Tony Scott was an aestheticist. For however much his critics would decry “style over substance” (and not that they were wrong), his love of the visceral, the visual, the attitude of cinema and how it impacted film and filmmakers for years to come deserves tribute.

And much in the way his intense, often in-your-face touch gave a unique visage to action and suspense, his jaunt into horror is equally unforgettable. Scott’s pure cinema is ever present in the mesmerizing, splendid opening sequence to 1983’s THE HUNGER. Sprawling, sexy and new, the opening (set to “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”) and subsequent picture feels like a dark tryst; one that’s spawned homage, a television series and more importantly, continued discovery.

Scott never returned to the genre in features (he directed two episodes of THE HUNGER series in the late 90s), but attraction to his work, no matter the film, is often undeniable. THE HUNGER, TOP GUN, THE LAST BOY SCOUT, TRUE ROMANCE, MAN ON FIRE. They all share his penchant to push, to elicit wonder and edge, to make us feel and clench.

Many deaths are classified as “too young.” For a filmmaker with the sheer energy of Tony Scott, we can’t think of a more appropriate sentiment.

Rest in peace, Tony Scott.

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