Shane Black is an impressive genre-hopper. The writer/director has given us everything from the buddy cop classic that started it all (Lethal Weapon) to a Marvel entry (Iron Man 3), and he does it with a dark sense of humor that always takes stories in surprising directions.When you think of Shane Black, you probably think of grumpy, unwilling partnerships and holiday settings. The holiday stuff isn't quirky for its own sake—it represents, as he puts it, "a hush in which we have a chance to assess and retrospect our lives." And his enemies-to-friends duos are explorations of how people find connection. His movies are fun to watch, and they can teach us a lot about genre and characters, structure, and tone.Here are five films that represent different aspects of his filmmaking philosophy.Lethal Weapon - YouTube www.youtube.com Black's breakout screenplay redefined the buddy cop genre and established the template many films still follow. The genius of Lethal Weapon isn't in its action sequences (though they're great), it's in how Black balances drama with character-driven humor. The film shows how to use genre conventions to explore deeper themes of trauma and redemption. Every aspiring screenwriter should study how Black makes exposition feel natural through banter and how he lets character flaws drive the story.The Last Boy Scout - YouTube www.youtube.com Here we have a protagonist who is fundamentally unlikable yet somehow compelling. With The Last Boy Scout, Black teaches us that audiences will follow flawed heroes if they are given moments of...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Wednesday, 3 September