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| Tony Scott with Tom Cruise |
One of the things we like to talk about here on the WSF blog are films and filmmakers that inspired us; movies that made our eyes bug out and locked an ear to ear smile on our faces for a couple of hours. Tony Scott (brother of Ridley Scott), certainly managed to do that more than once with his impressive filmography. Tony was known for the kinetic action and high-speed edits he brought to the screen. The man had range and knew how to entertain with films like Beverly Hills Cop II, Man on Fire, and the vastly underrated Spy Game. If you haven't seen Spy Game, drop it in your NetFlix qeue this week. Some great work by Redford in that one. But, the two Tony Scott movies that stick out most to me are Days of Thunder and, of course, Top Gun.
There's just something about Days of Thunder and its style and Cole Trickle that you can't get out of your head. It's one of those movies that just sticks with you. Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall make a great pair and Michael Rooker's Rowdy Burns was a great foil with depth who ends up becoming inspiration for Trickle in the end. There are some legitimate moments of character development buried under all the racing and filmmaking style, but if there's one thing that Days of Thunder taught me that I will never, ever forget, it is this:
Cole Trickle: ...this [SOB] just slammed into me.Then we have Top Gun; an absolute pitch-perfect slice of euphoric 80's action. If you walked out of that film and didn't want to be a Navy fighter pilot, there may be something wrong with you. I know Kenny Loggins wasn't the only one who was jumpin' off the deck, shovin' it into overdrive. Top Gun had incredible action sequences with real F-14 Tomcats the likes of which we'd never seen. It had unashamedly goofy segments like shirtless, blue jean cutoff volleyball set to a Loggins song that sealed the scene's infamous place in cinematic history. Although most guys could have probably done without the Maverick/Kelly McGillis sillhouetted love scene, there are other moments in this film I would go so far as to call iconic. For example, who hasn't seen or even participated in a recreation of the acapella You've Lost That Loving Feeling from Top Gun's bar scene?
Harry Hogge: No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he rubbed you. And rubbin, son, is racin'.
In short, Tony Scott gave us moments and images that will never leave us. I can't think of anything more gratifying for a filmmaker. Our prayers go out to his wife and sons. Thank you for contributing to our dreams, Mr. Scott. I'm not sure what drove him to the spot he found himself in last night, but it's another reminder of the things that are precious in life. And a reminder that success is a truly subjective measurement that each of us defines for ourselves.
And remember, the next time some SOB in your life slams into you... he rubbed you. And rubbin', son, is racin'.