The great Bruce Willis is sadly suffering from frontotemporal dementia, so his long acting career in Hollywood is sadly over. The 68-year-old acting icon’s health had been in decline long before his family announced his diagnosis in February of 2023, and he retired from acting in March of 2022 after an initial diagnosis of aphasia.
Symptoms of Willis’ condition include trouble speaking, memory loss, and not recognizing people close to him, but it’s comforting to know his family is around him and taking care of him in his time of need.
Willis will always be fondly known as a screen legend, primarily for his performances in action movies. It’s his iconic role as John McClane in the Die Hard franchise for which film fans know him best (to the point that fans consider remaking the original Die Hard blasphemous).
However, there’s more to Bruce Willis than John McClane. As these five movies prove, he has always had a pretty impressive range.
In Country (1989)
In Country is a drama movie based on Bobbie Ann Mason’s 1985 novel of the same name. It’s about a young girl, Samantha Hughes, whose father died in the Vietnam War before she was born, who makes it her mission to find out more about him and his experiences. Bruce Willis plays Emmett Smith, Samantha’s uncle and an easy-going Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who helps her in her quest. In Country is a tragically underseen film, buoyed by a brilliant and mature performance from Emily Lloyd as Samantha and an impressively understated performance from Willis as Emmett. It was the first movie that proved Willis could do dramatic roles adeptly.
Look Who’s Talking (1989)
Bruce Willis had already performed comedic roles before 1989’s Look Who’s Talking – he’d starred in the popular sitcom Moonlighting for four years starting in 1985 and had appeared in 1987’s critically-panned rom-com Blind Date – but it was this movie that proved he could do it successfully in Hollywood. Moreover, he did it without even appearing on screen. Look Who’s Talking chronicles the relationship between a single mother and her son Mikey’s babysitter. Kirstie Alley plays Mollie, the mother, and John Travolta plays James, the babysitter. Willis voices Mikey’s inner monologue hilariously and with genuine enthusiasm. The likable cast, the chemistry between Alley and Travolta, and Willis’ voice performance make for an entertaining – albeit undeniably silly – comedic viewing experience.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction is one of the most iconic films ever. Quentin Tarantino’s independent crime movie tells a quartet of intertwined stories about violent crime in Los Angeles, California. Bruce Willis plays Butch Coolidge, a veteran boxer whose best years are behind him who’s on the run from crime boss Marsellus Wallace after double-crossing him. It received seven Oscar nominations, winning one for Best Screenplay, making it Willis’ best film. Willis holds his own, even in a cast that includes John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, and Christopher Walken. It rejuvenated his career after a slump, and he brilliantly conveyed the emotions of his conflicted character. Pulp Fiction is thrilling, funny, and deliciously brutal.
12 Monkeys (1995)
The sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys is inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 short film La Jetée. It follows a convict who, in a post-apocalyptic future in which Earth has been ravaged by disease, gets sent back in time to obtain information about the man-made virus that killed most of humanity. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, the prisoner sent on the temporal quest to save mankind. Willis shines in a solid cast that includes Brad Pitt (who received a Best Support Actor nomination), Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer, and David Morse. His grounded performance as a fragile loner holds the whole thing together. 12 Monkeys is a little crazy, but its action, twists, and turns are enough to entertain anyone.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The psychological thriller The Sixth Sense received six Academy Award nominations without winning any, which is a huge shame. It’s about a child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, whose young patient, Cole Sear, claims he can see and communicate with dead people. Willis plays Crowe, Haley Joel Osment plays Cole, and Toni Collette plays Cole’s mother, Lynn. Osment and Collette received Best Supporting Actor and Actress nominations, respectively, and it’s tragic Willis wasn’t considered for Best Actor. He is superb as the sympathetic psychologist, giving arguably his career-best performance. The Sixth Sense is scary, suspenseful, teeming with fantastic performances, and boasts one of the finest twist endings in cinema history.
