21% Of Fans Said This Is Bruce Willis' Worst Movie — We Have Some Thoughts
(Welcome to Survey Says, a feature where we conduct a movie-related survey for a random group of people and explain why they're completely right, completely wrong, or somewhere in-between.)
Bruce Willis has, unquestionably, earned his place in cinematic history. The man is (or at least was) an absolute icon, having appeared in some of the most important movies ever produced, such as "Die Hard" and "Pulp Fiction," among many other classics. But, in recent years, Willis has fallen into a habit of doing cheap action flicks for an easy paycheck. There is actually an incredible article breaking down the Hollywood practice of producing these flicks, called "geezer teasers," and why so many aging action stars get drawn into doing them.
In any case, for every good movie Willis has been in, there have been at least several pretty bad ones. We recently surveyed some movie lovers to see what people think his worst movie is. The results are telling in that they illustrate just how much there is to choose, and just how many people have perhaps avoided his worst works altogether.
And the Survey Says...
According to nearly 22% of those who responded to our survey, 2014's "The Prince" was ranked as Bruce Willis' worst movie. The action flick, which was directed by Brian A. Miller and distributed by Lionsgate, co-stars John Cusack and Jason Patrick. It has the distinct honor (?) of boasting a rare 0% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. For those who may have missed it, a synopsis of the film reads as follows:
Jason Patric, Bruce Willis and John Cusack face off in this action-packed thriller. A retired assassin is drawn back into the life he gave up when his daughter is kidnapped. To rescue her, he must confront his former rival.
The other entries included "A Good Day to Die Hard" (16.24%), "Vice" (15.29%), "The Cold Light of Day" (13.54%), "North" (13.06%), "Reprisal" (10.19%), and, "Fire With Fire" (9.87 %). With the exception of 1994's "North," the majority of these movies have come more recently in the actor's career, strongly suggesting that his best days are behind him. Though we can all hope Willis finds it in himself to show up in another crowdpleaser like "Looper."
A Good Day to Die Hard Is Bad, But Not That Bad
It's quite interesting that so many respondents said that "A Good Day to Die Hard," the fifth John McClane adventure, is the actor's worst movie. There is no denying that the movie, which co-stars Jai Courtney, is not good. It's arguably pretty bad. That having been said, it is by no means his worst movie. The man has several entries on Rotten Tomatoes with less than a 5% approval rating. Not that the site is the be-all-end-all for such discussions, but it indicates there is a lot of garbage to sift through. This, to me, suggests that people have, for good reason, avoided some of Willis' worst movies. So they were left to vote for the most noticeable of his bad blockbusters.
The Prince Is Fair Choice
As committed as I am to my job, there is no chance I am going to spend hours on end going through the last decade of Redbox action flicks that Bruce Willis made for a paycheck. There are lots of allegedly bad ones in the bunch and, based on the critical response, "The Prince" seems like a solid contender for the worst of the worst. It would, at the very least, earn its seat at the table. This to say, if we must focus on the bad from Willis, this seems like a fair movie to single out. It is certainly tough to argue against.