Action Movie Primer

This year I wanted to start a new blog post series titled Genre Movie Primers. Essentially, each focuses on a specific movie genre and contains 10 posts that best represent that genre. The idea here is that the post would serve as a starting point for someone wanting to get into said genre with movies that should give a good idea of what that movie genre is.

I decided to go with action to start this series. The action movie genre is one of my favorite genres. The movies are always exciting and thriller with often very cool set pieces. There have been a ton of definitive action heroes over the decades. In the 1980s, there were Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 90s saw action heroes such as Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves, and Nicholas Cage with the 2000s witnessing the rise of actors Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and Jason Statham. For this list, I decided to go with strictly American-style action movies so you won't see any Jackie Chan, Jean Claud Van Dam, Jet Li, or any other martial arts film stars on this list. There also won't be any adventure movies on this list so Indiana Jones will be absent as well. Those will be other lists in the series. With all that said, here is the Action Movie Primer.

1. Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No is one of the earliest action movies that laid the groundwork for many other action movies to come. A lot of what I read attributes Alfred Hitchcock's  North By Northwest to be the first action movie and gave a lot of inspiration to Dr. No and the rest of the James Bond franchise. I have not seen North By Northwest and feel like it toes the line between thriller and action but I still wanted to mention it here. Dr. No is a very culturally prevalent film that introduced the world to James Bond. It also set the framework and formula for the spy subgenre and launched a franchise that is an inspiration to countless films and filmmakers such as Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, and Christopher Nolan. Dr. No is not the best James Bond film by any means, but it is the most culturally important and a key to the action genre.

2. First Blood (1982)

Jumping 20 years into our next film, we have First Blood. First Blood is the prominent "one-man army" action film that many films still follow to this day. It establishes all the tropes of the subgenre with one misunderstood man setting up a bunch of traps to outwit and outlast the "army" coming after him. This film was also a launching point for Sylvester Stallone as one of the great action heroes of the 1980s and launched one of his most action-centric series and characters, Rambo. He would later go any to make a ton of action movies, but this film was the one that established him in the genre.

3. Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard is THE definitive action movie and probably the action movie that has had the most copycats. Die Hard is such an important action that it has its own subgenre with movies being marketing as Die Hard on a Blank, Die Hard on a Bus (Speed), Die Hard on a Plane (Con Air), Die Hard with the President (Air Force One), Die Hard with The Rock (Skyscraper), Die Hard with Santa (Violent Night), the list just goes on and on. The movie also has so many elements that will just live in relevance forever (Yippeekayay Mother-F-er). John McClain's tank top is even a part of the Smithsonian. The movie also put Bruce Willis on the map as he became another popular 80s and 90s action hero and will continue to make tons of action movies for the next 30 years.

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Terminator 2 is my Arnold pick for this list. There are so many good Arnold Schwarzenegger action movies but I ultimately decided to go with Terminator 2 as it is one of the most prevalent in society. Arnold Schwarzenegger, much like Sylvester Stallone was one of the biggest action stars of the 80s and 90s. Terminator 2 was not Schwarzenegger's first big action movie but was one of the films in his 6 year run that put him on the map. Leading up to this film, he made Commando, Predator, The Running Man, and Total Recall which is a pretty impressive 6-year resume. Terminator 2 has had the biggest cultural impact as the film is referenced and spoofed by so many other movies. You couldn't find a TV show in the next 10 years that didn't reference something about Terminator 2.

5. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Mission: Impossible is another classic spy film that was essential to the action genre. Between this film and Dr. No, these films set the framework for most spy action films to come. Mission: Impossible also established Tom Cruise as this big action hero with the sequels making him known for doing his own stunts. The Mission: Impossible films are the gold standard for practical stunt work in action movies. The shots are done in such a way that it is clear Tom Cruise is really on the side of a building or jumping out of a plane. Mission: Impossible was also an inspiration for many films trying to do insane break-in sequences.

6. The Matrix (1999)

Not only is The Matrix one of the most influential action films, but it is also one of the most influential films in general. So much of this movie was essential to the action genre. The slow-motion bullet dodging, for example, is used time and time again in other action films. The Matrix is also so prevalent in culture that it is spoofed and referenced by just about everyone. The movie pulls inspiration from martial arts films, Sci-Fi films, and older action films to combine to be an excellent experience. While it pulls from a lot of other films, this film still manages to be something current filmmakers cite as inspiration for the films they are making. This movie also launched Keanu Reeves into action-hero stardom.

7. The Bourne Identity (2002)

The Bourne Identity was one of the first major movies to have ground fighting and a shaky cam action style. Before this film, many action films featured big action sequences with over-the-top fights. The Bourne Identity feels a lot smaller with its action with still the same amount of excitement. The movie showcases a lot of shootouts, and car chases, and throws in some martial arts elements as well. The cements Matt Dameon as a movie star and while Matt Dameon isn't known for being an action star in a ton of movies, his character Jason Bourne is one of the more essential to the genre action heroes.

8. Taken (2008)

Taken is another film that launched its own subgenre of action movies where a man with a particular set of skills goes on a path of taking out a bunch of bad guys Ever since this movie came out, much like Die Hard, there have been other films that have labeled themselves "Taken but with actor X" such as Taken with Bob Odenkirk (Nobody) and Taken with Denzel Washington (The Equalizer). The movie also launched an action thriller subgenre with Liam Neeson where every movie Liam Neeson is in is essentially Taken but in a new setting (Honest Thief, The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, Ice Road). It also consists of Liam Neeson's iconic monologue which is still quoted by people today.

9. John Wick (2014)

John Wick is similar enough to Taken but is enough different that it also kind of sets up its own genre. There are movies like Indian John Wick (Monkey Man) or John Wick with a Pig (Pig). What separates John Wick from Taken is its highly stylized action and its use of Gun-Fu. John Wick is arguably one of the best modern action franchises and has launched a franchise that has both been successful critically and commercially. While Keanu Reaves was popular in the 90s. This movie brings him back to action movie stardom. The movie is also the gold standard for action movie world-building. John Wick builds out this world of assassins that so many other movies try and fail to recreate.

10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road is the epitome of the action movie car chase as this movie is essentially one big car chase sequence. This movie shows how to properly use both practical effects and CGI in a way that they enhance each other instead of wholly relying on CGI. This is also yet another movie that is referenced and spoofed in all of pop culture. A lot of TV shows and movies after this created their own apocalyptic world with crazy vehicles and outfits. While Mad Max 2 was the first to do this, I feel that Mad Max: Fury Road is the more culturally prevalent of the two.

Leave a comment if there are any other movies that should have been included.