RIP

On a lighter note - one of my favorite presets on ColorGHear.

One of the most successful directors of all times, sad day.

Always in the shadow of his more talented Brother.

@disneytoy How was he in the shadows when he had a more successful box office career?

There's always one that has to say something like this, isn't there?

@svart, yep. It appears that someone close to him has verified this.

Some deaths affect you -- unexpectedly -- more than others. In the last few weeks, quite by coincidence, I've been watching and re-watching several Tony Scott movies, including "Man on Fire." I've not liked every film Tony Scott ever made, but some -- like "The Hunger," "Revenge," and "Man on Fire" really resonate for me for several reasons. I've always loved the look of his films -- his use of long-lenses and mixed film stocks. But he also had a very good compass for story, even when visually he could get extreme.

It's a shame that he's gone. Whatever drove him to do what he did, I just hope his family -- particularly his two surviving sons -- can get through the aftermath intact, both emotionally and spiritually.

I watched "Spy Game" (another Scott favorite) last night after I heard about his death. Some of Scott's films really improve upon re-viewing. If you watch "The Hunger" followed by something like "Seven," you'll see how influential Scott was, despite often getting a critical thumbs down.

At the end of the day, usually what differentiates one director from another, is his cinematic style. His will be missed.

Favourite quotes from "Man on Fire":

A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Creasey's art is death. He's about to paint his masterpiece.

Fuentes: You know, I-I'm a professional.
Creasy: That's what everybody keeps saying. "I'm just a professional". Everybody keeps saying that to me. "I'm just a professional", "I'm just a professional". I'm getting sick and tired of hearing that.

Yes, I liked the work he did with Denzel Washington.

Odd thing: I was watching "Man on Fire" on DVD last night, and listening to the director's commentary audio track. About 28-29 minutes into the film, during the scene where Creasy (the character played by Denzel Washington) tries to commit suicide, Tony Scott is describing the scene on the soundtrack. At one point he says (I'm paraphrasing) "The hardest thing anyone can do is try to take their own life." He goes on to talk about how Creasy gets redeemed by the young girl whom he is assigned to bodyguard (played by Dakota Fanning).

It was strange hearing Tony Scott talking about suicide. Just a strange, strange resonance.