Razzies: The Worst Bruce Willis Movies In 2021, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

Having acted in iconic movies like Die Hard and Pulp Fiction, Bruce Willis has been one of the biggest stars in the 80s and 90s. However, since the last decade, his popularity has somewhat lessened due to a slew of critical flops. Last year in particular was quite an amusing chapter in his career as he managed to star in eight movies. Unfortunately, each of these cinematic offerings drew negative reviews from critics and audiences alike.

If this weren’t enough, now Willis has his very own category at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards, AKA the Razzies! Christened “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie”, the category includes all eight of his performances in mostly direct-to-video action flicks. Fans of Willis will note that this isn’t the first time he has had multiple nominations at the Razzies. But having an award named after himself is a uniquely bizarre feat indeed, even if it is for an award show that celebrates the worst of Hollywood!

8 Deadlock – No Score

Die Hard’s premise of a building being taken hostage by terrorists and one man saving the day set the benchmark for action movies to come. But this premise was oversaturated to the point that there are multiple movies that are basically Die Hard. Deadlock falls in such a category.

Willis plays an ex-military man who works at a power plant. When the plant is attacked by rogue soldiers, Willis must step back in action. The role in itself seems like a parody of recent appearances in movies like RED and GI Joe Retaliation, both of which found him as the “tough old guy” who comes out of retirement. It is practically a role that the actor can play in his sleep. 

7 Fortress – 20%

If Deadlock felt like Die Hard, Fortress seems to be an adaptation of A Good Day To Die Hard, the critically-panned fifth chapter of the Die Hard movie franchise. Bruce Willis yet again plays a retired man of violence (this time an intelligence official). As he spends his days with his son at a top-secret resort, criminals breach the compound. Now, it is up to the father-son duo to restore balance.

Fortress is directed by James Cullen Bressack, who also helmed the notorious Bruce Willis-starrer Survive The Game that dropped in the same year. Despite the movie gaining bad reviews, Fortress will be followed up with two more sequels.

6 Survive The Game – 14%

Marking the first collaboration of Bruce Willis and James Cullen Bressack, Survive The Game recycles action movie tropes for yet another Willis movie that resembles Die Hard’s survival-centric action. Willis stars as an injured cop who, along with his partner and a troubled war veteran, must face off against a drug cartel in a race against time. 

The heroes naturally survive this game of death, but the same cannot be said for the audiences. At the same time, some might find the movie’s action to be mindless fun. From hypermasculine friendships to an explosive showdown, Survive The Game does resemble some cheesy action flicks from the past. 

5 Midnight In The Switchgrass – 8%

Randall Emmett is quite an accomplished producer, having produced Martin Scorsese-directed movies like The Irishman, and Silence. However, his directorial debut proved to be not so impressive, as he started out with Midnight In The Switchgrass. The movie is inspired by the real-life case of the notorious Truck Stop Killer, a convicted serial killer accused of torturing and killing several girls. 

Starring Bruce Willis and Megan Fox as the FBI agents tracking down the murderer, the movie succumbs to familiar genre tropes. In fact, Fox’s character is reduced to a damsel in distress by the end. If Willis’ nomination wasn’t enough, even Fox earned herself a Razzie nom for Worst Actress.

4 Cosmic Sin – 3%

Cosmic Sin proves that Willis values his directors even if they continue to deliver critical flops. Last year, Edward Drake didn’t just direct Cosmic Sin, but also Apex and American Siege, all of which starred the actor in his Razzie-nominated glory. 

The space adventure is set in the year 2054, a time period by when humans have started colonizing other alien planets. When one such remote planet is attacked by an alien fleet, it is up to a (once again retired) military general to team up with young recruits and prevent an all-out interstellar war. The movie is as over-the-top as it sounds, but might make for a good guilty pleasure as Willis’ role resembles Bruce Willis’ badass movie character in Armageddon, yet another one of the actor’s “so bad that it’s good” movies. 

3 Apex – 0%

Bruce Willis has played so many “cop” and “ex-cop” characters by now that he himself might not be able to distinguish between his roles. The premise of Apex follows a battle royale formula as Willis plays an ex-policeman falsely accused of a crime. He can clear his name if he is willing to join a game in which six people hunt him on an island. The protagonist survives as the “apex predator” and wages his own personal war of vendetta. 

In all fairness, Apex can be definitely enjoyed for its cliched elements. This might explain why the movie achieves a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes while the audience reactions measure to 71%! Maybe, this is just a joke on the part of the public, or Apex is actually an enjoyable guilty pleasure. 

2 Out Of Death – 0%

The frustrating thing about the worst Bruce Willis movies of 2021 is that each one seems to be simply aping each other. Just like Survive The Game, Willis plays a retired cop in Out of Death. This time, he comes out of action to protect his niece and an innocent civilian. As the latter two record the police killing a drug dealer, Willis’ Jack Harris must face off against corrupt cops.

Willis isn’t the sole troublemaker here as Midnight in Switchgrass producer Randall Emmett returns in the same role. However, not even a mention of “From the Producers of Lone Survivor and The Irishman” on the poster could prevent the movie from tanking.

1 American Siege – 0%

American Siege features Bruce Willis as a… (drumroll) “washed-up sheriff” who is called “back in action” by the town’s Mayor. But as he acts according to the whims and fancies of the rich and powerful figures in his town, he realizes he is a part of a larger political conspiracy. 

While it is not surprising to find that the movie succumbed to a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, American Siege has a surprising audience rating of 98%. Much like Apex, this again might be a jestful gesture. But one thing is for certain: Bruce Willis is clearly not bothered by negative reviews. 

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(727 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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