THE DEATH OF TONY SCOTT...

I can’t let the day end without mentioning the sadness of hearing about Tony Scott’s death.

He was one of my favorite film makers, and I wish I had gotten a chance to meet him before he died.

“True Romance” is on my list of Top Ten Favorite Films of All Time, and has been there for years. When my daughters were old enough, it was the film I was most excited to show them... and they ended up loving it too!

Some will assess Tony Scott’s career like they assess Roger Maris’s feat of 61 home runs – there will be an asterisk next to his name. The * is because he was the brother of Ridley Scott who will clearly go down as one of the greatest directors in the last fifty years.

But for me, Tony Scott has an unbelievable track record of great movies that he has directed including, “Crimson Tide,” “Man on Fire” and “The Hunger.” His list of solid, entertaining movies include, “Enemy of the State,” “Déjà vu,” and “Spy Game.” And these are just some of the movies he directed. He produced, or, was somehow associated with some of the greatest movies of our generation.

All of his obituaries will probably have the first line read, “the director of ‘Top Gun.’" And that might be the * I would put to his career. Sometimes what puts us on the map is not what keeps us there. Tony Scott made some great movies that had nothing to do with launching a superstar actor’s career or was the blueprint for how action movies are basically shot to this very day. 

And having a brother who is a great filmmaker doesn’t mean that you live in his shadow. The best of Tony Scott’s films stand on their own, in a separate place that I’m willing to bet will be more appreciated as years go by.