Full details of Sadiq Khan's new budget as mayor prioritises police
Spending plans revealed for Met police, London fire brigade and TfL
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The movie Bruce Willis wanted to delete from history
Bruce Willis made a lot of bad movies in his career, but there was one he openly blasted in public for being a black mark on his record.
Click Here to read in detail
(Credits: Walt Disney Pictures)
Film » Cutting Room Floor
Thu 16 January 2025 16:15, UK
Throughout his career, Bruce Willis was no stranger to the public ignominy of a flop. After all, the Die Hard icon made a host of questionable films that died at the box office and were gleefully eviscerated by critics.
In the early 1990s alone, he had a run of pictures that called into question his leading man bona fides, including Hudson Hawk, Billy Bathgate, and The Bonfire of the Vanities. Willis only publicly condemned one movie from this period and wouldâve preferred it was deleted from history. However, it was ironically the only one that performed respectably at the box office.
It probably felt like a safe bet when Willis signed up for 1993âs Striking Distance. After all, it was a cop thriller with a big summer release and saw Willis play an alcoholic detective who plays by his own rules to track down a serial killer murdering people close to him. Columbia Pictures chairman Mark Canton was bullish about the filmâs prospects, declaring that he âcouldnât be more enthusiasticâ about what the leading man and director Rowdy Herrington were cooking up. Unfortunately, those would prove to be famous last words.
After extremely poor test-screening results, the Striking Distance team returned for reshoots. Willis was reportedly extremely unhappy to be brought back and probably wasnât best pleased when Herrington told Entertainment Weekly that the film, in that state, was âa little too confusing. The audience has to work too hardâ. There was a ton of pressure on the duo to turn this thing into a hit, though, so Willis reportedly did what he was known to do on previous faltering projects: he took over.
An anonymous source involved with Striking Distance told EW that the star âcalled the shots like he did on Hawk and like he used to do on Moonlighting. He had scenes rewritten. He did what he wanted to do.â
In a moment of inspired wordplay, the mystery source sardonically added, âWe were working with âOrson Willis.'â
Naturally, rumours abounded that Willis commandeering the project from Herrington led to bad blood on the set. However, the filmmaker always deflected any negativity directed toward the star, saying, âIf this movie doesnât succeed, itâll be my fault, not Bruceâs.â
Ultimately, Striking Distance made $77million worldwide on a budget of $30m, ensuring it didnât lose money. Unfortunately, it only cobbled together $24m of that total in the US, meaning its domestic reputation was still that of a bomb. Critics attacked the movie with gusto, accusing it of being an incomprehensible collection of cliches that have been executed better in many, many other similar titles.
Over the years, both Willis and Herrington have dismissed the movie despite it overcoming the odds to become a cult classic to the denizens of Pittsburgh. In fact, to the surprise of most non-natives, the local City Paperâs readers once voted it the best movie set in the city. However, the semi-ironic love of the steel city wasnât enough to stop Willis from categorically summing it up after stating that âit suckedâ when asked about the film during a 2004 appearance on On the Record With Bob Costas.
Related Topics
Bruce Willis
 â Gaming giant Nintendo revealed its newest console Thursday in a highly anticipated announcement gamers had been waiting for since rumors of its release first spread years ago. %23reveal)
)
&description=Sylvester Stallone received awkward note on SNL; 'Can you just enunciate a little more?' Tina Fey revealed that she had to deliver the note in her first week of working on the show %23revealed)
