Action film

A action film is a Film whose intrigue is articulated more or less skilfully around a succession of often stereotyped spectacular scenes ( race-continuations, shootings, explosions…) and a conflict sets up which will be solved in a violent way (generally, the death of the enemies of the hero).

A problematic definition

Many “qualified action film” works can be attached to other cinematographic kinds. For example, Terminator was described as “action film”, but it acts above all of a film of Science-fiction, because of the topics which it approaches (voyage in time, Androïde, apocalyptic future…). In the same way, the Lethal weapon is a police Film before being an action film, because this work comprises a police intrigue. On the other hand, it is difficult to attach Piège of crystal to another category that the cinema of action, because this film does not comprise a police intrigue (even if the hero is police inspector), not element likely to attach it to the science fiction or the fantastic , nor with the Film of adventures (one would need for that an “exotic” framework much more) or with the Film of war, etc In fact the many spectacular scenes mark out all these feature films (multiple explosions, brawls, falls in the vacuum…) who are worth to them to be qualified “action films”.

To say that a film belongs or not to the cinema of action concerns a subjective judgment however. Thus, some critical will qualify " films of action" Western S, Péplum S or films of gangsters, which the spectators for which do not do " film of action" is synonymous with formidable explosions and destruction in series, and for which this expression does not evoke John Wayne or Charlton Heston but rather Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Characteristics of action film

The cinema of action is attached primarily to the popular cinema. Many its works are completed by a " happy-end" and rest on elements known of general public (hero strong and courageous, character female tempting with which this last will have a connection, Méchant S infamous, humorous supporting role, etc) In addition, one often reproaches action films for granting only to one low importance to the psychological depth their characters and for resting on intrigues stereotyped which are not, in certain works, which a pretext for sparing of the spectacular scenes.

The cinema of action is also characterized by its lack deliberated on realism. It is not rare to see there a hero killing with him only ten malicious armed to the teeth and to avoid all the balls that they draw to him above, to survive an explosion with only some scratches, to leave unscathed a fall of fifteen meters which is completed in a swimming pool of less than two meters of depth, etc It seems then logical that the contemporary action film tends more and more to the car-parody (see Last Action Hero ).

Actors, realizers and producers having worked in the kind

Among the actors often identified like " Actors of films of action" (even if it were not necessarily devoted solely to this kind), let us quote Sylvester Stallone (saga Rocky , saga Rambo , Cliffhanger ), Arnold Schwarzenneger (trilogy Terminator , Total Recall , Last Action Hero ), Bruce Willis (tetralogy Die Hard , the Fifth Element , Armageddon ), Jean-Claude Van Damme ( Kickboxer , Full Contact , Double Impact ), or more recently Vin Diesel and The Rock'n'roll. The French Jean-Paul Belmondo turned from there much in the years 1970-1980, during his period " bébel" ( Fear on the city , Cop or hooligan , the Professional ).

Also let us quote, among most famous Réalisateur S of action films: John Woo ( The Killer , Volte-face , Mission: Impossible 2 ), James Cameron (the two first Terminator , Aliens the return , True Dregs ), John McTiernan ( Predator , Trap of crystal , Last Action Hero ) and Michael Bay ( Rock'n'roll , Armageddon , without forgetting the diptych Bad Servant boys ).

Lastly, some producing, like Joel Silver (tetralogy the Lethal weapon , Trap of crystal , trilogy Matrix ) or Jerry Bruckheimer ( the Cop of Beverly Hills , Rock'n'roll , Armageddon ), are them also built a reputation of specialists in the kind.

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