30 Bruce Willis Movies You Must Watch
Walter Bruce Willis is an American born actor lovingly known among peers by the name of Bruce Willis. Willis rose to fame with his role on the comedy drama-series Moonlighting. He gained heroic recognition among the audience for his role in die hard. He became the eighth highest-grossing actor in lead role in the year 2008.
1. Striking Distance
Directed by Rowdy Herrington, this Bruce Willis movie features Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, and Tom Sizemore till the end credits. The film did well at the box office with a $ 77 million collection.
The plot follows Sgt. Tom Hardy and his quest to find the killer of a young woman whose body starts appearing in the same river his ex-partner died by falling off a bridge. Tom denounces his partner Jimmy for brutally investigating a suspect. All these dead young women were previously involved with Tom. The film ends with a climax revealing the murderer Jimmy, who had survived the fall from the bridge. Tom and Jimmy engage in a scuffle that ends with Jimmy dying. Tom, with Jo and her daughter by his side, visits his dad’s grave.
2. Billy Bathgate
Directed by Robert Benton, this Bruce Willis movie features Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, and Loren Dean till the end credits. The film was a box office failure with a $15.5 collection, with an initial filmmaking budget of $48 million.
The plot follows Billy, an Irish American teenager from the Bronx who attracts the attention of a powerful mobster named Dutch. Billy quickly becomes a trusted member of Dutch’s gang and grows close to the mobster boss. Bo Weinberg is another gang member who has betrayed the boss, pleading with Billy to keep his girlfriend safe. In turn, Billy falls for the young attractive girlfriend of Bo and he tries to protect her from the murderous Dutch. The film ends with Billy getting threatened by Luciano to never speak about Dutch’s demise.
3. The Last Boy Scout
Directed by Tony Scott, this Bruce Willis movie features Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron, and Danielle Harris till the end credits. The film was a blockbuster at the box office with a $ 114.5 million collection with an initial budget for the film being $ 43 million.
The plot follows Joe Hallenbeck, an ex-top secret service agent now turned into a, gruff private investigator with his latest mission being protecting a pole dancer named Cory. When Cory gets killed by hired hitmen, Joe partners with her boyfriend Jimmy, a basketball player banned by the federation based on gambling addiction. The film ends with Joe reuniting with Sarah, his ex-wife. Joe and Jimmy decide to become partners and have funny banters.
4. Last Man Standing
Directed by Walter Hill, this Bruce Willis movie features Christopher Walken, Alexander Powers, David Patrick Kelly, Karina Lombard, and Bruce Dern till the end credits. This Bruce Willis movie was a box office failure with a $47.3 collection.
The film plot follows John Smith, a wanderer who gets in trouble for getting attracted to a young woman named Felina, who’s considered “Doyle’s Property” by Irish mobsters. The film ends with Smith getting help from Sheriff Galt, and Smith successfully killing McCool and all of Doyle’s men. Smith gets his Ford and drives on to Mexico, his pre-planned destination.
5. The Sixth Sense
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this Bruce Willis movie features Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, and Haley Joel Osment, till the end credits. The film was a blockbuster at the box office with $ 672.8 million with an initial filmmaking budget of $ 40 million.
The plot follows a young Cole Sear who gets haunted by a dark secret and Malcolm Crowe, who’s a child psychologist working in Philadelphia. Malcolm starts to help Cole who reminds him of his previous patient Vincent who shot himself dead. Cole can see ghosts and is afraid to talk about them to anyone but Dr. Malcom. The quest leads to a rude awakening to a dark path for both Cole and Dr. Malcom. The film climax reveals that Malcolm is dead and was taking the help of Cole to tell his wife that he loved her and to move on from him. Having completed his business Malcolm's spirit departs for his afterlife journey.
6. Tears Of The Sun
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, this Bruce Willis movie features Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, and Tom Skerritt till the end credits. The film did average at the box office with $ 86.5 million, with an initial filmmaking budget of $ 86.5 million.
The plot follows the time the Nigerian government had fallen, and the country is on the verge of civil war Lt. A.K Walters has been assigned to lead a team of soldiers into the Nigerian jungle to rescue Dr. Kendricks. She refuses to be rescued when located by the rescue team stating she won’t leave the innocents to be slaughtered by the rebels. The team faces strong opposition from both the Nigerian and U.S. government when they pledge to walk the refugees to safety. The film ends with Kendricks bidding a tearful goodbye to her Nigerian friends.
7. The Siege
Directed by Edward Zwick, this Bruce Willis movie features Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Tony Shalhoub, Sami Bouajila, and David Proval till the end credits. The film did quite well at the box office with $ 116.7 million with an initial filmmaking budget of $ 70 million.
The plot follows FBI anti-terrorism expert Anthony Hubbard teaming up with CIA agent Elis Kraft to investigate the terrorist attacks happening on a bus in Brooklyn, a Broadway theatre, and FBI quarters. In New York, martial law is implemented and General William, a sadistic is put in command. With William rounding up Arab-Americans forcing them into a detention camp, the partners had to fight for the country’s freedom. The film ends with the end of the Marital Law and detainees including Huddad’s son get their freedom.
8. Nobody’s Fool
Directed by Robert Benton, this Bruce Willis movie features Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, and Melanie Griffith till the end credits. The film did average at the box office with a $ 39.5 million collection with an initial filmmaking budget of $ 20 million.
The plot follows Donald an old-aged guy not interested in taking on adult responsibilities who divides his time between spending time at a bar, and his side construction business. The arrival of his estranged son Peter along with his son with a sob of his marriage, not working forces Donald to assume the responsibility of both father and grandfather. This opens Donald's eyes to a self-check of whether he’s up for his responsibilities. The film ends with Sully returning a little financially and emotionally richer to the place he started in the movie at.
9. The Whole Ten Yards
Directed by Howard Deutch, this Bruce Willis movie features Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Kevin Pollak, and Natasha Henstridge till the end credits. The film didn’t do quite well at the box office with a $ 26.2 million collection.
The plot follows Jimmy a former assassin who after faking his death moves to Mexico with his new wife after retiring from his previous job. At the same time, his ex-wife Cynthia settled down in California with Nicholas who was Jimmy’s old neighbor. The peaceful life of both couples comes into jeopardy when Gogolak, Jimmy’s former work associate seeks revenge by kidnapping Cynthia. The film ends with Jill revealing she’s pregnant.
10. G.I.A Joe: Retaliation
Directed by Jon M. Chu, this Bruce Willis movie features D.J Cotrona, Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Dwayne Johnson, and Channing Tatum till the end credits. The film was a box office blockbuster with a collection of $ 375.7 million.
The plot follows the further adventure of the G.I Joe team led by Duke and second-in-command Roadblock. The rest of the team with the commanders face a two-fold threat with their old enemy COBRA returning and causing chaos, at the same time the U.S. government also poses a threat to them as there’s an imposter in the White House. The film ends with Roadblock firing a single shot in the air to honor his fallen comrades with a promise to avenge their deaths. This is a must-watch Bruce Willis movie.
11. Unbreakable
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this Bruce Willis movie features Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, and Eamonn Walker. The film was a blockbuster at the box office with a collection of $ 248.1 million when it had a budget of only $ 75 million.
The plot follows David dun, a college security guard who’s the lone survivor of a high-fatality train crash with almost no injury leading to his realization of his superhuman abilities. He is asked, by Elijah a comic book store owner suffering from brittle bone disorder to help learn about his powers. Through a series of events David recognizes his abilities and the reason behind them. The film ends with David knowing the truth about Elijah, who was actually responsible for a series of fatal accidents thus, naming himself Mr. Glass and announcing himself as the arch enemy of David.
12. Alpha Dog
Directed by Nick Cassavetes, this Bruce Willis movie features Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Christopher Marquette, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, and Anton Yelchin. The film did quite well at the box office with a collection of $ 32 million.
The plot follows Johnny Truelove, a young drug dealer who enjoys his life partying with his peers, getting high, and a gentle supply of dope from his father in L.A. When one of their high customers refuses to pay for his dope, Johnny, with his partner kidnaps the client’s younger brother in hopes of getting cash in ransom. These would-be gangsters find themselves in trouble once cops come on their doors. The film with all the criminals receiving their well-deserved punishment and Johnny waiting for his trial, facing the death penalty.
13. Surrogates
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, this Bruce Willis movie, features Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell, and Ving Rhames till the end credits. This film did average at the box office with a collection of $ 122.4 million and a budget of $ 80 million.
The film follows an FBI agent named Greer living in a future where people live their lives free of pain, and dangers through robot representations called surrogates. When a murder occurs after a decade, Greer needs to abandon his surrogate, risking his own life to solve and discover a vast conspiracy behind the murder. The film ends with Tom returning to his house and embracing Maggie in her form with an aerial view of all the surrogates collapsing.
14. Bandits
Directed by Barry Levinson, this Bruce Willis movie features Billy Bob Thorton, and Cate Blanchett till the end credits. This film didn’t do quite well at the box office with a collection of $ 67.6 million but is a must-watch Bruce Willis movie if you’re into the thriller genre.
The plot follows Joe and Terry, two convict friends who team up with Harvey, a stunt man, and Kate, a housewife on the run, to perform a series of robberies, thus getting the name of sleepover bandit. In time both friends fall for Kate, who exits the team after they start fighting for her. She tips the cops about their last heist, and thus they get caught. It assumed they are dead because of an accident that happened at the time of their arrest. In the climax of the movie, it’s revealed that Kate acted to leave the group to tip the cops and is very much still part of the gang, and Joe with Terry are both alive. The film ends with all four gang members moving to Mexico to live their dreams.
15. 16 Blocks
Directed by Richard Donner, this Bruce Willis movie features Mos Def, David Morse, and Cylk Cozart, till the end credits. The film did average at the box office with a collection of US 65.7 million. This was Donner’s last film as a director before he died in 2021.
The plot follows Jack Mosley, an alcoholic burned-out NYPD officer with the task of transporting an eye witness Eddie Bunkers who’s going to testify against corrupt police officers. The ride becomes chaotic and a deadly game of mouse and cats when the corrupt cops’ co-workers of Jack show up to kill Eddie to stop him from testifying against them. Jack takes this opportunity to redeem his wasted life by protecting the witness from the corrupt cops. The film ends with Mosley getting free from prison and celebrating his birthday with his sister and other friends.
16. Blind Date
Directed by Blake Edwards, this Bruce Willis movie, features Kim Basinger, John Larroquette, and William Daniels in the final credits. It earned a negative review from the critics but was a financial hit at the box office.
The plot follows a setup of a blind date between Walter, played by Bruce Willis, and Nadia, Played by Kim, that goes horribly wrong. Walter is set up by his brother with his wife’s cousin with a warning about Nadia’s wild behavior under the influence of alcohol. On the date, Nadia gets drunk and chaos ensues when her jealous ex-boyfriend shows up and stalks the couple the whole night. The night ends with Walter getting arrested with his car destroyed and Nadia agreeing to marry her ex if he helps Walter from not getting imprisoned. The film ends with a happy ending for the chaotic couple. This Bruce Willis movie is a must-watch.
17. Sunset
Directed by Blake Edwards, this Bruce Willis movie features James Garner, Mariel Hemingway, Kathleen Quinlan, Jenifer Edwards, Malcolm McDowell, and Joe Dallesandro in the last credits. Willis got an enormous sum of money to play the lead in the film with less screen time.
The plot follows Wyatt Earp retired from a life of gunfights and peacekeeping, agreeing to an autobiography to be made about himself and acting as an advisor to the film director Alfie. He meets Tom at the set, who is hired to portray Wyatt in the film. They band together to solve the case of Earp’s ex-girlfriend’s son being missing and doubt Alfie is responsible for it. The film ends with an explosive climax between Earp, Mix, and Alperin.
18. Die Hard
Directed by John Mc Tiernan, this Bruce Willis movie features Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia in the last credits. Initially, there weren't any high expectations for the film's success. Willis got paid a hefty sum of $5 million for the film. It later became a huge success.
The film follows John McClane, a cop trying to reunite with his estranged wife Holly and his daughters in Los Angeles at Holly’s company’s Christmas party. The day's events took a turn for the worst when a terrorist attack happened at the party only for McClane to realize that the only people who can save them from the terrorists were the hostages themselves. The film ends with the couple reuniting and walking away after a tough fight with Gruber.
19. In Country
Directed by Norman Jewison, this Bruce Willis movie features Emily Lloyd as the film's leading lady till the end credits.
The film follows Samantha Hughes, a teenager living with her laid-back veteran uncle in the fictional city Hopewell, Kentucky, and her search for her father. Samantha’s dad died in Vietnam at 21 after impregnating Samantha’s mother Irene. Samantha’s mother wants her to move in with her for college, but Samantha refuses and insists to continue living with her uncle to find more information about her dad. The film ends with Samantha visiting Vietnam Veterans Memorial and finding her dad’s name engraved on it.
20. Death Becomes Her
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this Bruce Willis movie features Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Isabella Rossellini in the end credits. This movie proved to be a financial success.
The film follows a trio of Madeline, a young actress, Helen, an author, and Ernest Menville, a plastic surgeon, and their chaotic lives after a series of different decisions. It starts with Madeline inviting Helen and Ernest to her Broadway show, only for Ernest to break his engagement with Helen after falling for Madeline. This leaves Helen bitter against her friend, and decades later she drinks an immortal potion to remain young forever. The film ends with the death of Ernest, and the two ex-friends reconcile to mock him in his grave because he refused to drink the potion and is dead now.
21. Color Of Night
Directed by Richard Rush, this Bruce Willis movie features Jane March, Ruben Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, Brad Dourif, Lance Henriksen, Kevin J.O Connor, and Scott Bakula till the end credits. It’s a thriller must-watch movie by Bruce Willis with a box office collection of $ 46.7 million.
The plot follows Dr. Bill Capa, a psychologist from New York suffering from psychosomatic color blindness after he witnessed the suicide of one of his patients. Later he moves to Los Angeles with one of his psychologist friends who’s treating him for his condition. There, Dr. Bob Moore, his friend, gets murdered, and everyone including Bill of the therapy group, is a suspect Lt. Hector. At the same time, Bill starts dating another girl named Rose from the therapy group. The film ends with a shocking revelation of the murderer being Rose’s unhinged brother who forced Rose to be Richie, their dead brother.
22. 12 Monkeys
Directed by Terry Gilliam, this Bruce Willis movie features Madeline Stowe, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Plummer till the end credits. The film got shot in Philadelphia and Baltimore with a budget of $ 29.5 million and was a box office hit with a collection of $ 168.8 million.
The plot follows James Cole, who’s sent back in time to collect data on a deadly virus released in 1999 that wiped out almost all the population of Earth. Once back in time, he doesn’t receive any cooperation from medical gatekeepers regarding the information about the virus. The only person who’s willing to cooperate is a maniac named Jeffery. The film ends with the death of Cole while a young Cole is watching the whole scene due to time travel. It’s an apocalypse-based best Bruce Willis movie that one must watch.
23. Hudson Hawk
Directed by Michael Lehmann, this Bruce Willis movie features Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, Richard E. Grant, Sandra Bernhard, Donald Burton, and James Coburn till the end credits. The film has a cartoon style with sound effects to enhance the experience.
The plot follows Hudson an expert cat burglar and safe-cracker, getting roped in for a series of heists by a couple named Mayflower on the day of his parole when all he wanted to do on the day was to drink a cappuccino. Later it gets revealed they want him to steal parts of a machine that turns lead into gold. The film ends with Hudson refusing to assemble the apparatus leading to an explosion that killed everyone present. Hudson walks away from the scene triumphantly and later that day drinks a cappuccino.
24. The Story Of Us
Directed by Rob Reiner, this Bruce Willis movie features Michelle Pfeiffer in lead with him. The film did average at the box office with a collection of $ 58.9 million.
The plot follows a couple named Katie and Ben who are unhappy together in their fifteen years of marriage but continue to keep up the facade of a happy couple in front of others. The pretense is only to stop their kids from worrying about them. They decide to separate for a while and reassess their relationship when their kids go on a camp for a few days. It is followed by a series of flashbacks that both see about the negatives and positives of the relationship. The film ends with both of them realizing that they have to make compromises to stay in a happy marriage.
25. The Kid
Directed by Jon Turtletaub, this Bruce Willis movie features Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, and Chi McBride till the end credits. This film did quite well at the box office with a collection of $ 110.3 million.
The plot follows Russ, an abrasive image consultant whose life turns upside down once he magically meets a young eight-year-old boy named Rusty. Rusty is a sweet, smart kid with a nerdy look who reminds Russ of himself when he was Rusty’s age. It turned out that Rusty was Russ’s younger self. It ends with Russ realizing all his dreams are going to come true he just had to change his perspective on life and not give up just yet.
26. The Jackal
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, this Bruce Willis movie features Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier, and Diane Venora till the end credits. The film did well at the box with a $ 159.3 million collection.
The plot follows the revenge of Murad a Russian gangster whose younger brother got killed during an FBI raid in a Moscow nightclub. He hires an anonymous hitman with the name of Jackal to kill deputy director of FBI Carter Preston. The plans go haywire when the deputy comes to know about the hitmen hired to kill him. He explores his options and comes to know that the only man who has seen him is imprisoned. The film ends with the burial of Jackal in an unmarked grave and Preston freeing Mulqueen.
27. Mercury Rise
Directed by Harold Becker, the film features Alec Baldwin, Miko Hughes, Chic McBride, and Kim Dickens till the end credits. The film did average at the box office with a $93.1 million collection.
The plot follows Art Jefferies, a renegade FBI officer who fights against the system to keep Simone, a nine-year-old autistic boy, safe who can read mercury, the latest coding language used by the United States. He cracked the U.S. government’s new unbreakable code that Simone easily reads just like English. This ability leaves Simone vulnerable to enemies of the United States. The film ends with Simone accepting Art as someone who can trust.
28. Hostage
Directed by Florent Emilio Siri, this Bruce Willis movie features Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster, and Jonathan Tucker till the end credits. The film didn’t do quite well at the box office with a collection of $ 77.7 million with the initial budget for the film being $ 75 million.
The plot follows L.A. SWAT officer Jeff Talley, who works as a hostage negotiator. When one of the incidents in which, Jeff’s negotiation goes awry, he quits his job as a negotiator and moves with his family to the suburban area. Once he relocates to the sleepy town, he thinks he has escaped the hustle of his previous job. When Talley’s own family gets into a mess of a hostage situation, he has to decide whether he can put himself through the trauma again. The film ends with Smith and Talley rescuing the hostages and his family by killing Watchmen, the lead antagonist.
29. The Bonfire Of The Vanities
Directed by Brian De Palma, this Bruce Willis movie features Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith, and Morgan Freeman till the end credits. The film was a flop at the box office with a collection of $ 15.6 million with the initial budget of the film being $47 million.
The plot follows the novel and powerful Wall Street bond trader Sherman McCoy and his gold digger girlfriend Maria, who runs over a young black boy when she takes a wrong turn when both of them are driving to her apartment from JFK airport. They don’t report the incident to the local cops, and this information came to light by Peter Fallow, a drunk reporter who thinks this scandal is going to make him famous. The film ends with Sherman being proven innocent and Maria, being imprisoned. Fallow, also launches a book that became quite popular.
30. Mortal Thoughts
Directed by Alan Rudolph, this Bruce Willis movie features, Demi Moore, Glenne Headly, John Pankow, and Harvey Keitel till the end credits. The film did average at the box office with a collection of $ 18.8 million with an initial filmmaking budget of $ 7 million. The film title was derived from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy Of Macbeth.
The film plot follows the death of a loathsome man James Urbanski with the cops not knowing who to blame. During Cynthia’s interrogation by Detective John Woods, she admits to her friend Joyce killing her abusive husband James by slashing his throat at the group outing when they went to a feat of Saint Rocco. The film ends with a climax revealing that Cynthia’s the actual murderer after James tried to rape her. She re-enters the station to claim the truth of her involvement in the murder before Detective Woods’.
Bruce won several awards throughout his career and many of his roles in the industry have left a lasting impact on the audience. In this list, there are some of Bruce Willis worth a watch for his fans.