The main concept of action movies is to entertain. They typically have explosions, fight scenes, and car chases – and sometimes all at once. They also give the average moviegoer the excitement and thrills they don’t see in everyday life.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love action movies, but most of them only focus on visual stimulus. The scenes and dialogue between explosions don’t seem to strive for a believable plot.
For instance, Face/Off (1997) is an enjoyable film, but it’s over-the-top. The action scenes and silly dialogue make up for the lack of an intelligent plot. Two people who swap faces to assume the other’s identity isn’t quite what I would consider profound.
Would anything with Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal be worth watching if it wasn’t an action movie? If you take away the fight scenes from their movies, what do you have? Nothing much to pull the plot together.
On the other hand, some action movies have intelligent stories and plots. If you take away the action scenes, you still have movies worth watching.
Here are some of my favorite examples:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones movies are entertaining, fun, and smart. The third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), is my favorite from the saga, but I am including Raiders since it is the first film. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) is good, but the scenes involving voodoo magic are too absurd for my taste.
In Raiders, two intelligence agents hire Jones (Harrison Ford) to track down The Ark of the Covenant before it falls into Nazi hands. This plotline alone is brilliant! The dialogue between Indy and his allies, including his sidekick Marion (Karen Allen), is well written and provides great insight into the characters’ dynamics.
Predator (1987)
The story of a group of mercenaries hunting an alien may seem farfetched, but it works well in this film. The alien isn’t docile like E.T. – it is a hunter, killing kills for sport. This movie works well in so many ways. The action scenes are well done, and even the dialogue is well written.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is Dutch, who leads a group of mercenaries hired for a rescue mission (or so they think). The alien uses a cloaking device that makes it blend in with its surroundings while it hunts down the team. Dutch eventually faces the creature on his own in an unforgettable climactic showdown.
Die Hard (1988)
This is the epitome of action movies. From gunfire to explosions, Die Hard is the film that has it all. What I love about Die Hard is that while John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a tough character, he is outmatched and unprepared for a hostage takeover. For one thing, he is barefoot and must handle the situation without any shoes on – at one point, he even has to walk over broken glass.
The dialogue in this one makes the film more enjoyable. McClane’s talks with Argyle, the limousine driver who drove him to the building are a great setup for a film with fantastic dialogue. Let’s not forget Alan Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber, the main villain – perfect casting!
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
It is rare for a sequel to be better than the original, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day is an excellent example. The action sequences and effects are superior to the original film, thanks to technological advancements in the seven-year gap between the two films.
I’m sure James Cameron wanted to do this film because of the improvements in effects technology. It’s as if he wanted the sequel to be what he imagined for the original – and it worked!
Mission: Impossible (1996)
This film started the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is full of well-made thrillers. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) was more stylized than anything, but the other films made up for that. The plot in the original is a little complex, but it isn’t confusing if you pay attention.
There is a lot to enjoy in this film. I love the scene with the setup of the mission that would eventually go wrong. The agents unveil their tools, such as a stick of chewing gum with the firepower of a grenade once squished together. Danny Elfman’s score brings this film together, especially during the thrilling train rooftop battle.
The Rock (1996)
Nothing against Michael Bay, but his films are mostly style over substance. Great characterization, dialogue, and believable action sequences are mostly absent in Bay’s films, but not in The Rock. It’s too bad that Michael Bay didn’t make more movies like this one.
The plot of soldiers taking over Alcatraz Island and taking a tourist group hostage is just the tip of the iceberg. The casting of Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage is also what makes this film work. In between the tense moments, these two actors have hilarious and profound conversations.
The Matrix (1999)
The Wachowski brothers must’ve spent years writing this film. Everything about this movie is intelligent. From the writing to the set pieces and the original “bullet time” sequences, The Matrix stands out as far as original storytelling goes.
The story shifts between parallel storylines of a post-apocalyptic Earth and a computerized realm (The Matrix) of what Earth used to be like. I admire the sequences where Neo (Keanu Reeves) is training for life in The Matrix, with an unforgettable fight lesson with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne).
The Bourne Identity (2002)
This film marks the beginning of the Jason Bourne saga. Matt Damon is convincing as the titular character, an agent with amnesia who is trying to find out who he is. He must evade assassins while on his quest, but he is quick to remember his defense skills.
I’m not entirely sure of how the C.I.A. works except in movies, but I’m sure the writers did their research. More so Robert Ludlum, who wrote the original novels. The Bourne Identity is a terrific thriller with great action and incredible content between the action scenes.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman franchise from the mess of Batman and Robin (1997). George Clooney and director Joel Schumacher publicly apologized for how the film turned out, and they helped make this mess of a film a distant memory.
Batman Begins (2005) was a masterpiece in terms of believability and storytelling. However, The Dark Knight surpassed it as the best Batman film ever. I’m still in awe of the breathtaking sequences shot in IMAX quality, and let’s not forget the unforgettable performance from Heath Ledger as The Joker.
Jack Reacher (2012)
I never read the Lee Child novels before watching this movie, therefore the casting of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher never bothered me. Reacher is described as six-foot-five, and we all know that Cruise is not quite that tall. However, height aside, Cruise is convincing as the former army major turned drifter.
Reacher is Jason Bourne and J.J. Gittes (from Chinatown) put together. Cruise doesn’t play Reacher like a knight in shining armor, he is a guy that only cares about doing the right thing. I think that’s the best thing about Jack Reacher: an original type of protagonist whose methods are brilliant and entertaining.
I would love to hear about the action movies you all love!
Happy watching!
