Top Gun

Tony Scott had this amazing quality to identify the potential of an emerging star and utilize the latent talent to come up with an ultimate classic. Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ is one among Scott’s best films which not just helped establish the director in Hollywood but catapulted the actor’s (Cruise) career a major boost. ‘Top Gun’, a film about the US fighter jets was one of the highest-grossing films of the 1980s and quickly became a cult. Scott believed the actor`s youthful charm, optimism and never-ending energy would guarantee success. "Tom can sit behind the wheel of a race car and smoke a cigarette and this movie will make a fortune," Scott had once said.

Beverly Hills Cop II

Even as Scott’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ wasn’t a big commercial success at the Box Office, the film remains one of the best in the genre of action-comedy. With Eddie Murphy in the lead, Scott very smartly used the energy and charisma of the star to bring out the desired effect in the film. An all out action adventure, BHC II was an adrenalin pumping high testosterone flick.

The Last Boy Scout

It wouldn’t be incorrect here to say that Scott’s ‘The Last Boy Scout’ helped significantly to establish actor Bruce Willis’ image of that of an action star in Hollywood. The action thriller was a complete entertainer with some jaw dropping stunt scenes. ‘The Last Boy Scout’ was nominated for two MTV Movie Awards for Best Action Sequence and Best On-Screen Duo – between lead star Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans.

Crimson Tide

`Crimson Tide’, the submarine thriller, was another top league action flick which had Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in the lead. Tony Scott has played brilliantly with the music given by Hans Zimmer to amplify the action in the film. The film was high on intellect as well as the adrenaline glands.

Enemy of the State

Following ‘Crimson Tide’, Scott partnered with Gene Hackman and Will Smith to come up with a spy thriller ‘Enemy of the State’. Apart from the riveting plot of the film, it was Scott’s treatment of building intensity and power packed drama which left the audiences absolutely spell bound. Scott was a maverick when it came to creating thrill and with ‘Enemy of the State’, he excelled no bounds.

Spy Game

‘Spy Game’ was another spy thriller which was clever and showed great control of Tony Scott’s craft. The film starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt depicted international crimes involving high risk scenes which were brilliantly shot by the director. The film was explosive in terms of action and also had a gripping plot.

Man on Fire

After having built a strong camaraderie with Denzel Washington during ‘Crimson Tide’, Tony Scott cast him again in ‘Man on Fire’. The film was an American thriller film, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by AJ Quinnell. To play the lead, Scott needed someone who could exhibit restrained anger with unbound intensity and Denzel fit the bill perfectly. Owing to his maverick of creating powerful drama, Scott delivered a gritty espionage thriller with ‘Man on Fire’.

Déjà vu

Collaborating with Denzel again, Tony Scott directed ‘Déjà vu’ and the film brought to the fore the evolving brilliance of the director. With elements of crime and science fiction, ‘Déjà vu’ is considered one of the best by Scott. Amalgamation of reality with the science fiction has been wonderfully created by Scott in ‘Déjà vu’.

The Taking of Pelham 123

Starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta in this high octane train drama; Tony Scott delivered an edge of the seat action flick with ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’. The electrifying pace of the film leaves you breathless.

Unstoppable

‘Unstoppable’, again was a runaway train drama directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film, loosely based on the real-life CSX 8888 incident, tells the story of a high-speed freight train on-loose, and the two men (Washington and Pine) who attempt to stop it. Action, being the driving force of the film, ‘Unstoppable’ was nominated in the category Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards.

By Bikas Bhagat