One actor. Two film roles. You tell us which portrayal was the best. The most memorable. Or iconic. Or simply your favorite.
But before you pass judgment, a few words defending the “character” of each…
The case for John McClane
In Die Hard, put-upon cop John McClane uses his street skills & smarts to outwit and outgun a bevy of amoral high-tech burglars led by the ingenious Hans Gruber. “A fly in the ointment; the monkey in the wrench; the pain in the ass”: this is the Bruce Willis we’ve all come to grow to love. The smirking, wise-cracking action hero rebel begins and ends here. Yippee-ki-yay, Motherfucker!
The case for Dr. Malcolm Crowe
By the time Bruce Willis essayed the part of Dr. Crowe in The Sixth Sense audiences had grown weary of his acting schtick. The ever-smirking, smart-alecky persona done so well in Die Hard was done to death. Director M. Night Shyamalan understood this and coaxed a thoughtful, empathetic, restrained performance out of Bruce. His portrayal of a psychiatrist trying to solve the puzzle—two, actually—of a tormented little boy was magnificent.
Now that you’ve heard the arguments for both it’s time to render your verdict!