Life is all about change. Cycles in the film industry are a testament to this universal truth. Take for instance the Action Hero. A few years ago there were a bunch of them around that always seemed to draw a crowd. Names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude Van Dame and Bruce Willis adorned the Marquee, and as soon as you saw those names you knew EXACTLY what kind of movie you could expect to see (and they were usually pretty fun too).
But something strange happened on the way to the set one day. Arnold decided to appear in a comedy (Twins). Then Stallone did the same. Suddenly life long “Action” guys where doing other things. Did they see the writing on the wall? Did they know before most of us that the age of the Action Hero was drawing to a close and were attempting to reinvent themselves before it was too late?
So who are today’s Action Heros? Keanu Reeves? Plllleeeaasse!!! Will Smith? Not on your life. Jet Li? Perhaps. Jackie Chan. An argument could be made‚Ķ but he’s almost more “comedy” than he is an “Action” star.
So here’s the question: Are there any true blood Hollywood Action Heroes left out there? If so, who are they?
Van Damme is two for two now.In Hell and Wake of Death are the best thing he has done since Timecop,and he might be due for a comeback.He never really had a Huge money-maker in the US.But overseas he was a HUGE draw.I always liked him better than Seagal or Wesley.
Jet Li had a breakthrough with Hero.But He needs to stay away from the rappers and Joel Silver.
Vin Diesal has not been in anything good since Pitch Black in 2000.
The action star to watch is ….Jason Staham.He was great in snatch,the One,Cellular.He stole the Italian Job.Was the best thing about John Carpenters Guilty pleasure Ghosts of mars.The Transporter was great.
“”How I craze another actually good Van Damme flick.””
The latest movie van dam is in was pretty good
All very interesting comments and will help a great deal with my degree disatation thankyou, I think Nicolas Cage was our last hope, The rock, has the muscles and the charisma but he just isn’t the same, im afraid everybody (crazy concept) that the action man has died – and the girls have taken over. unfortunatly somewhere at the millenium they stopped supporting and relying on men and started to follow the way of Ripley. All of the males action heros seem to be pretty boys (Keanu Reeves etc) however i have to admit these girls can be pretty cool (Kill Bill, Resident Evil, Underworld, Tomb Raider) the list is increasing. Don’t keep your hopes up just enjoy these agile bueaties that have a number of abilities and skills that the action men don’t.
We seem to be focused on the 1980s as the “seminal” period of action movies. This is true — to an extent.
There were exceptional action movies made before the 1980s, but they were very few. I think the problem is bigger than the shortage of credible “action” actors.
There is also a sever shortage of skilled action directors and scriptwriters. John Woo was once the best of them all — but is now past his prime, I’m afraid. John McTiernan made PREDATOR and DIE HARD — where is he now? Hello? Come back John, ROLLERBall is forgiven! And George Pan Cosmatos made RAMBO, arguably the most “pure” action movie of all times, shot on location. But that was long ago and he’s an old man.
The MTV-school of directing doesn’t work for action movies. Neither does jumpy handheld camerawork, and overreliance on computer graphics. Memo to Hollywood: YOU CAN’T REPLACE LIVING HUMAN BEINGS WITH CGI. It looks fake.
THE MATRIX has influenced the field for the worse: if ANYTHING can happen (with the help of CGI) and we’re not even sure how “real” it’s supposed to be, why should we care?
I think the renewal of the action genre will come from outside Hollywood, probably Asia. The BORN TO FIGHT trailer was awesome and didn’t use any CGI tricks. (Though I wonder how high those actors’ insurance premiums are.)
-A.R.Yngve
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Don’t get me wrong….I like the guy who does action as his every 3rd movie…you knwo what I mean. But is there a total action star left? you know…..Chuck Norris in his Cannon Pictures days….27 action Movies in a row(by the way Invasion USA was great)…..But I think your on to something with the name change…look what it did for the Fresh Prince. I wish Vin Diesel would take some humility classes and pick a movie that is one thing…ACTION….not humor…not romance….NOT CGI….just good old fashioned blow it up and throw a stunt man off a spring board. But ya…the Rock is the front runner….
Amen. Van Damme’s just a horrible actor. Even at his peak he was never more than a second – maybe third – tier action star. Stunt men hate working with him because his control is so poor that he always hurts people on set while filming his fight scenes. Personally, I like the move away from the ‘traditional’ action star, and I’m someone who watched pretty much all of the major action films in their day … that said, if The Rock ever stopped calling himself The Rock and started choosing some decent scripts he’d be a massive star. He’s a better actor than Stallone and Arnold were, FAR more mobile and thus believable in his action sequences, and has a ton more charisma. The Rundown’s actually a pretty fun flick …
How will Van Damme pull off a Alcohlic with visible signs of courage,friendship and resdemption….he can’t even pull off basic talking and walking……Action Packed…mabey
VanDamme looks to be reprising the role that made him famous. Yet he isnt the same character, and the movie isnt connected.
Bloodsport was about the Kumite. “Frank Duks” was the only westerner to have won the Kumite. Odd that he is in a movie playing the “real” person to have been the only westerner. Interesting… er.. well its something.
IMDB listing quotes “Kumite is an action-packed story of courage, friendship, and redemption, set against the backdrop of the most brutal and elite fighting tournament in the world, The Kumite. Vic Latour (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the only westerner to ever win the Championship of the Kumite, returns to defend his title after years of alcoholism and despair, overcoming great odds to achieve greater glory.”
Van Damme’s last movie “In Hell” was much better than anything he’s done in the last 10 years IMO. Wesley Snipes has pretty much only been in action movies but I foresee alot of direct to video releases in his near future like Van Damme and Steven seagal.
Well, I do agree that we will not see Action Hero as we used to. Not in the near future at least. Instead, I’d say it’s more of a Enjoyable/Good Movie Hero. There are few of these. Brad Pitt comes to mind. Edward Norton is there too. Al Pacino also. I mean there are so-so movies from all of them, but when I see one in the trailer, I am pretty much convinced about wheather I should see the film. :)
I get the impression that action movies are getting to be more and more informed by Asian cinema. I seem to recall seeing Zhang Yimou at a HoFD interview discussing how Asian action movies take a more elegant, dynamic, choreographed approach as opposed to the blow-it-all-up Predator/Commando template. I’ve since noticed this to be true even in the relatively chaotic John Woo/Chow Yun Fat collaborations, and I’m all for more of it in American film. It goes a ways towards explaining how we’re seeing more streamlined, pretty-boy action stars like Keaunu Reeves, Orlando Bloom, or even Christian Bale. Hell, I even thought the swordfighting in Troy had an Asian feel to it (and was, I later learned, based on Asian styles), and those were some pretty beefy guys up in there. We seem to be moving towards a blend of Asian dynamism and speed and Western brutality, and I say cheers to that.
Ok, if we’re going for action, don’t you think Ferril’s kind of little or not ripped enough or something??? He just doesn’t strike me as having that action star aura.(Note- I’m not exactly talking about physical size.I think Jet Li makes a better action star than Ferril-Ferril just doesn’t seem kick ass somehow)
I find Vin interesting ’cause I think maybe he can act. If only he’d manage to pick a decent project. He seems to actually be attracted to really bad dialogue…
I don’t think that you will see the “Action Star” in it’s 80’s and early 90’s form. It started with Bruce in Die Hard….you know…the Action Guy with Feelings…..so now you get the sensitive guy “forced” into Action to save someone or something. The only choice you have is the Rock….but he likes to come off smart….so you will see the softer version in most of his movies. Collin will do the action thing but with a sensitive side. Vin….I would of liked for him to work out…..but I remember his quote when he said after Fast and Furiuos…what was it…”I was a star before everyone knew….so deserve $20 mill a pick”….yea right…..”XXX” was a let down….I didn’t see Riddick….but I can’t see him doing it like he did in Pitch Black…..He kinda reminds me of when Eddie Murphy changed from the Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hours to Daddy Day Care…..sometimes you can’t go back……But I do like Nick Cage in his action flicks….but still that “sensitive” action guy. I think Van Damme is done….Jet Li mabey…..Problem is….Every Action Star want a speaking role…..I just want Action….Don’t talk…..Just Blow stuff up.
The real tough guy action stars are dead & the reason is all the actors today, who try action films look & sound like women. Examples: Ben Affleck, he has an acton chin, but a high pitched scream – Toby Maguire, wimpy voice & looks very sweet. The Rock might be the only choice to save action hero films. Vin Diesel could have, but for some strange reason he thinks he’s a good actor & a box office draw.
But don’t sleep on Van Damme, he keeps a fresh movie on the USA channel – The Replicant wasn’t that bad.
Also, remember Wesley Snipes has a new Blade coming out later this year.
p.s.
Wire-work doesnt work anymore.It just looks like wire -work.
Please stop it.
yeah rock and deisel are terrible.Super hero movies have replaced a typical guy with a gun on a mission senario.Punisher was god awful and unworthy of remembrance other than a footnote in a film class entitled”What Not To Do With Movies 101″.
Computer graphics poor or brillant have also changed what audiences expect.Hard as Jackie Chan tries he cannot compete visualy with bizzare creatures and out of this world effects.But movies are combining action and CGI with varried degrees of success.I find The Matrix action sequences on the whole lack any real action.No puch or feel to what you are watching.Mostly action sequeces like that just display CGI boundries.Sometimes its not as tranparent and weak to your minds eye.Spider Man had some punch as well as the lord of the rings fight sequences.Tobey Maguire seems to be the most popular action star.However I dont think he wants that mantle past Spidey 3.
Jet Li has never really broken through.
The most thrilling action movies and actors of the past ten years have been coming from japan hands down.
There seems to be no one true blood action star worth anything in hollywood.
Maybe in Bollywood.
On the one hand, the blame falls squarely at the feet of “post-modernism” (whatever that was). The Last Action Hero (horribly prophetic) ate itself willfully, ‘I’ll be back’ hasn’t sounded quite the same since. Sigourney Weaver would never have dreamed of imploding her own franchise. Scream has done much the same for the US horror genre. Once you learn to laugh at something that has to, at the very least, be enjoyed with a degree of suspension of disbelief, the original fantasy can no longer be sustained. Bit like catching ‘Santa Claus’ tumbling down the stairs having drunk too much of the brandy left out for him, without the red suit and looking remarkably like your father. Christmas has never quite regained the same flavour. The joke has rushed towards it’s inevitable conclusion, but who’s laughing now? This is essentially the problem with “post-modernism” (gotta love those quotation marks) the audience feels more grown-up, more knowing – more….well smug. Ignorance was bliss.
On the other hand, the fighting skillset has imrpoved dramatically. Martial arts penetration in the US has come an awfully long way since The Karate Kid. The crane just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. Five sequential shots of the same flying round-house closing in on the honed butt cheeks of J V-D look frankly – a little gay. (A gay action hero – now there’s an idea!) So unless you are Jet Li/Jackie etc and can regale endless junketts with stories of standing on your head for two years since the age of five – and demonstrate it glorious technicolour, then what hope do you have? You can add special effects (The Matrix) but then it’s obvious that you aren’t the hard as nails everyman, we want you to be. Similarly fisty-cuffs and haymakers a la Queensbury rules appear laughable in a world where everyone is ‘fast as lightening’.
I do think there’s a solution:
Primarily be a nutter off-screen – Collin Farrell is being curated as a real-life badboy, which goes a long way to helping buy into the image on screen. Erol Flynn used to challenge anyone that fancied their chances, and it didn’t do him any harm. Then again The Master & Commander has tried issuing a few “come’on if yer hard enough”‘s and brawled his way through a variety of bars – but he’s a fatty so that doesn’t count. “Let fly!” – and my he certainly did, if your going to build the real-life legend, you better win.
Which brings me nicely onto my last point (drivel to finish shortly) on-screen you can afford to lose a bit. If you can’t do amazing moves any longer, then taking a serious whupping is the alternative. At the other end of the spectrum there’s masses of room to fill Harrison Ford’s old shoes (especially since he now sports that dinky earring). Join the long line of world’s greatest tuffguys – Bogie, Clint, Connery & Ford.
Make the flick nice and simple, the men with no names are notoriously silent – no snappy one-liners here. And when they take a shoeing you feel every groan. But they still get up, kick the collective ass, get the girl and we all go home happy. Collin, if your listening, “I bruise easy” is not an excuse, it’s something to rejoice in, show us your pain, take your beating like a MAN. [I’m well aware that Fight Club went a long way to setting up the new format, but Mr.Pitt is sadly always too pretty, no matter how severe the haircut/bug eyed madboy look].
A Can Of Whuppass – hopefully opening in a cinema near you soon – Warhol Productions
Anyone that’s got this far, apologies for dyxxlesia etc.
P.S.
Knock Knock?
Who’s there?
Ya.
Ya who?
RAWHIDE!!
I would just like to take a moment to reflect on something I wrote on the old movie-reviews.net website…. Ah, here’s the database right here…
In the review of the 6th Day – that’s right, 4 years ago…..
Well to be honest most are all dead…we have the liked of Vin Diesal and the Rock left…slim pickins fellas. How I craze another actually good Van Damme flick.
As much as I’m hesitant in saying this, I think that a case could be made for Colin Farrell. Not by the definition you used saying “as soon as you saw those names you knew EXACTLY what kind of movie you could expect to see” but he definitely tends to lean more towards roles that allow him to to have some fun action scenes while also taking roles that are, for the most part, quite distinct.
YES! The Rock. Yeah… Now that I think about it, I think i wrote an article on here about 6 months ago where I called him the next action hero. I forgot about that. Good one Ben!
Ooh. Good call Ben. And we were witness to the handing over of the mantle of sorts in The Rundown from the cali govnr too.
Action hero only? I can’t think of any but give him another couple films and the Rock will be fighting for the title of ‘action hero.’ He’s been cast as the lead character in Spy Hunter which is being done by John Woo. That should be a pretty good test for him.