The Time Madcap Coffee Got It’s Windows Blown Out For A Bruce Willis Film

Back in 2011, my dad worked in the heart of Grand Rapids on Monroe Center St. and had my mom bring us all downtown to stand up the street because "the guy from Die Hard was going to blow up the coffee shop." In hindsight, this wasn't exactly right, but it wasn't exactly wrong.

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Yes, Bruce Willis was part of a movie that filmed in GR, and yes, MadCap Coffee's windows were shot out. However, Bruce had nothing to do with the latter; he wasn't even in the city for his scenes. The movie was called Setup, and it was about a heist gone wrong and a betrayed man seeking revenge. Run-of-the-mill revenge story.

Paradox Entertainment / Lionsgate

According to the owner of MadCap Coffee, Trevor Corlett, he was approached by a producer who asked if he would want his shop in a movie and if they "would be willing to have his windows shot out."

READ MORE: Michigan Celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

So, they replaced the windows in the shop with prop windows, and sure enough, there was a "shootout" filmed at the intersection of Monroe Center and Ottawa Ave.

But it was still super cool to know that something featuring action legend Bruce Willis was being filmed here in our city. During a chase scene, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Ryan Philippe can be seen running up Monroe Ave., taking a set of stairs down into the lower of an apartment building on Ionia Ave.

The scene then jumps to them running through the Ledyard Building, and eventually exiting onto a Christmas-decorated Rosa Parks Circle. The movie itself was a direct-to-video movie that is currently at 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's probably a film no one has thought about in years. The entire film has been uploaded to YouTube (illegally) if you would like to check out 2011's Setup.

From major studios to indie films, Michigan cities big and small have been the backdrop of many films across cinematic history. There have also been a number of movies set in Michigan, primarily Detroit, but not actually filmed here (I'm looking at you, Robocop).

These are 23 movies that were filmed in Michigan.