Bosco's Grindhouse

I never thought that tonight, under these circumstances, I would be writing about the death of Tony Scott. One of the most influential filmmakers of our time, he and his brother Ridley have created some of the best and most memorable pieces of cinema the world has ever seen. I remember watching True Romance with my father at the age of twelve years old. I had seen other Tarantino films before, but the marriage of Tarantino’s beautiful script and the tender but sometimes frenetic direction by Scott was enough to have me in awe well after the film’s final credits had rolled.

After his debut film, The Hunger, Scott launched his own career as well as the career of Tom Cruise with 1986′s Top Gun, now considered a cult classic among many. He then went on to direct Beverly Hills Cop II, Days of Thunder, The Last Boy Scout, Enemy of the State, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, and his last film, the surprisingly good Unstoppable, among others. As a producer it’s possible that his influence was even greater. Alongside his brother, Tony Scott was able to bring The Duplass Brothers to the mainstream, as well as my favorite film of 2012 so far, The Grey.

Always maintaining a balance between independent and blockbuster productions, Tony Scott represented something of a beacon for aspiring directors. To me, he was not only one of my favorite directors, he was one of my heroes. He made action films with a brain and with a heart. He was able to get fantastic performances from his casts, and he’s probably the only director on Earth who could make two consecutive films in which trains are a central plot point.

Tony Scott died after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. A note was found in his Prius and his body was discovered at approximately 4:30 PM with an estimated jump time of around 12:30 PM. It was rumored that he had been working on a sequel to Top Gun with Tom Cruise. Upon hearing about his death, I took to Twitter and Facebook to vent my deep sorrow for his death. My posts were:

Twitter:

Holy fucking shit I just read that Tony Scott killed himself. I can’t even comprehend this. Fuck…he was one of my idols.
9:43 PM

Facebook:

RIP Tony Scott. You were seriously one of my idols. Your movies influenced me in a way no one could imagine. I can’t comprehend my feelings right now, and your suicide is a tragic loss that will forever leave an empty space in the hearts of me and all your fans. Wherever you are now I hope you’re at peace. I wish I could have met you before you passed. You’re a great man, Tony Scott, and your mark left on the world will be remembered for eternity.
9:45 PM

While Tony’s brother Ridley was the more successful of the two, my introduction to the Scott brothers was undoubtedly through Tony, when I watched True Romance, Man on Fire, and The Taking of Pelham 123 within the span of 6 months. Ridley’s films were always critically lauded but Tony’s films found cult audiences and were much more marketable to mass audiences. His big-budget blockbusters were much smarter than the average movie, and the pure enjoyment one gets from them is almost unmatched in modern action filmmaking.

The tragic loss of Tony Scott is almost too difficult to believe. He left a legacy for future filmmakers. A legacy that will be forever impossible to live up to. Launching the career of one of the biggest movie stars of all time is no small feat, and few other filmmakers have that power, especially now in a time of the forever changing trends and power that accompanies movie stardom. May Tony Scott rest in peace, and shall his films forever live fondly in the memory of moviegoers the world over.