable, 2000)

M. Night Shyamalan redirects it after Sixth Sense in a work that is much more aesthetically ambitious and of great complexity. Another blockbuster despite the aesthetic risk it poses. Samuel L. Jackson is the counterpart to this dark and original hero story made before the splendor of comics on the big screen. Available on Star+.

Los indestructibles (The Expendables, 2010)

Sylvester Stallone summons all the big stars of the eighties action movies for this great movie full of weapons, punches and lots of veterans having fun and laughing at themselves. Willis has a minor role, but takes advantage of this new appearance to later release another film of older but current stars: Red.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Let it be an example of one of the many different films that were made by the versatile and always charismatic Willis. Wes Anderson conducts another of his choral works, where the actor is one more of a cast of stars, although his role, brilliant as Captain Sharp, is one of the most important.

The list ends and so many titles are left out that it makes you want to start over. Bruce Willis developed a career that accompanied us for four decades and, if you think about it, he is always in every memorable scene of every great film he worked on.

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