Top 10 Bruce Willis movies to watch in 2024

Top 10 best Bruce Willis movies
Top 10 best Bruce Willis movies (Image via imdb)

Bruce Willis is known for his ability to deliver memorable performances, witty banter, and exciting action scenes, he has been a constant figure in Hollywood for many years, charming audiences with his unmistakable talent and rugged appeal. Willis has demonstrated his acting skills in famous roles like John McClane in Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, and Armageddon.

Celebrated as a beloved and renowned entertainer, he is famous for his tough-guy image, signature grin, and memorable catchphrases.


Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, and 8 other movies starring Bruce Willis

1) Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1998) (image via 20th Century Fox)
Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1998) (image via 20th Century Fox)

Bruce Willis plays the role of NYPD officer John McClane in the 1988 classic Die Hard, directed by John McTiernan. In the movie, McClane has to save his ex-wife and the other hostages in Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles from terrorists, and unlike the other conventional action heroes, Die Hard’s protagonist John McClane is shown as a sympathetic, vulnerable, and clever character.

The movie's creative action scenes, clever conversations, and memorable villains portrayed by Alan Rickman profoundly affected the audience. Die Hard is a fan favorite in pop culture noted for its blend of action, comedy, and sentiment.

It transformed the action genre by introducing a protagonist that was more relatable, all thanks to the masterful acting by Bruce Willis.


2) Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction (1994) (image via Miramax Films)
Pulp Fiction (1994) (image via Miramax Films)

Most film enthusiasts don’t need an introduction to the famous pop culture classic film Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. This special film connects a variety of plots in an unorthodox pattern. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman join Bruce Willis in this film.

In the role of Butch Coolidge, a boxer who betrays a mafia boss, Willis appears. Viewers found the film fascinating due to its smart conversations and memorable figures that broke the industry's typical patterns.

Its diverse soundtrack, iconic poster, and numerous pop culture references struck a chord with viewers, leading to its iconic status. Pulp Fiction is celebrated for its innovative filmmaking, blending of humor and violence, the unconventional camerawork and editing style, and impact on cinema and pop culture.


3) The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense (1999) (image via Buena Vista Pictures)
The Sixth Sense (1999) (image via Buena Vista Pictures)

In The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan crafts a captivating psychological drama starring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist who faces his own struggles tied to past failures. His latest patient, a young boy named Cole Sear, portrayed by Haley Joel Osment, reveals a chilling secret: he perceives and connects with the spirits.

This unveiling creates the backdrop for a story featuring suspense and authentic emotional intensity.

Audiences became immovable by the film’s heavy tension and the unforgettable statement "I see dead people." Through his role in seeking redemption, Willis layered a story that profoundly affected the character's journey. Viewers felt taken aback by the film's shocking final twist, and reinforced its role as a legendary work of pop culture.

A unique film experience was shaped by the charismatic performances and guiding hand of Shyamalan along with the emotional depth of its narrative that continues to fascinate fans.


4) Armageddon (1998)

Armageddon (1998) (image via Touch Stone Pictures)
Armageddon (1998) (image via Touch Stone Pictures)

Armageddon is perhaps one of the most high-stake rides where Bruce Willis fits perfectly into the shoes of Harry Stamper, an oil drill manager, turned savior of the world. In the film, Willis commands a team of incompetent oil riggers to fly into space in a desperate attempt to stop an asteroid from destroying Earth.

He pulls off a masterful performance by mixing both the rough exterior and the stubbornness with a passionate performance that still remains realistic.

The audience is thrilled with non-stop, suspenseful, and emotional sequences portrayed in the film. It is the best of both worlds – large-scale fiction and intimate story.

The music in the movie especially the song ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith adds to the emotional depth and turns Armageddon into not just a disaster film, but a movie about courage and sacrifices.


5) Looper (2012)

Looper (2012) (image via TriStar Pictures)
Looper (2012) (image via TriStar Pictures)

Looper is a mind-bending sci-fi/thriller in which Bruce Willis features as an older Joe, in a role performed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a hitman whose job is to eliminate his future self. Willis portrays the character with a needed edge of desperation but shows the strength the character has as well.

Viewers were amazed at the movie’s intelligent plot involving time travel, intelligent script, and witty communication between Willis and the young Gordon-Levitt.

The combination of the action and suspense categories with philosophical searchings about destiny and free will is the movie’s strength. Rian Johnson was successful in the direction and the outstanding cast made this movie an interesting watch.


6) The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element (1997) (image via Sony PIctures Entertainment)
The Fifth Element (1997) (image via Sony PIctures Entertainment)

The Fifth Element by Luc Besson is an extraordinary sci-fi and that takes the viewer to the 23rd century. Bruce Willis acts as Korben Dallas – a spacecab driver, a man selected to save Earth from alien evil.

Audiences loved the jokes which are added along with the dazzling colors and overall a great idea utilized in the movie. Both Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman are impressive in the film.

The great combination of the film’s setting in the future as well as Suchine and Jehro’s clothing design together with the unique plot contributed to making the film one of the cult. It still remains one of the biggest cultural phenomena in movie history due to memorable scenes and quotable lines.


7) 12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995) (image via Universal Pictures)
12 Monkeys (1995) (image via Universal Pictures)

12 Monkeys focuses on James Cole, played by Bruce Willis, a man from a post-apocalyptic future, brought to the 1990s to stop a virus that annihilated most of the world's population. Willis effectively portrays the psychological pain that Cole experiences.

The movie blends elements of plain and simple noir, science fiction, and psychology with the spicy appearance of Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines.

12 Monkeys is a suspenseful story that challenges the traditional concepts of reality and fate. Besides being important aspects of pop culture, the film's themes and mood are essential for discussing time travel and dystopia. They say it remains fresh in the mind long after the encounter has ended.


8) Sin City (2005)

Sin City (2005) (image via Buena Vista Pictures)
Sin City (2005) (image via Buena Vista Pictures)

Sin City is completely and unapologetically stylistic, throwing you into a world that is dominated by black and white with splashes of red that are so bright that it feels like they’re shouting at you.

Bruce Willis embodies a tough cop, burnt out but committed effectively to the end to make an impressionable girl safe from a brutal murderer in his portrayal of Hartigan. Willis shines in the role alongside Jessica Alba with laudable dignity.

What grabs the interest of the audience is the visual aspect of filming this picture, which does not merely ape the graphic novel, but incarnate it through contrasts and framing. The complex plot and the villains’ complexity fix the viewers in Basin City even more and make Sin City not just to watch, but to dive into the comic book universe.

This is a bit like turning to pages that were somehow animated to pure silver screen excellence.


9) Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) (image via Focus Features)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) (image via Focus Features)

Moonrise Kingdom is a fantastic work by Wes Anderson with Bruce Willis as Captain Sharp who is a sincere police officer on the island. This movie, revolving around two young lovers who eloped to a New England island in 1960s, focuses on Willis, and his efforts to find them.

He looks up to his role as Captain Sharp in a more gentle light when giving his performance. The fans appreciate the film due to its outstanding visuals, bizarre narrative, and sincere acting.

It can be funny at times, it refers to the 90s – and 80s as well – and it can be heartfelt at the same time, which makes it quite interesting to watch. Anderson’s work of detail and the magical essence of the film is what makes Moonrise Kingdom a wonderful experience for the audiences that are fans of Anderson.


10) Red (2010)

RED (2010) (image via Summit Entertainment)
RED (2010) (image via Summit Entertainment)

Red is a crackerjack action comedy that moves at one heck of a pace, with Bruce Willis perfectly cast as the reluctant hero Frank Moses. You can picture Willis, Idris' replica with an audacious smirk, nonchalant in his informal chic, directing a dream team of legendary actors Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich all giving their best.

That is an entertaining feature film filled with explosive action set pieces and quick-witted one-liners which cannot be mistaken.

The audience enjoyed the parody humor, spectacular thrilling sequences, and the romance within the show's actors. It’s a gem of a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet fantastic, funny, heartwarming, and high-octane! Indeed, witnessing Red is kind of like when you’re asked to come over to join the coolest club of infiltrators where everyone else is also an a*s-kicking pro and the stakes are as enormous as the universe


Whether a die-hard fan or new to his films, these 10 Bruce Willis's most iconic roles offer something for everyone.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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