Not to sound too harsh, but you can pinpoint 2012 as the year that Bruce Willis stopped giving a sh*t. The actor gave two brilliant performances in Rian Johnson’s time traveling action thriller Looper and Wes Anderson’s comic drama Moonrise Kingdom, before beginning his descent into VOD mediocrity.
Even his box office hits like G.I. Joe: Retaliation, A Good Day to Die Hard and Glass saw him coasting on autopilot, and these days you’re more likely to find Willis in your local bargain bin than on the silver screen. Since 2019, in fact, the 66 year-old has appeared in six low budget actioners where he turns up, sleepwalks his way through a supporting role and goes home with a paycheck, and he’s got another six in various stages of development.
One of his most uninspired movies has just hit Netflix, with Kevin Smith’s decision to become a studio hired gun backfiring spectacularly after the two fell out on Cop Out. The director even called the star a ‘f*cking dick’ at the wrap party that Bruce Willis didn’t bother to show up to. It bombed at the box office as well and was widely panned by critics, which is pretty much what it deserved.
Tracy Morgan co-stars in the tale of a veteran detective who decides to sell his prized baseball card to pay for his daughter’s wedding, before it gets stolen and the mismatched duo find themselves wrapped up in a criminal conspiracy. There are very few redeeming features to be found in the film, though Morgan at least delivers a typically energetic turn as the comedic sidekick. However, knowing how Netflix works, there’s still every chance that Cop Out will somehow end up troubling the Top 10 most-watched list now that it’s available to stream.