1. Jeff Bridges, Age: 61
Why he WAS bad ass: KING KONG (1976), TRON, THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Why his is STILL and maybe MORE bad ass: IRON MAN, CRAZY HEART, TRON: LEGACY, TRUE GRIT
The past 3 years have been amazing for Jeff Bridges. Ever since he played the main villain in 2008’s IRON MAN, Bridges has been getting more and more bad ass. Seriously folks, he is a force to be reckoned with and I simply cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next. He is truly one of the greatest actors of our time. He showed us he could kick ass in IRON MAN, we saw what a terrific actor he really is in CRAZY HEART, and now this past December we got the fantastic TRON: LEGACY where he is a complete bad ass and TRUE GRIT where we get a wonderful character piece that is the culmination of Bridges being a complete bad ass and a fantastic screen presence! Please keep doing what ever it is you are doing Mr. Bridges because you are becoming one of my favorite actors in your wiser age.
2. Liam Neeson, Age: 58
Why he WAS bad ass: DARKMAN, SCHINDLER’S LIST, ROB ROY, STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE, GANGS OF NEW YORK
Why his is STILL and maybe MORE bad ass: BATMAN BEGINS, SERAPHIM FALLS, TAKEN, CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE A-TEAM
Think about this question I am about to ask you. What other actor can say they were a Jedi Knight, taught Batman everything he knew, is the god Zeus, and the leader of the fucking A-Team? Give up? Well the answer is no one because no one is as bad ass as Liam Neeson and you know it. This guy is so cool and the past 5 years have treated him so very well. I don’t know when Neeson decided to be such a bad ass and I don’t care. All I know is that he is getting better and better and I would love to see how he can top himself in the bad ass department. Please keep up this trend Mr. Neeson because it suits you well.
3. Sylvester Stallone, Age: 64
Why he WAS bad ass: ROCKY SERIES, RAMBO SERIES, DEMOLITION MAN, COP LAND
Why his is STILL and maybe MORE bad ass: ROCKY BALBOA, RAMBO, THE EXPENDABLES
Sylvester Stallone was lost and now he is found AND bad ass again! O how I missed you Sly. You were such a bad ass as Rocky and John Rambo and you are now revisiting the characters that made you so unbelievably bad ass in the first place and that makes me happy. Stallone has recently revisited the Rocky and Rambo characters and we get to see what they are up to in their elder years. Guess what? They are still bad ass! Since then, Stallone has gotten comfortable kicking ass again and we even got an original movie out of it in the form of THE EXPENDABLE that puts all the things Stallone thinks is bad ass in ONE bad ass movie. Thank you so much for doing that. If you are a fan of action movies you owe it to yourself to see THE EXPENDABLES now! Can’t wait for the sequel!
4. Mickey Rourke, Age: 58
Why he WAS bad ass: DINER, 9 1/2 WEEKS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
Why his is STILL and maybe MORE bad ass: SIN CITY, THE WRESTLER, IRON MAN 2, THE EXPENDABLES
While I have not always viewed you as a complete on-screen bad ass I sure do now. You had a crap ton of B-Movie fodder and a lot of bit parts in cool movies but you never really pushed through as a leading bad ass until recently. SIN CITY really let us all know how bad ass you can be and ever since then you have been delivering tenfold. Now is your time to shine and the roles you are accepting are wonderful choices. You showed us you could kick major ass in SIN CITY, you showed us you were one hell of an actor in THE WRESTLER, and now you are having fun being a bad ass in movies like IRON MAN 2 as the main villain (just like Bridges) and THE EXPENDABLE (like Stallone). Looking forward to what you have for us next Mr. Rourke.
5. Bruce Willis, Age: 55
Why he WAS bad ass: DIE HARD SERIES, PULP FICTION, LAST MAN STANDING, THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE
Why his is STILL and maybe MORE bad ass: SIN CITY, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, RED
I have to admit something. Bruce Willis has always been and will always be a bad ass. He is the only one on this list that has ALWAYS been a complete bad ass. He definitely gets the “most consistent bad ass” award. He is also the youngest man on this list and that means we will get to see him get even more bad ass with age like the other actors on this list. For all we know he will just get more and more bad ass forever. I simply can’t see this man winding down anytime soon. If you have not seen LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD you are doing yourself a major disservice. I consider it in my top 5 best action films ever. So good. So please keep being you Mr. Willis because YOU are one bad ass I need to see kick some more ass.
