The internet was abuzz with the news of director Tony Scott’s apparent suicide as I went to bed last night, and inevitably my dreams involved Mavericks and Gooses (Geese?).
Much is made of the career and works of highbrow filmmakers, so much so that significant contributions of more populist directors, the masterminds behind the big budget blockbusters, are unfairly undervalued (see Steven Spielberg and the Quest for Oscar).
For all that film is a storytelling format, it is still primarily a visual medium and Tony Scott excelled at crafting high-octane fare that swooped, swooshed and vroomed across our screens. Scott made his mark on planes (Top Gun), trains (The Taking of Pelham 123), automobiles (Days of Thunder) and even submarines (Crimson Tide). He directed Tom Cruise and Will Smith (Enemy of the State) and Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop II) and Denzel Washington (five times!) at the heights of their careers. He even directed a Quentin Tarantino film for good measure (True Romance).
Alongside James Cameron and Michael Bay, Scott forged the action movie genre. Where would Michael Bay (anything!) or Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) even be without him? Think about that, and try not to focus on the sad circumstances around his death, even as you morbidly wonder what Top Gun 2 will be without his vision.
Entertainment Maven 