This question has come up several times in the past. It seems one of our greatest screenwriters often gets little recognition and is rarely mentioned, if at all. This was true, in part, during his rebellious yet prolific career in Motion Pictures during the 70's and 80's. So I would like to pay tribute to this great writer and give credit where it is due. I think one of the greatest American screenwriters, if not the greatest of all time, has to be John Milius. His credits include, "Dirty Harry", "Apocalypse Now", "Red Dawn", "Clear and Present Danger", "The Wind and the Lion", "Magnum Force", "Big Wednesday", "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean", "Jeremiah Johnson", "Conan the Barbarian", "Farewell to the King" and "Geronimo: An American Legend". It seems he never wrote a bad screenplay and he has no doubt written some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in the history of Motion Pictures. "So you've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do you punk?" "Go ahead, make my day." "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... it reminds me of victory". His screenplays stand the test of time and remain some of my favorite movies of all time. There is a documentary about John, which I recommend to all creatives. Thank you John Milius!
Screenwriting : Who's the greatest American screenwriter? JOHN MILIUS by Thomas George Mazzola
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Tremendous writer. No question.
Actually, "Go ahead, make my day," comes from Sudden Impact and was written by Joseph Stinson, not John Milius.
I stand corrected. Thank you.
Seen it, thought the same thing about a year ago. I seen it on the Epix channel. I wonder if that was his Hercules that was recently made? If I remember right he was working on it after his stroke. He seems to be one of the greatest counterbalances to the liberal point of view a screenwriter can study and use. I don't necessarily agree with a lot of his approaches, views, methodology, etc. but I damn well respect his work. I always keep his work in mind if I need to think about liberal counterbalance. On a personal level I really respect his fighting back after a physical ailment/condition. I can so relate to that from my healthcare background and my own personal ailments/condition. I love the smell of napalm in the morning.... , So damn genius capturing the aire of a moment in time.
Michael Mann, I think, has to be one of the greatest of all time! I've read the 'Heat' screenplay a dozen times, I never got sick of it. The man is a genius.
John Milius has an excellent body of work, but let's not forget Robert Townes nor David Koepp either - three great writers.
I may risk a little scorn here, but what about Roger Corman? - Okay, not award winning films, but have you seen the list of talent he has introduced, especially directors and actors? - Incredible.