Violence and action, like sex and love, have always had a place in cinema. But what is it about the Action Movie as a genre that has made it so popular in recent history, and how is it evolving?
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen made a frankly vulgar amount of money at the box office in 2009, much to the horror of critics, who exhibited an almost unanimous abhorrence of Michael Bay’s baffling intergalactic robot rumble. But action films have always operated on the edge of acceptability; aiming to toy with tastes and appeal to the masses, whilst excluding those looking for cerebral satisfaction. At least, this is a view that might be applied to the bulk of the films that fall into the action genre. Despite this the action movie has been influential throughout its existence, germinating in humble beginnings to become the behemoth that it is today.
Some might trace the roots of action, as a genre, back to the Westerns which were B movie staples during the 30s and 40s. But the true birth of the modern action film took place in the 50s and 60s. Low budget exploitation features, based on wacky scientific and horrific premises, relied on the personalities of their stars to draw the crowds. Then the James Bond franchise brought mainstream budgets to bear, and remains one of the longest running action movie franchises in existence.
The 70s was an important decade for the action movie, as it was the first time that western audiences were exposed to martial arts films starring the likes of Bruce Lee. Once Hollywood studios worked out that complex fight choreography and buckets of blood equated to big bucks at the box office, it was not long before American stars were karate kicking their way through films.
In the 1980s the action movie became an identifiable genre. Interracial partnerships were popularised by Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs and muscles became a major commodity thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. But it was Die Hard that has become the most important and enduring action movie of that decade thanks to its masterful plotting, claustrophobic setting and working class hero.
The 90s is known for its action sequels, with two rehashes of the Die Hard franchise and two more Lethal Weapon movies hitting screens. However, it also saw classics like The Rock, Con Air and most importantly John Woo’s Face/Off. For some reason all three star Nicolas Cage, and Face/Off brought one of Hong Kong’s best action directors to Hollywood and inspired the next generation of action films that would spill over into the new millennium. The Matrix is often seen as a trend setter in the west, though it borrows much of its style from Hong Kong action cinema and Japanese Anime.
The action movie has sprouted multiple sub-genres, and in the Noughties it was the comic book movie and the epic fantasy that came of age with the Spider Man and Lord of the Rings trilogies. Meanwhile Jason Statham has forged his own way with the excellent Crank series, which showcases modern action at its most sublime and ridiculous.
2010 was a bumper year for action releases. Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi action thriller Inception, and Robert Downey Jr. was once more donning his burnished suit of flying armour for Iron Man 2. The The A-Team stirred up nostalgia and long time action fans were excited by The Expendables, featuring a stellar cast of action stars including Stallone, Jet Li, Statham and even Schwarzenegger.
