Shane Black

Filmmakers

Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor who has written such films as Richard Donner‘s Lethal Weapon (1987, with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover; Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (1987), Tony Scott‘s The Last Boy Scout (1991), with Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron and Danielle Harris; John McTiernan’s Last Action Hero (1993), with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance, Frank McRae, Tom Noonan, Robert Prosky, Anthony Quinn, and Mercedes Ruehl; and Renny Harlan’s The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), with Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Amandes, Yvonne Zima, Brian Cox, Patrick Malahide, Craig Bierko and David Morse.

As an actor, Black is best known for his role as Rick Hawkins in McTiernan’s Predator (1987), with Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Richard Chaves, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, R.G. Armstrong, and Kevin Peter Hall. He has also worked as an uncredited script doctor on films like Predator (1987), Dead Heat, with Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Darren McGavin, Lindsay Frost, and Vincent Price; The Hunt for the Red October (1990), with Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill; and RoboCop 3 (1993), with Robert Burke, Nancy Allen, Rip Torn, and Mako.

Black made his directorial debut with the film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), with Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. He went on to co-write and direct the 7th MCU entry Iron Man 3 (2013), with Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stéphanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley; The Nice Guys (2016), with Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, and Kim Basinger; and The Predator (2018), with Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Tremblay, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, and Sterling K. Brown. As of 2020, his film Iron Man 3 ranks as the twentieth-highest-grossing film worldwide.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • Night of the Creeps (1986) – directed by Fred Dekker – uncredited actor
  • Lethal Weapon (1987) – directed by Richard Donner – writer
  • Predator (1987) – directed by John McTiernan – actor, uncredited script doctor
  • The Monster Squad (1987) – by Fred Dekker – co-writer
  • Dead Heat (1988) – directed by Mark Goldblatt – actor – uncredited script doctor
  • Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) – directed by Richard Donner – co-story
  • The Hunt for the Red October (1990) – directed by John McTiernan – uncredited actor, uncredited script doctor
  • The Last Boy Scout (1991) – directed by Tony Scott – writer, co-story, executive producer
  • RoboCop 3 (1993) – directed by Fred Dekker – actor, uncredited script doctor
  • Last Action Hero (1993)* – directed by by John McTiernan – co-writer
  • The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) – directed by Renny Harlan – writer, co-producer
  • As Good as It Gets (1997) – directed by James L. Brooks – actor
  • An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) – directed by Arthur Hiller (as Alan Smithee) – cameo as himself
  • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – director, writer
  • A.W.O.L. (2006) – directed by Jack Swanstrom – writer (as Holly Martins), co-producer (as Harry Lime)
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)* – director, co-writer
  • Edge (2015) – director, co-writer – TV movie/pilot
  • The Nice Guys (2016)* – director, co-writer
  • The Predator (2018)* – director, co-writer