The Bruce Willis Movie He Called Relatable—and the One He Regretted Making

Bruce Willis has starred in several of the world's most epic films.

Perhaps you know his name because you're a fan of action movies like Die Hard (is it a Christmas film?), The Fifth Element, or Armageddon. Or maybe you met Willis in other classics, such as Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, or Death Becomes Her.

If you were lucky enough to be around in the '80s, you might remember him from Moonlighting, the series that aired on ABC and ran from 1985 to 1989, where he played the witty private detective David Addison Jr.

Regardless of which of his masterpieces you were introduced to first, or which is your favorite, Willis has a few takes of his own. 

Let's shine a spotlight on his filmography to find out which projects Willis found relatable and which he later regretted taking part in.

THE ONE HE DEEMED RELATABLE

Many would argue that Willis's most legendary film is Die Hard. Some of those same fans might also debate whether it’s a Christmas movie, a discussion that continues to this day. What’s very clear is that Willis thoroughly enjoyed making Die Hard and praised it for being relatable to audiences.

After the film’s release in 1988, he told Today that he wasn’t concerned about comparisons to silver screen classics starring Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Sylvester Stallone, because Die Hard was different.

“I think what makes our film different is that it’s an adventure, too. And also it’s about people, I think, the audience can relate to. These aren’t larger-than-life characters. These are, for the most part, ordinary people.”

Die Hard became a franchise with five installments, running through 2013, with the highest-grossing being the third, Die Hard with a Vengeance. However, Willis’s biggest box office hit came in the '90s with The Sixth Sense.

THE ONE HE REGRETTED MAKING

From bright spots and box-office successes to regrets.

According to Slash Film, Willis rarely criticized movies he worked on, but one he felt was entirely miscast and lacked something in the plot: The Bonfire of the Vanities. His fellow actors (Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Morgan Freeman) all recall the movie as their least favorite. Willis pinpointed what he believed was the problem.

“I was miscast. I know that Tom Hanks thinks he was, too. The movie was based on a great book. But one problem with the story, when it came to the film, was that there was no one in it you could root for. In most successful movies, there's someone to cheer on.”

Though he admits he wasn’t the biggest fan himself, Willis also pushed back against the media’s take on the project, calling out critics for pointing fingers without having any relevant experience to back up their opinions. 

“The critical media didn't want to see a movie that cast the literary world in a shady light. In the reviews, they were recasting the film. They were saying, 'If we were doing this film, we would cast William Hurt instead of Tom Hanks,' or whatever. Well, if you were doing the film, then that might mean you had some f***ing talent and knew how to tell a story instead of writing about what other people are trying to do.”

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