A typical crime thriller in the vein of many '90s films, giving us clichéd characters and plenty of action, with little plot or character development. Despite having a predictable premise of two characters who initially hate each other, team up and grow to love one another, this film benefits from some good acting from Willis and Wayans. Willis plays the character role he was stuck with in the early '90s, basically the washed-up alcoholic cop (talk about typecasting...),but he plays it very well indeed and frequently manages to be very funny. Wayans, on the other hand, gives a very compassionate and likable performance. The chemistry between the two actually works for a change and this makes the film, as a whole, a lot easier to bear.

The plot twists and turns for a bit while our heroes try to figure out who's responsible for a murder of a friend while in the mean time avoid being killed. The action scenes come fast and violent - just the way I like them. There are plenty of impressive moments, such as Willis killing an opponent with just one punch, or a stunt where a car flies over a house before landing in a swimming pool. The only negative point in the film - aside from the unoriginality that is - was the excessive and laboured swearing, which seemed a bit forced (unlike in RESERVOIR DOGS, where it seemed at home). Stick around for the excellent climax which has Willis battling the chief villain on top of some scaffolding at a football game. Otherwise, this is solid entertainment, even if we have seen it all before.

L.A. Stallions running back Billy Cole gets a threatening phone call. In the game, he starts shooting and kills himself. Private eye Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) was once a heroic Secret Service agent. His wife is cheating on him with his work partner Mike Matthews. He punches Mike once but still wants his works. Mike's car explodes after giving Joe the job to protect stripper Cory (Halle Berry). Cory's boyfriend is former L.A. Stallions star quarterback Jimmy Alexander Dix (Damon Wayans) who was banned for gambling and drugs. Hit men kill Cory and Joe works to solve her murder with Jimmy and Joe's young foul-mouthed daughter Darian (Danielle Harris).

It is attitude over substance. Tony Scott fills it with slick explosive action. Willis and Wayans form a sarcastic cynical duo. The case doesn't really matter and is forgettable as soon as it's revealed. It's the two characters tearing their way through L.A. Danielle Harris comes in to swear up a storm. This may be a good character for Willis to revisit.

Wildly implausible plot elements are standard fare for "The Last Boy Scout". No, no, I don't mean the corrupt Senator or the megalomaniac sports team owner, those are pretty much the norm for action films because they occur with such regularity in real life. I'm talking about a hard boiled private detective who escapes death with a monologue of fat jokes, and a thirteen year old daughter who makes a save with a handgun in her puppet. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

The thing is, if you want to be critical, this movie provides enough fodder for serious thrashing. However if it's a fast paced action adventure wrapped around a spirited buddy pairing, then you'll find it here, all wrapped up in quick one liners and snappy banter between Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. The duo seems to share a monumental detachment from tragedy in their own lives and a commitment to provide the same for the opposition. But gee, how do you manage to walk around at the end of the day if you've been pummeled as much as these guys have?

Halle Berry fans will have to pay attention during her brief screen time; her demise in the film is not a pretty picture. Taylor Negron is notable as a sadistic hit man, which reminds me of another implausible plot point. Just on the off chance that he might have survived the car crash into the pool, why would Joe Hallenbeck (Willis) leave his daughter there with the homeowner? I guess the question's not so rhetorical, it's so she could be kidnapped to advance the story into the football stadium for the next round of mayhem.

For Bruce Willis, this could have been with some modifications, an entry in the "Die Hard" series, as many of his films could be. His character generally remains the same from picture to picture, but if you're a fan, that's OK. The film earns it's title with the squeaky clean personal code of it's lead hero, reinforced by an autographed sports card from Wayan's character signed "To the daughter of the last Boy Scout". Be prepared!