Summary
- Bruce Willis’ toughest action movie heroes include John McClane, Frank Moses, and David Dunn.
- Each hero exhibits unique skills and abilities, from McClane’s tactical ingenuity to Dunn’s superhuman strength.
- Despite portraying memorable action characters, Willis has retired from acting after a long and successful career.
Bruce Willis is easily one of the greatest action movie stars of all time, having appeared in almost 150 projects over his career, but not all of his action heroes are equal. Willis has been appearing in TV and film since the 1980s. After appearing in various uncredited roles, or small bit parts, Willis finally had his big break in 1988 when he played the off-duty cop, John McClane, in the first Die Hard movie.
From that moment forward, Willis’ talents for playing tough guys were cemented, and he grew to become one of the most popular and beloved action stars all throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Now, Willis may be just on the verge of 70, but even in later life, he continues to push himself and take on roles in action films. Thanks to his stony expressions, his determination, and his extraordinary ability to engage in physical roles, Willis has breathed life into many great action movie heroes across his filmography, but some are undoubtedly tougher than others.
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What’s the best Bruce Willis movie?
Pulp Fiction is undoubtedly the standout in Bruce Willis’ career for me, despite him generally not being perceived as the highlight of Tarantino’s ensemble. Die Hard and The Sixth Sense are classics, but they’ve never been favorites of mine. Another option would be Moonrise Kingdom, but that’s for the quintessential Bruce Willis performance. I also might be in the minority in loving his cameo in Ocean’s Twelve.
10 James Knight
Detective Knight
Most recently, Bruce Willis starred in a small action trilogy known as Detective Knight. The series received a limited theatrical release, and was primarily distributed directly to streaming services. Due to Willis’ age, and some health issues, he has since retired from acting, but the Detective Knight trilogy served as some of the final films the star appeared in prior to that retirement.
As impressive as Willis’ own determination and ability to push forward beyond his ill health and age, his character James Knight remains one of the weakest action heroes Willis has played. It’s clear in the films that he is positioned as a venerable and legendary cop, but, Detective Knight is not what he used to be, and the character is often better off letting younger officers step up. While it’s one of the weakest action heroes played by Willis, it’s still worth an honorable mention.
9 Korben Dallas
The Fifth Element
Moving to a period much earlier in Willis’ career, the next action hero on the list is Korben Dallas, from The Fifth Element. Almost 10 years after Willis got his big break, he had established himself as a talented and versatile star. In addition to appearing in the sequels of the original Die Hard film, he also starred in sci-fi movies like Twelve Monkeys. And in 1997, he tackled the role of Dallas opposite a rising action star, Milla Jovovich.
Dallas was not an active officer, and he wasn’t particularly special. In fact, as the film opens, he is an unassuming taxi driver in an ultra-futuristic city. But, Dallas was also a former Special Ops soldier, with a specific set of skills that made him perfect for escorting the mysterious Leeloo to her intended destination. Dallas puts his skills to the test as he fights aliens, and uncovers Leeloo’s secrets, but Leeloo is not a helpless bystander in need of saving. The pair make a great action duo.
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8 Frank Moses
RED
While Korben Dallas has the help of the powerful Leeloo and advanced technology, Frank Moses, the lead character in RED, has a very different team supporting him. Frank was a former black ops agent in the CIA, but when an assassin has his crosshairs focused on him, he gathers his old team back together. Frank is arguably a more impressive and strong character than Dallas for a couple of reasons, but the main one is just how much of a badass he is, and what he can do with a team of people pushing 60, as opposed to Dallas who was a pretty spritely young man.
Frank is a tactical genius, and even in his old age, when confronted by a surprise attack from a squad of men in their prime, he is able to single-handedly incapacitate all of his attackers. But, when he brings his experienced crew back together, and they determine to get to the bottom of the plot, Frank remains cool and steady throughout, ensuring the mission is a success. Considering how tough Frank is at 60, it would be terrifying to meet him in his prime.
7 Lt. Muldoon
Planet Terror
Speaking of terrifying, the next action character is no hero, but a villain from the 2007 film, Planet Terror. Lt. Muldoon is worth including and ranking in this position simply because the character is played for comic reasons, more than deep-rooted evil. Willis is the primary antagonist of the film. Although he is not present in large portions of the film, his character remains impressive and intimidating throughout. Muldoon is a savage leader in a corrupt military body who will go to any lengths to achieve their goals.
This relentless determination makes them impressive and worth mentioning. In addition to the fact that Muldoon reveals that he is the man who was responsible for killing one of the world’s most infamous terrorists, Osama bin Laden. Add to this that Muldoon and his men are literally fighting off death at all times by ingesting fatal chemical toxins, and the result is one incredibly tough and resilient action star.
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6 Mr. Church
The Expendables
Mr. Church is another individual willing to do whatever it takes to get his desired outcome, but he operates as an agent of the CIA in The Expendables. Mr. Church is instrumental in bringing together the team of elite mercenaries who carry out missions in The Expendables franchise, but very little is known about the character, including his real name. With so much mystery and intrigue surrounding the character makes him someone who should not be messed with, but his skills and abilities in a fight make him even more dangerous.
Mr. Church enjoys calling the shots, but when he gets personally involved, it’s easy to see how he landed his position as a shot caller. Mr. Church is able to tear through hoardes of enemies, and do so with extreme precision and efficiency. Church is elite in his abilities, and he manages to save the day when he shows up to support the Expendables, even though he could just as easily stay behind and let others do all the hard work.
5 General Joe Colton
G.I. Joe
Bruce Willis only appears in one of the G.I. Joe movies, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but his role in the film cannot be overstated. Despite being a supporting character in the film, Willis plays General Joseph ‘Joe’ Colton, the man who first set up the G.I. Joe organization. It’s evident that the character is widely revered for his moral code, his determination, and his effectiveness as a leader and operative. Within the film, Colton has retired from his position leading the Joe’s.
However, when he learns about a conspiracy which has led to the President of the United States being replaced by a fake, he is anxious to jump back into action. Of course, as a leader of a major government organization, he takes the time to ensure things are done properly, but even when operating around legal complexities and confirming data, he manages to be a huge help for the remaining Joe’s. Despite his age, and his status as a retired hero, he remains ready and willing to step up and step in where he is needed, and overthrow major political coups all in a day’s work.
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4 Joe
Looper
The next hero is also named Joe, although no last name was given in the film Looper. Looper is a twisty sci-fi movie about an assassin who eliminates unspecified targets that are sent back in time to be taken care of. Joe is that assassin, and he gets paid generously for his work, but being a looper is not a straightforward job without any issues. With the time-traveling side of their work, and due to their criminal activities, loopers are also tasked with closing the loop, by eventually performing their last hit, on a future version of themselves.
While the work is generally straight-forward, and most targets are quickly eliminated, Joe proves his skills when the future version manages to break free of being captured by his younger self. Despite the clear difference in age, Joe is highly intelligent, agile, and resourceful in his efforts to avoid being eliminated. Due to both his lethal line of work, and his skills, he earns a spot high on the list.
3 John McClane
Die Hard
Perhaps Bruce Willis’ most popular action hero role, and one that has endured for many years in his career, is that of John McClane from Die Hard. This film was the first big hit of Willis’ career, and it managed to launch him to new heights of success and fame. Following his first outing in 1988, the hero returned in five total Die Hard movies, with the last one being released in 2013. And it remains easily Willis’ most lethal and impressive grounded hero.
McClane is a simple man who initially worked as a detective in the New York Police Department. However, while visiting family on the West Coast, John had the misfortune of being trapped in a building with a group of hardened criminals who were hoping to get a big payday. However, this situation turned out to be even less fortunate for the crooks, as McClane managed to single-handedly clear the bad guys out with extreme precision, ingenuity, and on-the-fly tactics. McClane’s skills for beating criminals borders on the supernatural.
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2 John Hartigan
Sin City
However, the supernatural characters do have a distinct advantage when it comes to strength and endurance. John Hartigan is also a detective, more than capable of holding his own in a fight, and cleaning up the streets in Sin City. Hartigan has a lot in common with John McClane, and both men seek to uphold the law, and hold others to justice through their grit, determination, and indomitable wills. However, Hartigan is even more resilient than McClane.
While McClane incurred dozens of injuries while fighting numerous bad guys, and he always managed to get back up and keep fighting, Hartigan literally pushes through numerous bullets penetrating his body. Beyond this, Hartigan is able to bring himself back from the dead, if those many bullets do actually manage to make a difference, and simply will himself back to life. This gives him a clear advantage that makes him that much tougher than McClane.
1 David Dunn
Unbreakable
However, both McClane and Hartigan pale in comparison to the real super-powered hero, David Dunn in Unbreakable. The first film in a trilogy by M. Night Shyamalan introduces Bruce Willis as David Dunn, an unassuming man with what seems to be extraordinary luck, when he becomes the only living survivor of a terrible train incident that kills all 131 other passengers. Though he doesn’t initially know it, Dunn is a real-life superhero, who possesses superhuman strength, durability, and resistance to illness.
Dunn is literally able to withstand bullets, and lift tremendous weights with relatively little effort. But, as a hero, he also aims to use his gifts for good, and rather than showing off or squandering his powers, he becomes a vigilante known as The Overseer. David Dunn is not interested in wielding his powers for his ego or gain, but he would easily overpower anyone else on this list. For that reason, David Dunn is the strongest action hero that Bruce Willis has ever played.
