Bruce Willis. The Life and Work of Die Hard

«Hair loss and baldness — is God's way of reminding me that I am human, not an ape». — Bruce Willis

He made history barefoot on broken glass and forever changed the action genre.

From doubts and auditions in New York to the status of a living legend.

From roles he was denied to roles that were written for him.

Bruce Willis is not just an actor — he is a phenomenon. He says one thing, and his eyes show another: behind the smirk is weariness, behind the coolness is pain, and behind the silence is a whole storm. It is this multilayered quality that has allowed him to work in any genre.

Shawn O'Connell, a journalist and manager of the CinemaBlend website, examines the entire filmography of Bruce Willis in his book «Bruce Willis. The Life and Work of Die Hard», from bright successes to unnoticed failures:

- Why did comedies («Death Becomes Her», «The Whole Nine Yards») turn out better for Willis than action films?

- How did the actor transition from blockbusters to auteur cinema («Moonrise Kingdom», «The Sixth Sense»)?

- What criteria did Bruce Willis use to choose roles?

- Why will science fiction never be the same after Bruce Willis («The Fifth Element», «12 Monkeys»)?

- How did Willis's character («Die Hard») overshadow the heroes of Schwarzenegger («Commando») and Stallone («Rambo»)?

Bruce Willis took the archetype of the hero, removed the musculature, put on a wrinkled T-shirt, and made him limp, joke, and feel pain. He proved that a hero can be a tired, ironic, stubborn person with personal problems and debts. He made the hero accessible, and this is his greatest contribution not only to cinema but also to mass culture.