Welcome to Tony Scott Summer.
At least, that’s what I’m calling it.
After the conversation referenced in my tweet below, I decided to check out the entirety of Scott’s filmography. The brother of three-time Best Director nominee Ridley Scott, Tony was a British master of his craft who made some of the most action-packed movies of his time — from Days of Thunder to Top Gun to the all-time classic True Romance.
Upon rewatch of Days of Thunder, and just a few weeks after what would’ve been his 80th birthday, I felt like I should talk about what makes Scott’s style so unique. His films look f**king great, straight up.
As seen in his early films, Scott’s eye for visual flair is insanely keen, and it becomes even more evident when watching several of his movies consecutively. Starting with Top Gun, in particular, the movie is filled with gorgeously-shot flight sequences, stunning sunsets and insanely good composition — the shot of the helicopter picking Maverick up after Goose’s death stands out.
Beverly Hills Cop II is also well-shot, as is his team-up with Kevin Costner: 1990’s Revenge (same year as Days of Thunder), which takes place in Mexico. As such, there’s absolutely phenomenal vistas of the landscape in the latter, and he also knows how to make things shine at night, from the burning cabin below to the insane opening football sequence in The Last Boy Scout.
And yes, I know Scott wasn’t the cinematographer on these, but the director’s eye is a huge factor in how the finished product looks. See below.
Who needs generic, boring blue skies when you can have stunning sunsets filled with clouds, the grime of a racetrack and vibrant paint schemes?
Vibrancy is a key part of any good-looking movie, and Scott’s films are no exception. From what I’ve watched to date, Days of Thunder might be the best-looking. Yes, the bevy of NASCAR paint schemes lend themselves to a pretty colorful palette no matter what, be it 1990 or the present day. For the latter, it’s the bright blue of Kyle Larson‘s No. 5, the Menards yellow of multiple Team Penske…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …