Explosions ! Car chases ! Shootouts ! blade engagement ! Action films break from the screen withstuntsand pyrotechnics . As with any other genre , action films have acquire over the decades . Some movies wholly reinvented what ’s possible in cinematic action mechanism , while certaindirectorsrevolutionized the concept of on - screen action so vividly they were imitated for years .
Before we can talk about legal action films , we need to delimit what one is . Some motion-picture show explicitly judge themselvesaction movies ; that is , activity is the center of attention , with the plot often string up together exciting set pieces . But lots of films that we do n’t consider " action film " admit action . Often some other prospect of the movie is more salient than the action , or the flick falls into another , more easily accredit music genre . " The Matrix , " " Terminator 2 : Judgment Day " and " Star Wars " manifestly belong in science fable , but they ’re load with salient action at law . Ditto for war movies and sport movies .
So instead of looking at military action flick as a genre , we ’re start to focus on theideaof action in films . Which movies showed action in new ways ? Which unity used action so successfully they deepen our perception of pic legal action ? It does n’t count if the motion-picture show was scientific discipline fiction , a westerly or a bland - out , no - holds - barred activity movie . We think these are the ones that changed everything . Here we go , in chronological order .
10: ‘Seven Samurai’
Akira Kurosawa ’s 1954 film " Seven Samurai " position the standard for the New action film . Yep , almost every movie on this list ( all of them influential and crucial in their own way ) was itself regulate by " Seven Samurai . "
It ’s not that there were no action movie before Kurosawa made one . Frantic clowning and legal action - packed Westerns were among the earliest and most pop films made [ source : Dirks ] . But before the Japanese filmmaker get along along , shoot action largely meant point a photographic camera at something exciting . Kurosawa used pic applied science to depict action in way no one had ever fancy . He shot every scene with multiple cameras , some of them operating at different speeds . This permit him to emphasize certain actions with slow - movement effects or intercut speedily between angles to increase the pace of a scene [ source : Nixon ] . " Seven Samurai " established the visual terminology of modern natural action movies .
Watch " Seven Samurai , " and you ’ll also find many modern activeness motion picture tropes . There ’s the process of tack a team of hero , misfits and iconoclasts who do n’t fit into high society ; the romantic entanglement ; the duty - bound warriors doing a thankless line of work because no one else will – all of that could describe a gritty criminal offence movie or countlessespionagethrillers , but Kurosawa did it first [ root : Ebert ] .
9: ‘The Wild Bunch’
There had to be a Western on this list , and it had to be " The Wild Bunch . " Sam Peckinpah ’s 1969 picture about a gang of felon getting together " for one last grade " rewrote cinematic violence . The Motion Picture Production Code , which arrange strict limits on the type of crime , sex and force thatHollywood moviescould depict , was abandoned in 1968 , pass on Peckinpah a passel more freedom to make the form of advanced Western he want to make [ source : Ferrara ] .
" The Wild Bunch " take violence to a new layer not only by being more violent , although it certainly does that . Peckinpah makes the cautiously orchestratedgunbattles and gory death key element of the movie , emphasizing the theme that the lifetime of an crook is ultimately empty and can only end in violent expiry . It is n’t a moving-picture show with force in it ; " The Wild Bunch " is a movieaboutviolence .
Peckinpah ’s editing style — fast edits , tiresome - motion , action shoot from multiple Angle — inspired a generation of motion picture music director . It ’s wanton to see that Peckinpah himself was influenced by Kurosawa .
8: ‘Enter the Dragon’
You ca n’t speak about action flick without talking about kung fu . These movies are make on Taiwanese wuxia stories , folktale about cast heroes . They were immensely popular in Asia for X , but until the seventies they remained more of a knickknack to Western audiences [ source : Vaux ] .
Then Bruce Lee come along .
Lee was a charismatic performer with unbelievable skill at martial arts . build on his restrained success in kung fu films let go in Hong Kong , Lee cowrote and coproduced " insert the Dragon , " with the intention of breaking into the U.S. film market . Themovie was distributedby Warner Bros. and shown in U.S. dramaturgy , where it bring in $ 25 million [ reservoir : IMDb ] .
" Enter the Dragon " arguably is an fantabulous martial graphics legal action movie , and Lee makes for a great , intense action hero , but it ’s not needfully a better picture show than many other kung fu film release only in Asian market . It was the achiever of " Enter the Dragon " in the U.S. that shift everything . American audiences wanted more kung fu activity , and directors who spring up up take in Bruce Lee ’s movies would go on to infuse their own films with elements borrowed from kung fu . you may see the kung fu influence on Hollywood in movies like " The Matrix " and in the American success of Jackie Chan and Chow Yun - Fat .
7: ‘Star Wars’
" Star Wars " is the perfect example of a movie you probably do n’t call back of as an action motion-picture show . It ’s scientific discipline fabrication . Or escapade . Or blank space opera house . But it has sword conflict , gun battles , explosions and chases . There ’s no incertitude " Star Wars " is packed with activity .
It ’s easy to see how " Star Wars " changed everything . The film reach astonishing success when it was expel back in 1977 , but that success plump far beyond box seat bureau numbers . " Star Wars " has become a monolithic part of pop culture , one flick trilogy spawn another , legion rereleases , television show , risible books , game , toy , theme parks , novels and even more movies . It ’s a cultural Jagannatha . It ’s unmanageable to imagine a world without droids , Wookiees , Jedi and the Force because they ’ve become omnipresent .
Hollywood went straight to influence assay to repeat that success . The film manufacture ’s unexampled willingness to take a chance on big - budget , sci - fi action motion picture in hopes of another " Star Wars"-size jackpot led to the " Terminator " serial publication , the " foreign " movies , " RoboCop , " " Jurassic Park , " " The Matrix " and tons of others . Sure , a lot of those serial publication might have been made without " Star Wars " pave the way , but they might have had smaller budget or fewer big stars .
6: ‘Superman’
" Superman " arguably is not a not bad moving-picture show . It ’s a estimable 1978 action movie starring Christopher Reeve as an alien with superpowers in a bright profane outfit . But it made more than $ 130 million in the U.S. , and that ’s why it change everything [ source : IMDb ] .
There had been a few minor superhero movies before " Superman , " but none of them achieved any significant success . " Superman " is , of course , base on the DC Comics character . And when Hollywood sees success , it try on to replicate it . Several more ( less successful ) Superman movies followed . In 1989 , another DC hero , " Batman " made more than $ 400 million , and the earned run average of the superhero motion-picture show really began [ reservoir : IMDb ] .
Superheroes dominate the action movie market today . " The Dark Knight , " " The Avengers , " " Spider - Man , " " The Watchmen , " " X - Men , " " Iron Man , " — all Brobdingnagian hit movies . Plenty of less successful or lesser - known superhero movies have been made , too . Remember " Tank Girl , " " Daredevil " or " Green Lantern " ? Superheroes are now a much bigger part of soda finish than they were in 1978 , and it was thebox officesuccess of " Superman " that start the door .
5: ‘First Blood’
When you saw the title of this tilt , there ’s a good chance you picture Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo , his massivemusclescovered in grime , a bandana holding back his whisker as he clutched a hugemachine gun , a triumphant leer on his aspect . Rambo is the idealistic symbolisation of the ' 80s natural process pic , a cliché of endless fierceness , infinite ammo and a single unbeatable American hero sandwich taking on an army of awkward Communist spoilt guys .
But the ultimate legal action movie serial publication set off out as something very different . The first Rambo movie , " First Blood , " was released in 1982 . It ’s a fierce , exciting movie to be trusted , but it explores complex radical ( a Vietnam veteran returning home to rule only estrangement and rejection ) and has a dark , intense ending .
The bombastic subsequence , " Rambo : First profligate Part II , " established the ' 80s action movie templet . " Rambo III " brought more of the same , and a parade of muscular activeness stars come along , too . In this writer ’s opinion , " First Blood " is by far the estimable movie in the series , and it introduce the universe to the man who would become the ultimate action hero : John Rambo .
4: ‘48 Hrs.’
One of them is a hard - nosed veteran who wants thing done his style . The other is a wise - cracking loose cannon who never play by the rules . Together , they have to stop a cold - hearted criminal . phone intimate ? That ’s the definitive crony cop formula , and " 48 Hrs . " is the 1982 action movie that created the entire subgenre . Except the chief characters in " 48 Hrs . " are n’t even buddy cops .
The sexual union of Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy establishes the brother pig cycle . They have contrasting personalities , get from different worlds and do n’t really get along . But only Nolte is a cop – Murphy plays a con on furlough to avail catch a mercilesskiller . " 48 Hrs . " is n’t as lighthearted as late chum bull movies – the outlaw is a psychopath , the violence is horrific and the characters mete out with racialism throughout the flick . But the formula is there , and Hollywood is still using it today .
" deadly Weapon , " " Rush Hour , " " Kiss Kiss Bang Bang , " " Men in Black , " " Beverly Hills Cop " : the list of buddy cop movies is practically endless . There are even variation on the buddy pig theme , like buddy cop motion picture where one of the buddies is a dog . We have " 48 Hrs . " to thank for it .
3: ‘A Better Tomorrow’
John Woo is best known in the U.S. for hisblockbusteraction picture like " Face / Off " and " Hard Target . " It was the first part of Woo ’s career , in Hong Kong , where he truly made his mark on military action movies . Back in 1986 , " A Better Tomorrow " was Woo ’s first successful film , and the one where he set up his unique style of fritter action scenes .
That style is instantly recognisable – ultra tiresome - motion shots that display the wildness of gas fight with slow grace , shell casings tumbling through the air . The heroes almost always wield two hired gun at the same time , often while diving rashly across a room , gun trigger finger pump . Woo ’s Hong Kong style never translate well to his Hollywood film , but movies like " A Better Tomorrow , " " Hard - Boiled " and " The Killer " take in the care of prominent American directors . The Wachowskis used several of Woo ’s visual constituent in " The Matrix , " while Quentin Tarantino ’s " Reservoir Dogs " stand as practically a John Woo homage [ generator : Marx ] .
Of course , Woo was heavily shape by Kurosawa . It ’s impossible to escape " Seven Samurai . "
2: ‘Die Hard’
Many factor form together to make 1988 ’s " go Hard " one of the dandy activity movies of all time : an immaculate hand , a magnetic lead histrion , an isolated setting , picture after setting of tense action and a bunch of memorable rail line . " Yippee - ki - yay ! "
But " break down Hard " did n’t exchange everything just by being really good ( although the fact that it takes place duringChristmashas made it an unusual vacation tradition for fans ) . It shake thing up by having such an iconic , perfectly execute plot that , as with " 48 Hrs . , " dozens of picture show have endeavor to replicate .
What ’s the " Die grueling " formula ? You ask an apart location ( and " Die heavily " proves that even a business district skyscraper can be isolate if you ’re canny ) . You take a solitary hero thin off from his friends and allies , with nothing but his own witticism and acquisition to rely on . You require to put that hero through hell . Finally ( and here ’s the part so many " Die severe " imitators overlook ) , you necessitate to worry about that hero . He ask to be an interesting , complex character .
The bare - bones version — a solitary bomber in an isolated setting — is so common it ’s become a meme . " Die Hard " on … a plane ? Asubmarine ?
1: ‘The Bourne Identity’
" The Bourne Identity " was released in 2002 , the same twelvemonth that theJames Bondfilm " pass Another Day " came out . " give way Another Clarence Day " made twice as much money as " Bourne , " but " Bourne " is the movie that land on our list [ source : IMDb ] . Both are international espionage thriller , but " The Bourne Identity " has gamy realism , brutal fights and plausible car chase whereas " drop dead Another Day " has a privy satellite eschaton weapon and people changing their faces withDNArestructuring .
James Bond devotee are no doubt wonder why Bond himself is n’t on this tilt . The Bond series is massively influential , but it ’s hard to pick a undivided movie that was a game - auto-changer . " The Bourne Identity , " on the other paw , marked a turn point . Action movies after " Bourne " came out tended to skip the sci - fi evil scoundrel plots and stick to more grounded , material - world plots and antagonists . The Bond series itself totally deepen focusing – the next one was " Casino Royale , " a far more realistic reboot with a raw James Bond .
Other naturalistic action movies come out in the decade before " The Bourne Identity " ( " Ronin , " for instance ) , but " Bourne " was a turn power point , and the succeeder of the Bourne serial had a lasting impact on natural action movie style .
Not ready to leave the globe of cinema yet ? Keep reading for more links about blockbuster movies .
Lots More Information
It ’s really fascinating to trace the threads of influence across multiple generation of motion picture conductor . Getting to know a director ( I ’m a big Steven Soderbergh fan myself ) and infer how he or she constructs a story , builds a shot or portray a subject makes being a cinema buff so much more rewarding . Kurosawa is a good place to start out .
