Bruce Willis starred in several box office hits and critically-acclaimed movies such as Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Armageddon, but did you know he also joined a project that nearly killed his career? In 2012, he starred in The Cold Light of Day alongside Superman actor Henry Cavill. For those who have seen the film, they must have wondered why these two high-profile stars even agreed to do it.
The Cold Light of Day ranks as one of the worst films under Willis’ and Cavill’s names, and it also boasts one of the lowest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic rating is only 4% while the audience score is a generous 29%. It also flopped hard at the box office, only earning $25.4 million against a budget of $20 million.
Bruce Willis And Henry Cavill Starred In The Worst Movie Of Their Careers
It sounds quite strange that The Cold Light of Day featured big names in the industry. In fact, it also starred Sigourney Weaver. The cast should have attracted audiences or at least drawn a decent box office profit, though that was not the outcome.
Surprisingly, Bruce Willis had a significant role in the movie, yet his total screen time only lasted for 30 minutes. The film ran for 93 minutes, which offered a plot that several reviews called “dull” or “boring.” Some even questioned why Henry Cavill would star in the massive Man of Steel franchise in 2013 after the failure of Mabrouk El Mechri’s 2012 project.
Speaking with Fandom Entertainment, Willis talked about the film and his character and how it was easier for him to do comedies than action films:
“I find it easier to try to make people laugh. It’s always as challenging as it is to try to make people laugh. It’s much harder to do physical stuff and do scenes that have big action.”
Willis is no stranger to action films as the majority of his body of work displays his flair for all things adrenaline rush. The Cold Light of Day follows Willis’ character as a father with a tough relationship with his estranged son. When an accident occurred that resulted in his family’s abduction, Willis’ character finally unveils the truth about himself, and that he is working for the CIA.
The Death Wish actor added that the movie is all about “caring” and “love” and the hard choices that one has to make in the name of the family’s legacy:
“The story really is more about the other side of it, because it’s all about caring, it’s all about love, but it gets out of everyone’s hands. Henry has to make a choice to do the things he probably didn’t want to do because of the legacy that I left them.”
For the fans of Willis and Cavill, The Cold Light of Day may not be the kind of movie that would live up to their expectations. Though, for the curious cats out there, this might be worth a try to see why it received such low ratings.
Action Legend Bruce Willis Still Loves This Poorly Rated Film
Bruce Willis shared in the same interview some reflections on his career and primarily working on action films:
“What I’m saying about action films, or films that have drama that surrounds action and activity, is not something that I ever thought of as ‘That’s what I want to do.’ If I ever get a chance to work in films and it’s just something, that is a challenge every time.”
Willis confessed that he loved The Cold Light of Day, most especially the connection between him and Cavill, and the revelations that unfolded as they went through the journey despite not knowing who to trust.
The Cold Light of Day is available on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video.
Source: Fandom Entertainment
