Whilst every year brings cinematic joy in the form of groundbreaking and exciting new films that entertain millions of cinema-lovers like us, it is equally saddening when every year we learn of a much loved film-making talent who is unexpectedly taken from us. This week has been no exception as we learnt the tragic news that British director Tony Scott passed away on Sunday 19th August at the age of 68 in what appeared to be an apparent suicide.
Brother of the equally legendary Ridley Scott, whom he worked with as producer throughout his career (most recently on Prometheus, Ridley's return to the Alien franchise), Tony made his own name as director of the some of the most memorable high-octane action blockbusters of the past two decades. Whilst they may have been better received by audiences than critics, no-one can deny the thrills and spills he brought to the big screen with the likes of Days Of Thunder, True Romance, Crimson Tide and of course Top Gun. Arguably the most successful film of his career, Top Gun became the highest grossing film of 1986 making over $350 million worldwide in its theatrical release against a $15 million budget. Marking his first collaboration with action superstar Tom Cruise, whom he would later work with on Days of Thunder, Tony made a habit of working with some of Hollywood's brightest talents both in front and behind the camera. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington for example starred in five of Tony Scott's films including Man On Fire, Deja Vu, the remake of The Taking Of Pelham 123 and his last theatrical release Unstoppable. Similarly renowned composer Harry-Gregson Williams provided the score for his entire filmography from 1998 including Enemy Of The State, Spy Game and Domino. All the aforementioned films bore his trademark frenetic camera style that proved inspirational for many young aspiring filmmakers that followed such as Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) along with our own home grown talent, Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and Duncan Jones (Source Code).
Tony also made his name in television, acting as executive producer on popular series such Numb3rs and The Good Wife which is still running on both British and American screens after nearly four years.
We will probably never know what would have become of his future projects such as the much anticipated sequel to Top Gun which he was developing in the days leading up to his death. What can be absolutely certain however is that the loss of Tony Scott has left a gaping void in modern Hollywood action cinema. The memory will be kept alive thanks to a forthcoming re-release of the classic original, complete with a new 3-D conversion but until then, we at The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall urge you to seek out any Tony Scott film and enjoy it over a big tub of popcorn with the volume turned up to max. Sit back and enjoy the ride but never forget these words, tweeted by Academy Award winning director Ron Howard: "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day"
RIP Tony Scott
1944 - 2012
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