Bruce Willis may be a Hollywood legend with some classic films in his acting resume, but he’s also a self-professed fan of the movies. There was a time, back in the 2000s, when Willis was actively interacting with fans online, including on his own (now defunct) website message board and movie sites like Ain’t It Cool News. During a 2007 chat session, Willis revealed his favorite films, and fans of the Die Hard actor likely won’t be surprised by many of his choices.
Interest in Willis’ favorite films has renewed as fans celebrate his storied career, after his family announced his retirement from acting in March 2022 due to aphasia, a debilitating disease that affects cognitive functions and made it impossible for Willis to continue to work.
Many of Willis’ favorite movies released in his youth, and are much like the films he starred in as an adult. Ten of his film choices are from the 1960s and 1970s, and every film could be considered a “guy’s movie,” with action flicks and crime thrillers dominating the list. Willis said he watches these films at least “three to five times a year,” and even though he was asked to name his top five films, he provided 16, as he couldn’t narrow the list further. We’ve ranked them, however, although the number of undisputed classics in the list will likely cause some disagreements to our seeding.
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16 300 (2006)
Warner Bros.
Critics weren’t particularly kind to 300 upon its release in 2006 (it currently rates at 61% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences still love Zack Snyder’s stylized take on the legendary battle. It may not be the most accurate depiction of The Battle of Thermopylae, but it’s highly entertaining, although some argue that 300 is merely a glorification of fascism.
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As a leading actor, Gerard Butler has never been better, and the film that spawned so many action scene imitators still stands as a unique cinematic vision. Snyder’s visual style may have worn thin since then, but that doesn’t make this testosterone-fueled, fantasy-themed roller coaster any less watchable.
15 Patton (1970)
20th Century Fox
George C. Scott’s iconic performance is the backbone of Patton, the reverential yet compelling look at the legendary World War II general. It also boasts fantastic cinematography and an Oscar-nominated Jerry Goldsmith score. Released in the midst of the Vietnam War, Franklin J. Schaffner’s film is at times both a condemnation of war and a celebration of it.
The Planet of the Apes director allowed Scott to give an unapologetic, bombastic performance, and it won him an Oscar for Best Actor. However, Scott considered himself unworthy of a nomination or an award, and refused to accept it. He didn’t attend the Oscar ceremony, and even though a producer accepted the award for him, it was later returned to the Academy.
14 Bullitt (1968)
This is one of two Steve McQueen films Bruce Willis listed among his favorites, and one might argue that Willis himself is this generation’s McQueen. Bullitt managed to capture the spirit of the late 1960s, and that’s thanks to director Peter Yates’ grounded direction, which captured the grit and grime of San Francisco in that era.
Although famous for its iconic chase sequence — one of the best car chases ever put to film — Bullitt is first and foremost a crime thriller, anchored by McQueen’s no-nonsense performance as a determined cop out for justice, and a little revenge.
13 The Great Escape (1963)
United Artists
If it’s not clear by now, Willis is a Steve McQueen fan. John Sturges’ action masterpiece The Great Escape is a must-watch for its suspense-filled third act, in which members of the all-star cast break out of their World War II POW camp and attempt to elude their Nazi captors. McQueen is in top form, playing an American POW who relishes making things difficult for the Germans holding him.
The cast is filled with movie icons: Charles Bronson (Death Wish), James Garner (The Rockford Files), Sir Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), and James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven), who all make the most out of their limited screen time thanks to James Clavell’s sharp screenplay, adapted from the Paul Brickhill book. Elmer Bernstein’s score is absolutely perfect.
12 Alien (1979)
To this day, Alien remains an unparalleled viewing experience, a claustrophobic horror film without equal. In retrospect, many may consider Ridley Scott’s film a bit of a slow-burn compared to modern films, but it makes the actual scenes showing the alien all the more horrific and shocking.
Amazingly, the alien has less than four minutes of actual screen time in this film, yet its presence looms large in every frame, a testament to Scott’s atmospheric direction. Scott’s film made Sigourney Weaver an action/horror icon, although much of the credit for that should go to Weaver herself.
11 Spartacus (1960)
Universal International
It’s been over 60 years since Spartacus first premiered in theaters, and yet, Stanley Kubrick’s allegorical sword-and-sandal spectacle holds up to today’s standards. It has an old Hollywood feel, but an emotional depth and political complexity that many films of that era didn’t have.
For perhaps the only time in his career, the success of the film can’t be totally credited to Kubrick, as the young director virtually disowned the film. Upset that he didn’t have full creative control, Kubrick often clashed with the cinematographer as well as Dalton Trumbo, the legendary screenwriter who penned the script while blacklisted. Star and producer Kirk Douglas reportedly had a hand in giving the film its epic scope, but either way, the troubled production gave us one of the greatest film epics of all.
10 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Columbia Pictures
David Lean may forever be known for Lawrence of Arabia, but five years before he lensed that masterpiece, he directed The Bridge on the River Kwai, a far more accessible (and arguably, more entertaining) epic. Based on the book by Pierre Boulle, the film tells the story of British POWs forced to build a bridge in the jungles of Burma by their Japanese captors. Their superior officer, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), is obsessed with finishing the bridge, even as a group of Allied commandos plan to blow it up and cut off Japanese supply lines.
The Academy Award-winner for Best Picture of 1957 may be known for its famous “whistle tune,” but the film also offers fantastic performances from William Holden and Guinness, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role, his only win from five Oscar nominations over a stellar career.
9 On the Waterfront (1954)
Almost 20 years before winning an Oscar for The Godfather, Marlon Brando took home his first Academy Award for Best Actor for On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan’s masterful tale about a former boxer who stands up against union corruption. The film capped an incredible run for Brando, in which he was nominated for Best Actor for four straight years, utilizing a form of method acting that changed how films were made.
8 The Last Picture Show (1971)
BBS Productions
It’s interesting that Bruce Willis included this film in his list of favorites, as it featured the acting debut of Cybill Shepherd, his Moonlighting co-star that he so famously clashed with on set. She gives a fantastic performance in The Last Picture Show, standing toe-to-toe with Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms in this romantic drama about life in a sleepy little Texas town. The film remains the greatest achievement of director Peter Bogdanovich, with Paper Moon (1973) a close runner-up.
7 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Miramax Films
The film that convinced Bruce Willis to star in Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has seen its standing grow in recent years, as more film fans give it the respect it deserves. The film about a heist gone wrong is masterfully done, with Quentin Tarantino’s script elevated by some outstanding performances.
Tarantino may have perfected his craft with Pulp Fiction, but Reservoir Dogs deserves every accolade heaped upon it. Fans can easily name the film’s signature scenes and quote the iconic lines, a testament to the impact the film has to this day. The film’s recent release on 4K UHD Blu-ray should win it a new generation of fans.
6 Goodfellas (1990)
Bruce Willis must really like Robert De Niro, as the Oscar-winning actor has four films on Willis’ list of favorites. Many believe Goodfellas to be the best of Scorsese’s modern films, and it’s hard to argue the point. The story of Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) life in the mob is punctuated with fantastic dialogue and scenes so iconic, they’ve become internet memes. Even the story of the film’s production itself has taken on a legendary status.
5 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Stanley Kubrick’s subversive masterpiece was originally written as satire to address the paranoia surrounding the Cold War and U.S./Russian relations, but today it hits just a little too close to reality. Dr. Strangelove is hilariously funny in its irony, with a sharp wit that’s expertly delivered by an outstanding cast. Peter Sellers’ multi-character performance speaks for itself, but George C. Scott, Keenan Wynn, and Sterling Hayden all add a perfect absurdity, thanks to Terry Southern’s fantastic script.
4 Taxi Driver (1976)
Scorsese has three films on Bruce Willis’ favorite films list, and it’s easy to see why. Taxi Driver, his tale of a troubled veteran who turns violent, remains a disturbing, relevant watch to this day. Robert De Niro was so committed to getting the character right, he got a taxi driver’s license, lost 30 pounds, and took gun training.
In one of the worst snubs in Oscar history, Scorsese was not nominated for Best Director, although the film did earn four Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Score), although it didn’t win a single one. It took several years for the true appreciation for the film to take root.
3 Raging Bull (1980)
This is yet another Scorsese film that didn’t get the respect it deserved upon its release. Raging Bull, the story of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta, was a flop at the box office, earning just over $20 million in its initial run. It earned eight Oscar nominations, but Academy voters didn’t exactly love a film about an aggressively violent, unlikeable protagonist. It won two, including a well-earned Best Actor award for Robert De Niro (who famously put on 60 pounds for the role).
The film lost the Best Picture Oscar to Robert Redford’s Ordinary People, but found a new appreciation in recent decades: in 2007, The American Film Institute revised its 100 Greatest Movies List, moving Raging Bull up from #24 to #4. Scorsese was reportedly so satisfied with the film, he said he didn’t care how it was received or if he ever made another film. Luckily for us all, he didn’t stop directing.
2 The Godfather (1972)
Paramount Pictures
The rare film that surpasses the book it is based on, The Godfather defined the mafia movie, stripping any Hollywood romanticizing and grounding it as a family tragedy. It’s beautifully shot, meticulously paced, boasts amazing performances, and screenwriter Mario Puzo outdid himself adapting his own book. It won three of the ten Oscars it was nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Puzo).
It’s surprising, however, to consider the Oscars it didn’t win, including Best Director for Francis Ford Coppola (he lost to Bob Fosse for Cabaret) and Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan all lost to Joel Grey for Cabaret). Pacino actually boycotted the ceremony, saying the Academy defrauded him out of a Best Actor nomination, pointing out that he had far more screen time than Brando, who received the nomination and the Oscar.
Fans of the film should absolutely watch the Paramount+ series The Offer, which dramatizes the film’s storied (and troubled) production. Francis Ford Coppola’s belief that the film would be a massive flop with critics and at the box office is covered, although the story is told through the perspective of producer Albert Ruddy (played by Miles Teller).
1 The Godfather Part II (1974)
A crime drama without equal, The Godfather Part II is a compelling expansion of the mob world established in Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning 1972 predecessor. It manages to surpass the first film in most aspects, including a one-two acting punch of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (playing a young Vito Corleone).
Pacino would get the Best Actor nod he was denied for the first film, although he lost to sentimental favorite Art Carney for Harry and Tonto. De Niro would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, however, and Coppola finally snagged a Best Director award. The film would win the Oscar for Best Picture, becoming the first sequel to win the coveted award.
