Tony Scott 1944-2012

Tony Scott, the director of mega-hits TOP GUN (1986) and DAYS OF THUNDER (1990) has died at the age of 68 from an apparent suicide. He was the brother of director Sir Ridley Scott, whom he collaborated with on various film and TV projects.

Tony Scott was a low-key Hollywood director who was as much known for his trademark red baseball hat as his directing style; which was noted for its rich visuals, stunning cinematography, and likeable characters. His most noteworthy directing credits include CRIMSON TIDE (1995), THE FAN (1996), REVENGE (1990), ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998), BEVERLY HILLS COP II (1987), and SPY GAME (2001). His last directed film was UNSTOPPABLE (2010), which starred Denzel Washington, whom he frequently worked with.

He will likely be most remembered for making a super-duper-star out of a young Tom Cruise with DAYS OF THUNDER, and most of all, TOP GUN. With TOP GUN, he cemented his status as a talented action-director. In an age before CGI was around to create aerial combat with fighter jets, Scott earned the cooperation from the U.S. Navy and shot the film the old fashioned hard way. TOP GUN was a testosterone-fueled, chest-thumping film which proudly waved the stars and stripes; showing that Scott knew what audiences wanted to see.

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This Blogger has always appreciated Scott’s talent for making characters out of things which could not speak. Just like the Millennium Falcon lived and breathed on the screen; Scott made characters out of jet fighters, race cars, submarines and freight trains; practically turning steel and rivets into flesh and bone. It was a special talent that not many directors have, and our silver screens are a lot dimmer without him.