Action movie

From Free net encyclopedia

1 Rise of the Action movie
2 Current trends
3 Feminist theory
4 Subgenres
5 List of notable action movies
6 Famous actors

Rise of the Action movie

The genre, although popular since the '50s, did not become one of the most dominant forms in Hollywood until the 1980s and 1990s, when it was popularised by actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. The 1988 film Die Hard was particularly influential on the development of the genre in the following decade. In the movie Bruce Willis plays a New York police detective who inadvertently becomes embroiled in a terrorist take-over of a Los Angeles office block. The film set a pattern for a host of imitators which often just used the same formula in a different setting. Examples included Under Siege, Passenger 57, Executive Decision, Con Air and Air Force One.

Action films tend to be expensive requiring big budget special effects and stunt work. Action films have mainly become a mostly-American genre, although there have been a significant number of action films from Hong Kong which are primarily modern variations of the martial arts film. Because of these roots, Hong Kong action films typically center on acrobatics by the protagonist while American action films typically feature big explosions and modern technology.

[edit]

Current trends

Current trends in action film include a development toward more elaborate fight scenes, perhaps because of the success of Asian martial arts elements, such as kung fu and karate, in Western film. Actors in action movies are now much more skilled in the art and aesthetic of fighting than they have been in the past, apart from a few acknowledged fighters like Steven Seagal. Now, a distinction can be made between films that lean toward physical agile fighting, such as The Transporter, and those that lean toward other common action film conventions, like explosions and plenty of gunfire, such as Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever or Lethal Weapon, although most action movies employ elements of both.

The elements that are considered to be important to the majority of "die-hard action movie fans"(the core audience of American action movies from the 70's to today) are: Explosions, gunfights, car chases, and the hero either killing the main badguy or giving him a severe beating in personal combat. Action movies lacking these elements tend to be less-respected (and even looked down upon) by this audience. While some embrace the shifting toward more martial-arts based movies and the superhero antics of The Matrix, the vast majority of this group does not like these kinds of changes and still prefers the concept of "more explosions, more gunfights, more car chases, and more carnage is better".

Several of the common action film conventions saw their birth in the release of James Bond series (containing many of the original elements of spy movies still seen today). One popular element is the car chase, a feature that is almost standard in action films. Bullit and The French Connection were among the earliest films to present a car chase as an action set-piece. At present, many action films culminate in a suspenseful climax centered around a Mexican standoff between two leading characters.

[edit]

Feminist theory

Action films also constitute very good examples for feminist film theory, because in them, the separation between the physical male who controls the scene and the look and the female, who is almost always the object of the look is very clear. Although female characters in most action films are nothing more than objects, a prize for the winner, hostages, loving wives and the like, there has been a move towards stronger female characters. These are maybe best exemplified in works by James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. However, in most action movies since the 70's well into the action movies of today, the female character in an action movie is usually portrayed as incompetent and lacking in common sense and good judgement. These characters tend to unintentionally make life harder for the hero (most often by doing exactly the opposite of what the hero tells them to do and getting attacked or captured by the badguys and needing to be saved). Many action movies would be much shorter, if these female characters weren't used to add more action (in the form of the hero saving the female again). This is seen less in high-profile action movies, where the scriptwriters are able to come up with more action than the hero repeatedly rescuing the female character.

Due to their widespread appeal, many of the following films have also spawned one or more sequels.

For more genres see List of movie genres.

[edit]

Subgenres

Action drama - Combines action setpieces with serious themes, character insight and/or emotional power: Air Force One, Minority Report

Action comedy - Mixture of action and comedy usually based on mismatched partners or unlikely setting: True Lies, Lethal Weapon

Action thriller - Elements of action/adventure (car chases, shootouts, explosions) and thriller (plot twists, suspense, hero in jeopardy): Speed, The Bourne Identity

Caper/Heist - Protagonists are carrying out robbery, usually for alturistic purposes: Sneakers, Ronin

Die Hard - Story takes place in limited location - single building or vehicle - seized or under threat by enemy agents: Die Hard, The Rock, Con Air, Speed, many, many more

[edit]