As a writer/director a lot can be said about Shane Black’s style that, in fact, has informed the modern action movie blockbuster far more than you might realize. If you read a Shane Black script you’ll know it, as his tongue-in-cheek approach to narrative and character action bleed through from the page to the final project. A great example is this line from the Lethal Weapon screenplay describing a Beverly Hills home as, “The kind of house I’ll buy if this movie is a huge hit.”
While in recent years Black might be resting a little on his laurels, there’s no denying that making your way through his filmography is a comical and thrilling treat (as long as you skip The Predator for certain reasons). In fact, you might be left wondering if all of his films are sequels to one another, his style and approach to characters are that blatantly Shane Black-ian. So, here are his best writing efforts, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The Predator (2018) – 32%
If you’ve never seen a Shane Black film before and you’re using this list as a guideline for where to start with his filmography, don’t start with this one. While most of Black’s films revel in machismo and smart-alecky quips, this one takes it to an obnoxious degree while pitting the classic Predator against… a bigger Predator?
It uses the much tested and proven terrible trope of an autistic child genius and combines that with a group of mercenaries with little to no character past the constant hazing and eye-rolling and outdated one-liners they throw back and forth. Some of the action redeems it somewhat but is then quickly ruined by the sequel pitching ending that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Last Action Hero (1993) – 36%
While Last Action Hero might not have been a critical success, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that saw it in their youth who doesn’t have a special place in their heart for the Arnold Schwarzenegger staring meta-commentary on action movies.
In fact, this is a fun ride for any action movie fan. Laughing at its own use of tropes and cliché while actively subverting them to both humorous and thrilling results. If the fact that this includes Arnold meeting another Arnold doesn’t entice you, we don’t know what will.
The Last Boy Scout (1991) – 46%
Fun fact, The Last Boy Scout was originally titled Die Hard until the producer of the later poached the title. As coincidence would have it, Brice Willis would star in both as a snarky cop (or P.I.) that doesn’t play by the rules.
The combination of Bruce Willis’ Joe Hollenbeck and Damon Wayans’ Jimmy Dix make for a great buddy cop action flick. So, if the recent Die Hard films (if you can call them that) haven’t been scratching the itch that the original left, then give The Last Boy Scout a look in.
The Monster Squad (1987) – 67%
If the majority of Black’s output can be described as mindless fun action flicks for adults, then this is the standout for kids. Think Bobby Picket’s Monster Mash but in film form. It has the meta-commentary that would go on to be honed in Last Action Hero but swings it towards classic movie monsters.
When Dracula attacks a small town with his horde of monsters (the Wolf Man, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the creature from the Black Lagoon), a group of young horror fanatics comes together to stop him. It’s as fun as it sounds and it’s amazing it isn’t better known as an 80’s classic.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) – 69%
When a perfect suburban housewife bumps her head she gets the opposite of movie amnesia, she begins to remember her past life as a merciless secret-agent, a “lethal weapon” if you will. Once she begins remembering, her old colleagues at “The Chapter” come after her so she hires washed-up P.I. Mitch (Samual L. Jackson) to help her figure out what’s going on.
It’s the more usual Shane Black outing, with some teeth-rattling action sequences and characters that really come to life in their reactions to some situations that aren’t exactly day-to-day. If you want somewhere to start on this bombastic filmography, this is the one, not too big, not too small.
Iron Man 3 (2013) – 79%
Marvel has had some ups and downs to be sure, but one particular entry in the Iron Man trilogy is definitely worth a second look. Made in the early days of the MCU when the higher-ups get a tighter leash on directors, it’s impressive how much personal style Black managed to inject into Iron Man 3.
While we’ll concede that the Mandarin twist is definitely the marmite of narrative subversions, the rest of the film’s focus on just how capable Tony Stark is without his suit is something that Robert Downey Jr. really has fun with to delightful results. Plus, the super-hero PTSD angle is a take on the genre that really elevates the character.
Lethal Weapon (1987) – 82%
When looking at Shane Black’s action flicks with dark undertones, there’s a convention you’ll see again and again. They’re all set at Christmas. Does that make them Christmas movies? We’re not going to answer that. But what we can say is that Black does this to elevate to flaws in his characters.
What has more pathos than a suicidal widower cop? A suicidal widower cop at Christmas. It a simple but ingenious technique Black uses constantly, and it’s no more effective than it is in Lethal Weapon. Look, it’s Lethal Weapon, do yourself a favor and see it, or if you already have, watch it again, it’s the sensible thing to do.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – 85%
Certified Fresh and with good reason, this neo-noir satire is so good in its own right that it basically transcends satire to become an entertaining and insanely quotable beast of its own. No best lines here, we’re afraid, theirs far too much bad language for this family-friendly site.
Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer star as Harry Lockhart and Gay Perry respectively, as they take the audience on the twists and turns usually reserved for a gumshoe detective novel. The film’s snarky attitude and tongue-in-cheek hilarity are surpassed only by its pure entertainment factor. It might take a couple of watches to fully understand what’s going on, but they’re two watches that are well worth it.
The Nice Guys (2016) – 92%
Never before has a buddy cop movie been so knowing while providing such delicious chemistry between its two leads, not surprising considering that said leads are Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe, with a stellar performance from Angourie Rice to boot. It hits all of the same note as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but with a prestigious flare, every re-watch brings a different aspect to the surface.
Plus it’s hilarious, in the best most nonsensical of ways. All of the pointless and bizarre stories and theories that Gosling and Crowe bother one another with early on come full circle by the end. One in which Gosling recalls someone who saw Nixon before they died and proceeds to muse as to whether everyone has such an apparition before death, then later when he jumps from a roof into a pool, who does he see before him? This is undoubtedly Black’s best work.
