Time to pick 5 action movies! Whoooopeeeeee.
Before I type, I have to warm up(does 50 virtual pushups, 100 virtual sit ups, 200 virtual bicep curls. ok. thats enough. thank God that was virtual. I would have died doing all that)
Now for these action flicks. hmmm. what qualifies? There are several segments that all qualify as ACTION. You got the martial arts flicks, the sports flicks(sure. sports are action), the violent flicks(where bones break for no rhyme or reason) and so on. No point speculating. will just pick 5.
#1: First Blood
Sylvester Stallone was once the third most recognized face on this planet. Right after good old Ronnie Reagan and Mike Gorbachev. And its all because of the Rambo and Rocky flicks.
First Blood is the tale of John Rambo, the green beret who fought many a war including the Vietnam one(dont know how many movies exploited that one). While hitchhiking down the Canada-US border, he gets into trouble with the sheriff of the town who takes his position a bit too serious. Rambo is arrested for no reason and taken to the local precinct where he is mistreated. He snaps, unleashes his fury on the cops and makes his escape into the wilderness. The sheriff launches a manhunt but Rambo eludes him. Finally, John Rambo, a true warrior, trained in survival and the grim art of warfare, takes down the entire town and humbles the sheriff.
Sylvester Stallone in this movie is young and with a body thats carved out of solid rock. He had already become THE icon of action.
#2: Mad Max
And God made Mel Gibson.
Years before LETHAL WEAPONS and BRAVEHEART, there was a movie called Mad Max. Mel Gibson’s second movie made him a cult icon.
Set in Australia of the future, a notorious HELLS ANGEL style bikers gang murder a cops wife and child. The cop, played by Mel Gibson, takes his revenge by taking out the entire gang and becomes Mad Max. The movie had two more installations in MAD MAX 2 and BEYOND THUNDERDOME.
#3: Enter The Dragon
I am a huge BRUCE LEE fan. And no action movie list of mine is complete without mentioning the man who brought Kung Fu to the mainstream. Although this would have qualified as a martial arts flick, to me the sheer intensity that Bruce had was reason enough to put it here. Its more of an homage thing than a pure’I will conform to the topic’ thing.
Bruce Lee is on a mission to bust an evil criminal Han who has only one hand. He accepts an invite to a Martial Arts tournament on a remote island owned by Han to spy on his activities. There he find the people who caused his sister to commit suicide. He makes short work of them and sends them upstairs. Several action scenes later, Lee destroys Han and his henchmen with the help of an American Roper(John Saxon)
R.I.P Bruce Lee. WAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
#4: Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Had to pick this one because of one reason. Its CULT material. Its got so many hooks, twists and ground breaking CGI. Not narrating the storyline here because I’d be hit by someone. Arnold Schwarzenegger throws some of the most memorable one liners. including the now legendary’Hasta La Vista. Baby’
#5: Die Hard
Bruce Willis is the epitome of an action star in this one. He plays a reckless cop on vacation who singlehandedly saves a whole bunch of hostages from a dozen terrorists/crooks who have taken over a building(Nakatomi Plaza) and threatened to blow the whole thing, and the hostages, to smithereens.
With limited resources, no help, sheer ingenuity and survival skills to bank on, the hero triumphs and the terrorists end up in body bags. The title of this review was borrowed from a line Bruce used in the movie. Brilliant!
I have one more. saved this for a special occasion. here it is.
MY FAVOURITE MOVIE: THE CROW
’People once believed that when you died, a crow took your soul to the land of the dead.but sometimes, just sometimes, the crow could bring that soul back, to make the wrong things right.’
Eric Draven, a talented musician, is engaged to Shelly Webster and they are set to be married on Halloween day. Not to be, as a crime lord called Top Dollar’s thugs brutally rape Shelly and put a bullet through Draven. He dies and some hours later, she crosses over too. Eric Draven’s restless soul is brought back from the dead by a crow(to which his soul is bound). One by one, he destroys the gang and avenges his and his fiancees death.
The movie was tragic in real life too. The lead role of Eric Draven was played by the promising Brandon Lee - son of the legend himself, Bruce Lee. During a scene where the gangsters fire randomly at Lee(the crow) Lee too a shrapnel from a gun in his heart. He passed away.
All the guns were loaded with blanks for the scene. However, due to a quirk of fate, a piece of metal in one of the guns broke off, traveled and found its place in Lee’s heart. one of the most promising action heroes of all time was gone.
The Crow is a movie that brings a shiver down my spine everytime I see it. Mostly because of Brandon’s haunting performance. and because of what fate had in store for him
Here ends my review.
~finis~