This cult classic from the 80’s stars Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell as rival cops Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash the two top cops in Los Angeles who are set up and sent to prison for a murder they did not commit by Crime Lord Yves Beret played by Jack Palance.
This is one of my favourite action movies from the 80’s and is an enjoyable action romp thanks to the chemistry between Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone, some cracking set pieces and a brilliant score from Harold Faltermeyer who scored Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop.
From the opening scene we see a different style of Stallone – calm, rational and dressed to the nines in Giorgio Armani. Even though in real life in the 80’s Stallone was an impeccable dresser we never him like this on screen with some of his other on screen characters.
He even sends up one of his own characters, when he is described as Rambo, Ray Tango refers to Rambo as a pussy, classic 80’s lines and nods. We then see Gabriel Cash, the total opposite of Ray, who is the total opposite of Tango and there is a brilliant shootout/car chase in an underground car park.
But the films magic really works when we see these two meet up after getting the same information regarding a drug bust in a warehouse. The two have different acting styles but their charm works well on screen and makes for some great scenes, including being put in prison facing and fighting some of the criminals they put away, another brilliant scene is the two escaping from prison.
This film is classic 80’s action, with brilliant hand to hand combat, car chases, brilliant shootouts, a good 80’s soundtrack, great sly one liners and awesome synth music.
We even see an appearance by a young Terri Hatcher before she would go on to star in the new adventures of superman and desperate housewives. She was ok for the role she was given, we have a scene stealing turn from Jack Palance as Yves Beret and the late Brion James given a dire cockney accent which is up there with Dick Van Dyke and Don Cheadle as the worst English accent ever put to screen.
There are some plot holes in the film as Tango & Cash was a troubled production and the theatrical trailers used footage that never made it to the final cut of the film.
But this is mindless 80’s action that works a treat and at 31years old is a bonafide classic that will keep you entertained from start to finish, this was one of the last films to be released in cinemas in the 80’s and what a way to close off that decade.
A look into the Christian-action sub-genre with David A.R. White’s ‘Beckman‘ (2020).
When looking at the small sub-genre of Christian action movies, the question came up for me if it’s really possible to combine a sincerely Christian message with a violent actioner, and I still don’t think I have a good answer to this. And while there is of course nothing wrong with movies that deal with faith, they often tend to be literally preachy, which can interrupt the flow of the movie significantly.
An example for this is Kevin Sorbo’s The Reliant from 2019, that could have been alright if it was not overloaded with evangelisms that really sidetracked and diluted things in the action department. Other movies like The Boondock Saints used the display of faith more as a gimmick rather than a serious topic, so admittedly it may not be easy to find the right balance here.
Enter David A.R. White who made a name for himself in the Christian movie scene, and who is not a total stranger to the action genre either. His Revelation Road series had some good set pieces, but their mass appeal was rather limited, I would argue. In his newest movie Beckman, faith is still an important aspect, but it’s included in a more subtle way than in his previous works.
White plays Aaron Beckman, a contract killer who renounces his profession, and becomes a reverend. One day, a girl from his congregation gets abducted by a cult leader from whom she escaped in the first place. To free her from her captor, he has to go back to his old ways.
This is the setup, and I think it’s fair to say that Beckman is quite at odds with the core Christian message of peace and forgiveness. Depending on your point of view, this could be a weak point or an interesting dilemma presented by the movie.
Beckman is fairly straightforward with a run-off-the-mill plot. There are no large set pieces, and the action is limited to shootouts and brawls. So Beckman scores as low on originality as it can get for an action movie. Jeff Fahey and William Baldwin make some brief appearances, but give slightly sluggish performances.
Despite all this, the movie is reasonably entertaining, if you don’t mind low-budget action. It’s competently filmed, the action scenes are staged professionally and do get fairly violent, as Beckman rarely shows mercy to his opponents. White presents himself as a veritable action movie actor with a good physical presence. I hope he gets another opportunity to showcase his skills, and then hopefully with a better budget and more exciting script.
Beckman is overall a decent affair. It is somewhat unique as it is the first movie I’ve come across that sincerely includes faith-based topics in the plot without being preachy, while also not disappointing on the actions and thrills front.
Great work by the author of this piece Mike Culton for creating this badass cover image featuring The Ultimate Sniper Collection!
Over the past 27 years they never stopped making Sniper movies. It may be hard to believe but so far, eight have been produced and released somewhere, either on cable or straight to DVD. I found the most recent one, Sniper: Assassin’s End, at my local Redbox and later discovered a complete set of them at Walmart (where all great movies eventually end up). Shockingly, it had yet to be completely buried in a $5 bin, so I bit the bullet and binged them all in a week.
I discovered a mostly unseen legacy of action and international intrigue that always involves a rival sniper and a convoluted government conspiracy. From Tom Berenger and Billy Zane to Chad Michael Collins and interchangeable female sidekick, the Sniper franchise has been trotting the globe and racking up quite a body count for nearly three decades. Strap on your ghillie suit and spot me as I go deep into the dark B-movie jungle to pick these sequels off one-by-one.
Down and Dirty: The first and the best installment has withstood the test of time with its battlefield melodrama, multiple games of cat-and-mouse, and unique bullet-POV action sequences. It hits the mark in terms of capturing the hunting aspect of sniper warfare along with the sound design that lets you hear and feel every expended round. Berenger’s Beckett is burned out from the get-go and harbors some obvious trust issues with his partner Miller (Billy Zane) and the mission in general. After this exhausting Charlie-Foxtrot in the jungle, how much more jaded and cynical can Beckett get?
Ultimate Action Greatness: Beckett uses a snoozy Miller as bait to out the rival sniper and delivers the coup-de-gras right through his enemy’s scope. Is it any wonder that Miller further developed his own trust issues after that episode? It demonstrates how tension-filled, character-driven, and action-packed a scene can get while only firing a single shot. There are other entertainingly worthwhile action sequences but this more minimalist action feels more intense.
Down and Dirty: Nine years later and Beckett hasn’t softened his outlook on life one bit. He’s brought back in to eliminate a problematic terrorist in the former Yugoslavia, or so he thinks. Federal inmate and occasional marksman Cole (played sufficiently by Bokeem Woodbine) is his new partner and presents another reason not to trust anybody. There’s so much double-crossing, it’s hard to sort through what’s what and who’s who but hey, the filmmakers could afford a tank and some decent action sequences with production value despite its estimated $5 million budget (it was filmed in Eastern Europe, so it makes sense).
Ultimate Action Greatness: Although there are plenty of explosions and shockingly bloodless gunfights to keep you interested, the convoy jailbreak scene is well executed and delivers a competent mix of traditional action and sniper goodness that make it seem too good for a straight-to-video title. No bullet cam in this one though! Disappointing but the rest of action sequences more than make up for it.
Down and Dirty: Beckett is called into action yet again even though he now has the early stages of the palsy in addition to lacking a complete trigger finger. This time he’s headed back to ‘Nam to hunt down a former brother-in-arms who’s gone rogue. The Apocalypse Now homages are plentiful in this lackluster thriller/spy adventure that’s a bit light on action. Beckett gets a lady friend, which as we all know, only serves to further develop his character and backstory. He’s still a cynical old bastard but we see a more caring, fatherly side to the Gunny who is way past his retirement date at this point.
Ultimate Action Greatness: While he and his local cop partner are monitoring some baddies at a hot Vietnamese night club, Beckett and co. are ambushed as a highly adequate firefight breaks out on the Saigon—sorry, Ho Chi Minh City—skyline. There’s a decent mix of gun-fu and sniping, as well as some counter-sniping for good measure. Beckett delivers another through-the-scope kill shot but with a handgun this time?! It’s still cool but it just doesn’t seem right at all.
Down and Dirty: Sgt. Beckett gets some well-earned leave in this soft reboot of the Sniper franchise. We learn that Beckett has a son named Brandon (Chad Michael Collins), who also enlisted in the marines but as a grunt. He has some issues with his Dad and he thinks being a Sniper is a chicken shit way to fight. Perhaps a returning, and sorely missed, Billy Zane can convince him to learn to love the scope. This time, the action is in the Congo and baby Beckett’s unit is on a UN mission to protect white farmers from militant rebels, or something. We actually get blood and a fair amount of firefights in this more stylized and faster-paced installment. The standard issue rival sniper and back-stabbing conspiracy tropes continue the Sniper tradition in this serviceable direct-to-video war/action sequel-boot (or is it reboo-quel?).
Ultimate Action Greatness:Some particularly ruthless rebels are about to practice their machete skills on some poor war orphans when Brandon introduces them to his latent sniper talents. He starts dropping thugs one-by-one and empties about six rounds into one super-charged goon that just won’t take the hint. A ghillie-suited Billy Zane provides some additional cover from the brush as they start freeing child slaves a la Temple of Doom. Collins strongly resembles Berenger in this scene as he calmly destroys a small battalion with an old school Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle.
Down and Dirty: The sequel to the soft sequel-boot delivers the anticipated Beckett reunion with a war-torn Syrian backdrop. This mission is more focused on smoking out the bad sniper. He has been picking off members of his former unit, including Thomas Beckett, which was deployed to Afghanistan and seriously FUBAR’d an op in 2004. Chad Michael Collins returns as Baby Beckett and teams up with his formerly MIA father to deliver sniper justice and wade through another supposed and convoluted government conspiracy. Papering over any emotional father-son issues, Collins delivers a mostly adequate lead performance as Berenger becomes a tired-looking and rusty supporting player. It’s a relatively straight-forward, no-frills follow-up. If nothing else, it features a Major League reunion with Pedro Cerrano (aka Dennis Haysbert).
Ultimate Action Greatness: Echoing the bad sniper’s deadly impetus for revenge, the good Snipers and the coalition fire team foul up their own mission to take out a terrorist target. Luckily for us, it results in a sprawling urban gun battle with machine guns blazing, snipers’ brass hitting the deck, and RPGs exploding rubble into additional bits of rubble. This sequence holds up as an impressive action set piece given the scope of the production.
Down and Dirty: Berenger takes a nap while Zane pinch hits as one of several father figures for Collins in a mission involving a pipeline in Central Asia and a few sniper teams full of fail. The trans-Georgian pipeline and its CEO must be protected at all costs while an ISIS tactical team of terrorists try to disrupt regional energy stability. It’s an OK plot but it’s set against a snowy mountain backdrop, so that’s kind of visually interesting. Pedro Cerrano returns as the Colonel who operates predator drones that provide over-watch but the terrorists find a way to exploit the technical advantage. Baby Beckett can’t quite seem to step out of Papa’s shadow in a mostly disposable entry into this rebooted franchise.
Ultimate Action Greatness: Sgt. Beckett and his rag-tag group of Georgian snipers are attacked in their mountain hideout with explosive and titillating consequences. Waves of winter-ready insurgents descend on a cabin only to be met with volleys of sniper rounds and mentor-saving head-shots. Again, it’s a competently filmed action sequence filmed in an otherwise forgettable direct-to-DVD release.
Down and Dirty: This is an unexpected breath of fresh air that reinvigorates a flailing 2010’s DTV franchise. They even brought back the bullet point-of-view shots from the original film. From the ultimate opening sequence involving opera, full frontal nudity, and an exploding head-shot to Berenger actually trying to deliver an admirable performance as an operations commander, this sequel really hits the mark. Berenger and Zane finally reunite to support Collins who’s on a mission to take out El Diablo, the mercenary sniper employed by the most Irish-looking Colombian crime boss of all time. Zane shines as a flippant field commander as Collins takes out the drug-smuggling trash.
Ultimate Action Greatness: This movie tries to reintroduce sniper battlefield ethics in a scene involving an allied priest turned informant who hangs from a tree in front of his church. The ethical dilemma is palpable: shoot the rope and reveal your position or let him choke while you desperately search for the counter-sniper. This type of choice never ends well but this scene reminds the audience of the stakes involved while getting us to actually care about the characters a bit more.
Down and Dirty: The filmmakers seemingly forgot about the last movie and went back a few installments to cast Master Gunnery Sgt. Beckett as a woodland recluse who’s hung up his rifle. Baby Beckett is framed for murder as father and son reunite once again to come to terms with their fractured relationship, escape the law, and foil a murderous enemy plot. The rival sniper is a Yakuza-trained badass with a past who goes by “Lady Death.” The Becketts do their best to fight against international conspiracies and domestic intelligence investigations in a more grounded narrative that doesn’t throttle the high-octane action.
Ultimate Action Greatness: A triple sniper showdown commences when the bad lady Sniper encounters the Becketts in the woods. Basically, it’s Mortal Kombat meets Metal Gear Solid as a sniper standoff turns into hand-to-hand combat. Eventually, the Becketts come out on top but for how long?
Ranking: 3/5 Unknown Scoped Remingtons
Where do they go from here? I’m sure there are a few more rounds in the magazine or at least one more in the chamber for 2023, which marks the 30th anniversary of the Sniper franchise. Although there have been some forgettable installments, the Sniper movies deliver consistent and competent action at a decent value.
Even if Berenger and Zane finally retire from the series, Chad Michael Collins has been adequately carrying on the mission for nearly 10 years. Future Sniper movies could use a shake-up though, maybe introduce some genre-crossing. The thriller vibes and gore effects in the later sequels would play well in a horror-action narrative. Whatever they come up with, I’ll be sure to scope it out at Redbox next to my grocery store.
In case you’re wondering, here is the best to worst ranking of the Sniper movies to date:
Sniper
Sniper 2
Sniper: Ultimate Kill
Sniper: Assassin’s End
Sniper: Reloaded
Sniper: Legacy
Sniper: Ghost Shooter
Sniper 3
And special shout-out to the Internet Movie Firearms Database for identifying the rifles used in each movie except for Assassin’s End (but I know they’ll get around to it eventually).
Suspense reigns supreme in this clever slow burn thriller that… still packs some punch!
Grief is strange. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but can be the most painful thing you ever experience in your entire life. Especially when it’s centered around the loss of a loved one, namely a child. Which is the worst kind of grief. The kind that feels like your life is over. That there’s no reason to go on. But it can also lead to a feeling of strength. Because when your back is against the wall, a feeling of nothing to live for can turn into having everything to fight for.
And that’s the scenario a grieving married couple finds themselves in this new suspense packed thriller from TriCoast Worldwide, By Night’s End.
A grieving couple wake up in the night to a man searching for something in their home. After they are forced to kill him in self defense, they decide to take one hour before calling the police to search for what they hope is a hidden fortune. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who came searching, and now the couple find themselves in the fight of their lives…
This is an exceptionally well made production, just to start it off. It’s not everyday that you come across an independent feature of this type this well put together, but here we are. Everything about this film is terrific and thoroughly riveting. Now, allow me to break it down.
The acting is great all around. Michelle Rose and Kurt Yue are pitch perfect as Heather & Mark, the couple stuck in the middle of this terrifying predicament. Their chemistry is spot on and they convey all the emotions that come from a situation like this with absolute honesty. And Michael Aaron Milligan is incredibly effective as the main antagonist, Moody. 100% creep factor dialed up to 11.
Now let’s get into the pure quality of the filmmaking. Director Walker Whited gets just the right amount of tension out of the scenario. You feel like anything can happen at any time, which leaves the characters, and us, on the edge the whole time. The cinematography is also a major plus. Director of Photography Philip Wages provides us with some absolutely fantastic camerawork. Absolutely beautiful stuff.
Now, the story. The story is significantly captivating. Written by Whited and Sean McCane, the script provides us with such a believable reaction by ordinary people to a rather extraordinary event. You completely identify with these people and their decisions. Tell me I’m lying.
And now, we get to the just of things: the action. Listen, this is not an action packed thrill ride. This is more of a dramatic, suspenseful, slow burn thriller, with all the action saved for the end. But the duration of the picture is so filled with trembling dread that when we do get to the set pieces in the last 20 minutes, it is downright nail biting. We get a couple of thorough fights and an inventively staged shootout. I know that may not sound like much, but it’s more than enough. Trust me.
And that’ll do it for my take on By Night’s End. A highly entertaining and authentic thriller. So if any of that sounds like your cup of tea, check it out. I definitely recommend it.
Ranking the best and the most ultimate from the legendary Rutger Hauer!
Rutger Hauer sadly died in 2019, but left us a large legacy of movies to remember him. He was an excellent actor, being at home in many genres and productions of different budgets and qualities.
He worked with Ridley Scott, and he worked with Albert Pyun. Hauer had great natural charisma, and would always elevate a film just by being in it. On top of that, I’ve never seen a lazy performance from him, even in his worst movies. He once said in an interview “One-third of my movies are probably turkeys, and they pay for the experiments of the other third in a way, and then the middle part pays for the rent.”
We can only guess into which categories he put his action movies, but there were quite a few awesome ones he starred in, and we’re going to discuss his ten best entries to the genre in this article. His most famous movie Blade Runner is an all-time masterpiece, of course, but is not on this list, as it really is not an action movie.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, Hauer would regularly appear in low-budget action or thriller movies of usually questionable quality. One of the few thoroughly entertaining ones from that period is Redline (aka Deathline).
Hauer plays Wade, a smuggler of cyber-biotechnology in the near future, who is betrayed and killed by his partner Marrick during a run. Wade is brought back to life by the Russian government, and is sent to go after Merrick. Redline is a cheap cyberpunk thriller set in a futuristic version of Russia, and actually has a couple of redeeming qualities. Filmed in Hungary, the movie effectively utilizes the eastern-bloc architecture as a backdrop, which occasionally gives the movie a Neo-noir vibe á la Blade Runner.
Instead of having a plot, Redline spends most of its time displaying gunfights and nudity, the two of which occasionally coalesce into Kalashnikov-shooting half-naked women. Hauer gives a highly physical performance, he shoots and runs a lot, and gets to make love several times. Redline is elevated above the direct-to-video fodder from its era by its original visual style, and an overload of gunfire and naked skin.
Wedlock is a solid for TV made B-movie with an appropriately ironic title. Hauer plays jewel thief Frank Warren that is sent to a prison with a twist. Each inmate carries a collar, which is linked to another inmate’s collar. If the two get too far apart, their heads explode. Warren and his collar-mate Tracy manage to escape, and the hunt begins. Wedlock uses a delightfully ludicrous idea for how to run a prison, but it’s a great premise for the entertaining cat and mouse game this movie is.
Everything about Wedlock is fairly basic, but well done within the means of a TV movie budget. The plot moves at a good pace, and despite Warren not firing a single shot in the entire movie, Wedlock has a fair amount of well-executed action. All actors gives fairly easy-going performances, and some tongue-in-cheek humor make for a relaxed watch that never fails to entertain.
Split Second features Rutger Hauer in his probably most hard-ass role, as cynical and fringe lunatic police officer Stone. He and his partner investigate a series of brutal killings in the flooded city of London. Stone seems to have some sort of psychic connection to the killer that foretell the murders.
Split Second has a couple of gruesome killing scenes, blood and gore splatter a lot from one side of the screen to the other. The visuals of the movie are pretty good and create a dark vibe as the characters are wading through flooded and filthy alleys and basements. Despite Hauer being always armed to the teeth, there’s actually not as much action going on as one would hope for, except for the finale which is quite explosive.
The movie scores high on atmosphere and horror, but does not even try to have a halfway decent plot, and has plenty of trashy dialogues. But it matters not, just give Hauer cool sunglasses, a black coat and a big-ass gun and let his charisma win over the audience, so that one forgets what a messy movie Split Second occasionally is. It worked for me!
A group of terrorists is wreaking havoc in Los Angeles, and while the FBI and CIA are cluelessly skulking around in their offices, it is up to bounty hunter Nick Randall to stop them. Wanted: Dead Or Alive joins in on a series of 1980s action-thrillers such as Cobra and Raw Deal that were entertaining mostly because of the ultra-tough main characters and their violent escapades.
And there’s a good deal of them, we get the full suite of shootouts, car chases and explosions, all delivered at a nice pace. The movie also has a couple of charming ideas, such as Randall hiding his shotgun in a car baby seat, and the head of the Arabic terrorists (played by Gene Simmons) entering the US posing as a Rabbi. Hauer owns every scene, be it as a charming lover or a merciless bad-ass taking care of villains. Wanted: Dead or Alive is a cool and action-loaded ride, and shows Hauer at the top of his game.
Hobo with A Shotgun is based on one of the fake trailers from Quentin Tarantino’s and Robert Rodriguez’ Grindhouse feature. The movie does have plenty of action, and another great performance by Hauer. That’s why it’s on this list, but I can’t really recommend it if you’re looking for some easy-going old-school entertainment.
The city of Hope Town is under the grip of a gang led by “The Drake” and his sons Ivan and Slick. A homeless person (played by Hauer) witnesses the terror, buys a shotgun, and cleans up the town from its criminal elements. Hobo with A Shotgun exaggerates the sleaziness of Grindhouse movies and combines it with the hysterical humor of a Troma movie.
Everything is staged comically over the top, so don’t take it too seriously, but some scenes are difficult to endure even then. In all this madness, Hauer gives an actually sincere performance as exhausted and melancholic homeless person, that eventually turns into a vengeful vigilante. Hobo With A Shotgun is incredibly well done, but can only be recommended if you don’t mind getting grossed out by your movies occasionally.
After already working together in their home country of the Netherlands in the 1970s, Rutger Hauer and Paul Verhoeven teamed up again for Verhoeven’s first US production. Flesh and Blood follows the exploits of a band of mercenaries in the 16th century led by Martin (played by Hauer).
After sacking a city, they’re betrayed by the king who denies them their looted treasure. As revenge, they abduct the king’s future daughter-in-law and hide in a castle, to which the king’s son lays siege with his army. Verhoeven always had a tendency to fill his movies with characters that represent the worst traits in humans, and Flesh + Blood is no exception. This is no romantic medieval adventure-type movie, and there are no benevolent characters in this story.
The movie contains a lot of nasty stuff, and occasionally feels like an exploitation movie filmed on a blockbuster budget. Hauer gives a great performance as muscular, charming, but also ruthless leader of the mercenary gang. Flesh + Blood is not an all-out action movie, but there’s a lot of sword fights and other types of medieval warfare put on display, so action aficionados will not be disappointed.
Surviving The Game casts Rutger Hauer another time in a villain role, as sophisticated but unscrupulous leader of a group of deranged rich folks that hunt people for sports in the mountains. Their target is the homeless Jack (played by Ice-T), who is tricked into joining the group as an assistant to their trip. As he runs for his life, he realizes his best chance to survive is to fight back.
Surviving the Game is a straightforward action thriller that is flawlessly executed. The action kicks ass, there’s plenty of thrills and violence as Jack is chased through the forest by the initially overwhelming and perfectly equipped group of killers. The great panoramic scenery of the mountains and forests are also used to great effect.
While Ice-T gives a decent performance in one of his earlier roles, the villains really steal the movie from him. They’re all played by renowned actors, among them F. Murray Abraham and Gary Busey, and actually make their characters interesting. Surviving The Game does about everything right that you would expect from an entertaining action thriller.
The Blood Of Heroes (aka Salute of the Jugger) is the only Sci-Fi sports movie that matters (sorry, Rollerball). I may be biased, when growing up this was really a cult flick among my friends and me, and I think it still is. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the only pleasure people get in their life is from watching “Jugging” matches where two teams fight for a dog skull in a brutal competition. A group of Juggers, led by the veteran player Sallow, are trying to win their entry into The League in one of the underground cities, where they believe great riches await them.
The plot is simple and told straightforward, and Hauer nails it as usual as the charismatic anti-hero. The movie jumps right into the action with the first match, and the matches are really the centerpiece of the movie. There’s multiple of them, and each of the intense and brutal fights is filmed impressively. The Blood Of Heroes doesn’t need big sets or special effects to work, it’s a raw and minimalist movie in the best sense.
Blind Fury is unrestrained fun right from the beginning, and shows that Hauer could also shine in comedic roles. Nick loses his eyesight during the Vietnam war, and is taken in by some local villagers who trained him in the art of blind sword-fighting.
After returning to the US, he put his new skills to use to rescue his veteran buddy Frank from the grip of a ring of drug dealers. Blind Fury is full of creative action scenes that humorously exploit the fact that a blind man is a master sword fighter. Hauer is not a martial arts performer, but character actor first and foremost, and so his sword-fighting scenes in Blind Fury are not of the highest quality. But that’s no problem, they’re still a blast to watch. The movie features the incredible scene where Frank drives a car flawlessly during a frantic chase through dense LA traffic.
The bad guys are also a fun bunch, a gang of redneck cowboys that mess up everything they are tasked with, and who get beaten up and stabbed by Frank all the time. Despite being high on bloody violence, the movie is fairly light-hearted with plenty of campy humor (“I also do circumcisions”). Blind Fury is an action-comedy highlight without a single dull moment.
In The Hitcher, Hauer played one the most frightening human villains that ever made it into a movie. He used all his charisma and physical presence to create a perfect embodiment of pure evil. Jim picks up the serial killer John Ryder who poses as a hitchhiker. Jim manages to escape, but Ryder keeps coming after him, and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.
With The Hitcher, director David Webb Peoples (who wrote the script for Blade Runner) created a nightmare on celluloid with some high-octane action scenes. The movie has an incredible tension that builds up painfully until the explosive showdown. Despite bordering on the edge of a horror movie, there’s plenty of action as Jim, Ryder and the police frequently clash with each other.
The movie shows a couple of car chases and crashes that are filmed spectacularly, and which belong to the best car action scenes ever filmed. If Rutger Hauer is to be remembered for any movie other than Blade Runner, it must be be The Hitcher.
In a post Cannon Films world, Michael Dudikoff strikes out on his own with the ultimate actioner Cyberjack aka Virtual Assassin (1995).
Synopsis: A deadly virus falls into the hands of psychopathic terrorist Nasseem, and it’s up to jaded ex-cop Nick James to save our future from this maniac.
Before we get into this, we have to invest a few paragraphs indulging a top-down view of the culture of the previous decade that set events in motion, and allowed this gem of 90s sci-fi/action to exist.
The heyday of Cannon Films produced some of the best low budget action films of the Reagan era, leaving unforgettable images permanently embedded in the brains of feverishly impressionable kids. (Like me.) Most of the films starred brawny, monosyllabic, stoic men of action with unshakeable morals. They were very clear in their minds on who the enemy was, and they had no qualms about the mayhem and destruction they caused on their duty to uphold democracy, nor were they troubled at the double-digit body counts they generated on their way to exterminate the lead villain.
Conversely, our hero, Nick James (Michael Dudikoff) doesn’t display such self-assurance. Some time ago Nick watched his partner shot dead in a failed hostage situation instigated by future nemesis Nasseem (the always reliable go to bad guy Brion James.) The failure to save his partner has sent him into a downward spiral of bad dreams, drinking and escalating gambling debt. The Primary and Secondary Criteria of effective action films has been set in place, and the primer is about to go off.
Back to the 80s. With such staunch Cannon Films action heroes, unmoving in their philosophies and politics (which were one and the same), there wasn’t much room for the application of the Primary and Secondary Criteria of effective action films, which we’ll get into shortly. But in their golden period of productivity, before Golan and Globus overextended themselves financially and Hollywood took their formula and added a few dozen millions to their budgets, they cultivated a stable of actors that scattered in all cinematic directions after Cannon closed up shop. One of them was Michael Dudikoff, from American Ninja. Under Cannon Films, Dudikoff played the squinting, tight-lipped, silent Joe. A young man with great fighting skills and no memories of his past. Under Prism Pictures, producers of Cyberjack, Dudikoff has matured as an actor. He’s charismatic, and projects a vulnerability that hints at the awareness that he’s lost his way. It’s going to take a big, explosive event to shock Nick out of the trap he has made for himself.
And on the same night Nasseem and his gang invade the building that houses the tech company Genesis, Nick is crashing in the basement. After a very dangerous run-in with his bookie, and with no place to go, Nick hides at the company headquarters that employs him as a maintenance technician. While Nasseem and his crew round up the scientists and demand they hand over the virus they’ve developed, Nick is distracted with the very detailed and anatomically enhanced virtual reality belly dancer, one of the many toys Genesis is developing, and so he doesn’t hear the hysteria a few floors above. When Nick finally realizes he’s in Die Hard in a tech company, he runs and hides. He’s just a janitor, after all. But that cocky, devil-may-care, grinning cop we saw at the film’s beginning is buried, somewhere in the depths of the shabbily-dressed, flask-chugging, degenerate-gambler we see now.
practical effects and a perimeter robotic machine gun
And it’s while he’s trapped in the ventilation system, after taking out his first henchman with a comically large wrench, that Nick begins his personal journey to redemption, and we are treated to a fine example of the Primary Criteria of the effective action film:
Does the story’s structure and pacing place increasing demands on the protagonist’s abilities, forcing him to expand his skillset by engaging both his mind and body in the process?
This criteria is not dependent on budget, but on writing and character, and while the screenplay has weaknesses in the story structure and awkward lines of dialogue, there’s enough good material for Dudikoff to build a flawed but well meaning action hero. And from this incident Nick’s ingenuity and resourcefulness only increase. Pretty soon he’s decimating the ranks of henchmen, accomplishing more with his tools and belt than half a dozen terrorists with auto assault rifles. Nick becomes a growing thorn in the side of Nasseem, who escalates his viciousness towards the hostages, Nick, and a couple of perimeter guards who made the unfortunate choice to stop by Genesis to bring donuts to their colleague, the front door guard and the terrorists’ first casualty. This is where we’re treated to an impressive display of practical effects with a perimeter robotic machine gun and an exploding car. Nick witnesses the carnage from a window. He understands that now it’s up to him to end this, and he starts pushing back against the henchmen even harder, first matching, and then surpassing their violence. Primary Criteria rising.
I couldn’t find much about the director, Robert Lee. An IMBD search shows he’s mostly worked as a second unit director, which is unfortunate. He shows skill in framing and filming action and fight scenes. He takes advantage of the sci-fi gadgets available to him to stage clever and competent action scenes.
And while Nick steps into his place as the hero of the film, even as a series of misunderstandings place Nick as the perpetrator to the eyes of the police gathering outside, Nasseem himself ups the ante on events by injecting himself with the virus. The Secondary Criteria has been met full force:
Does the antagonist succeed in placing increasing demands on the protagonist, forcing him to increase his skill set and resourcefulness?
Yes. Almost immediately after Nasseem storms the tech company, he forces Nick into smaller and smaller hiding places, till he can’t hide anymore, and either fights or dies like some of the hostages Nasseem has been shooting dead out of frustration. Nick’s confidence blooms and grows, thanks to the same man that took it away from him with one bullet that night years ago. And now, with the virus coursing through his bloodstream, Nasseem has become more than human. He can access the computer chips linking the SWAT team that’s been deployed to the site. Nasseem sends a surge of electricity through the SWAT team commlinks, frying their brains, before using the confusion to escape with the virus developer, Dr. Alex Royce. (Suki Kaiser.) Naseem has big plans. He’s headed to the city’s broadcasting tower. He’s going to deliver a message of chaos and hate through the satellite dish, to infect the planet with his madness. Nick needs to hurry!
I’ll leave it to you to find out what happens. Cyberjack is available for free on tubi. (Under the title Virtual Assassin.) Watch it and see where one of the graduates of the Cannon Films school of action went after Cannon folded.
Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey fight dragons… C’mon – what’s not to love!?
Blockbuster movies involving dragons usually are of the high-fantasy type, such as Dragonslayer or Dragonheart, but Reign of Fireputs a spin on the familiar story. Dragons exist in our present time, and are bringing the apocalypse to earth. I like movies that have at least one unique feature that makes them stand out from the crowd, and Reign of Fire has its setting going for it.
The movie was a box office bomb, and it wasn’t because of me. I went to the cinema, and had a great time! The premise sounds as if Reign of Fire could easily wander into trash territory, but it turns out to be a fairly solid action-adventure.
A construction project in London digs too deep into the earth, and awakens dragons that laid dormant for ages. Soon after, the world is in flames, and the flesh-eating behemoths have wiped out almost all of humanity. That’s the setup for the movie, and the scorched earth where the last humans are trying to survive is visualized by director Rob Bowman with fairly impressive set pieces. The world has become a hellish place, practically every scene has either smoke, fire or ash in it.
After we get acquainted with the small band of survivors led by Quinn (played by Christian Bale) that are dwelling in a ruined British castle, the dragon attacks keep coming in. The outpost is saved in time by a squad of US marines commanded by Denton Van Zan (played by Matthew McConaughey).
If you would be inclined to draw any parallels to World War 2 here, I would totally agree with you, except that the Marines are too late this time to save Europe from complete destruction. The soldiers have upgraded the traditional dragon-slayer tactics, and use weaponry of the appropriate size. Helicopters and tanks surely pack a lot more punch than swords and lances.
It seems as if Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey entered into a beard-growing and bodybuilding contest for this movie. Both got incredibly jacked and hairy, but the winner of the competition is McConaughey by a wide margin. He looks and behaves like a savage viking, and also carries a giant battle axe! And while there’s not really anything special about Bale’s character, it’s great to occasionally see him in action movies like this one or others such as Terminator: Salvation, as he’s just a very charismatic and talented actor.
The movie is refreshingly straightforward without being dumb, and keeps the action coming at a good rate. The centerpiece of the action scenes are the dragons, and their attacks are truly spectacular and devastating. Forget about the noble beasts, their appetite for destruction rivals that of Godzilla.
The dragons look really bad-ass and intimidating, even though the CGI are a bit dated, but that’s no problem. The final fight takes place in a pretty impressive set of the destroyed and burning city of London, and its indisputable highlight is McConaughey going into topless viking berserk mode.
Reign of Fire is a fine addition to the heroes vs. monster genre, and successfully manages to avoid the cheesiness often associated with this type of movies. It’s an action-packed ride, and perfect popcorn entertainment even by today’s standards.
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte deliver one of the most iconic buddy cop revivals ever.
Another 48 Hrs. was released in 1990 and sees Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte reprise their roles as Reggie Hammond and Jack Cates who this time have to team up to take down an elusive drug lord called the Iceman who has hired a murderous bunch of bikers to kill Reggie.
I loved the first 48 Hrs. it was fresh had brilliant performances from Eddie Murphy in his film debut and Nick Nolte, Another 48hrs whilst bigger in set pieces should be called Déjà Vu as this film feels like a carbon copy of the first film from the banter between Reggie and Jack Cates, to the rousting of a bar by Reggie in the sequel which lacks the elegance of the first film. The finale shootout and the iceman capturing Reggie an exact rehash of the first 48 Hrs.
Another 48 Hrs. suffers from inconsistency in the narrative, the late Brion James who plays Ben Kehoe said he had a more extensive role in the film and also upon its release Another 48 Hrs. was meant to be 145 minutes plus but due to the film being a summer blockbuster the directors and producers cut the film down to 91minutes and a lot of Brion James’s scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
This resulted in plot holes and continuity errors, this is one of the main problems as the final scene in Another 48 Hrs. reveals Ben Kehoe to be the Iceman, it felt all of a sudden and again that goes back to the deleted footage for the film, had a director’s cut of Another 48 Hrs. been released with those deleted scenes what impact that would have had on the final version of Another 48 Hrs..
There has been no blu ray release with those deleted scenes, so it is a shame as Another 48 Hrs. feels disjointed, even in the trailer for 48 Hrs. Jack cates says he has 48 Hrs. to catch the iceman or he will go to jail that is in the trailer not in the final cut of the film.
The banter between Reggie and Jack feels stale and not as fresh as the first film, we have a brilliant turn from Andrew Divoff one of the bikers who is the brother of Albert Ganz from the first 48 Hrs. and wants revenge against Reggie and Jack.
There are some great action set pieces including some shoot outs and a bus crash but the finale in the end felt like a rehash of the first film and overall Another 48 Hrs., whilst entertaining in parts as a film, a sequel should be better than the original and unfortunately Another 48 Hrs. is not.
Let’s break down all the news – and ultimate history – of Jack Reacher.
Since the news that Tom Cruise’s polarizing tenure as Jack Reacher will be coming to an anti-climactic close, fans of the long-running Lee Child’s literary franchise have been eager for any information about the direction Amazon’s streaming series will be taking the iconic character.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Titans star Alan Ritchson will be taking up the Reacher mantle for a first season of an Amazon Original series which will focus on the storyline from Child’s first Jack Reacher novel, 1997’s The Killing Floor. With this announcement, we now have rock solid confirmation that will please any fans of the billion dollar Reacher brand: that the character they love will be depicted correctly on screen for the very first time.
When Tom Cruise was initially announced to be considering an offer to take on the role of Jack Reacher in 2012, it was immediately controversial among Reacher fans. Cruise, with his clean cut brand and infamously small stature (often speculated to be less than 5’7”), was the opposite of a clear choice to portray a character described by Child himself in the 2012 Reacher novel A Wanted Man as “extremely tall, and extremely broad, and long-armed, and long-legged.” How could Cruise properly embody a character canonically known to be 6’5” and 250LBs? It turns out, upon viewing both 2012’s Jack Reacher and 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, that the answer is “he really can’t.”
Though extremely well executed on a technical level by director Christopher McQuarrie (who would later team up with Cruise much more successfully in the Mission Impossible franchise), and with a handful of inspired sequences and incredible casting on the fringes of the story (such as a chilling villainous presence from none other than Werner Herzog and an amazing minor role from Robert Duvall), Cruise’s portrayal of the titular character is a consistent weak point in the context of an otherwise strong screenplay.
One of the primary motifs in the Jack Reacher franchise of feature films is ‘Jack Reacher beating people up in a parking lot.’ For a character who is 6’5” and basically pure brawn, beating down groups of six or more hitters makes perfect sense. But watching Tom Cruise, with his undeniably slight frame, do the same thing, something doesn’t really click. Though he is undeniably gifted as a stunt actor, and as a physical performer can only be rivaled by some of the most iconic action stars in history (not to mention deeply influential filmmakers like Buster Keaton), no amount of choreography and performance from Cruise can fight his way out of being miscast on a story and character level.
Tonally, there is a deep disconnect between Cruise’s read on the character of Reacher and how it seems he was intended to be portrayed in the script. Cruise brings to Reacher a sly and sardonic candor, a level of sarcasm and wit that seems like a snarky read on a character who was intended instead to be brusque and to the point. In fact, Reacher is frequently depicted to be driven by anger and rage at his core. As Cruise plays him, Reacher seems more passive aggressive than anything else.
Lee Child himself agrees. In 2018, when he initially announced his pursuit of adapting Jack Reacher to the small screen, he said to the BBC: “Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality… I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun. But ultimately, the readers are right. The size of Reacher is really, really important, and it’s a big component of who he is . . . the idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you’re all a little nervous just for that first minute.”
The thought of who could portray the ideal Jack Reacher, with his raw physical power and stature, has been on the mind of Reacher fans for years. Any number of stellar action stars could have ten up the mantle. Imposing actors and stunt performers like Daniel Cudmore (who, at 6’7”, would even put the literary Reacher to shame), potential Deathstroke star Joe Manganiello (6’5”), or maybe even Transformer’s alum Josh Duhamel (6’4”).
Hell, Jack Reacher fans have even produced their own fan films depicting the character as written. However, when star of the DC Universe Series Titans and former Ninja Turtle, Alan Ritchson, was cast in the role, it was impossible to argue that his physique and action bonafides prepared him to portray Jack Reacher to the ultimate potential of the iconic role.
With Ritchson taking up the Reacher mantle, it is all but a guarantee that with Child’s involvement, that the new iteration of Jack Reacher will certainly be fully in line with the character that has starred in going on twenty five novels. And by focusing on the plot of the first published Jack Reacher novel, The Killing Floor, we know we will getting a Reacher in his prime.
Mark Wahlberg started his journey to fame as underwear model and member of a cheesy hip hop group. He landed his first movie roles in the 1990s, and has made more than 50 movies since then, receiving even an Oscar nomination in 2006. We’re only interested in his action movies, of course, and he made quite a few that were truly outstanding contributions to the genre.
One noticeable thing about his action movies is that they often contain a good dose of drama, and his characters usually have a bit more depth than your standard action hero template. This generally makes them more approachable for a wider audience, but certainly not worse. In this article, I’ll discuss and rank his 10 best entries to the action movie genre.
A movie that starts with an exploding storefront as the first scene can never be bad. In The Corruptor, Chow-Yun Fat and Mark Wahlberg star as cops in New York’s Asian gang unit. The movie follows their entanglement with the Chinatown triads and corrupt police officers, which results in numerous violent confrontations. The story is not overly original and the characters are fairly stereotypical, but the movie indulges effectively into the mysterious aura that Chinatown has always had on movie makers.
The action is fast and stylish, with a decent amount of good-looking gun play, and an incredibly brutal car chase sequence where the bad guys are running amok. Wahlberg gives a fairly restraint, quiet performance in this movie that suits the idealistic rookie cop he’s playing, as opposed to Fat’s seasoned and morally ambiguous character. The Corruptor is a solid hard-boiled action-thriller, and stands out from the crowd mostly because of Fat’s and Wahlberg charisma.
The Italian Job was part of a small wave of heist movies that came out around 2000, and is the one that packed the most punch in terms of action. It is a remake of the 1969 movie of the same name, where a team of robbers gets betrayed by one of their own after a huge heist, and together they devise a plan to get their stolen money back from him. Wahlberg leads a great ensemble of actors (Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Seth Green, Mos Def) that have good on-screen chemistry and deliver much tongue-in-cheek humor.
The movie features a lot of crisp action scenes, including a boat chase in Venice, a stand-off in the snowy Alps, and car chases in Los Angeles that involve three supercharged Mini-Coopers. The Italian Job is a fun heist movie that and was another step up in Wahlberg’s career. And if nothing else, you will learn the true story of who invented Napster from watching it.
For 2 Guns, Wahlberg teamed up with Denzel Washington as a couple of fast-talking, cool gangsters that are not who they seem to be. After they steal a big pile of money from a bank, multiple groups of bad guys start to go after them. 2 Guns is pretty much an old-school buddy movie aka Lethal Weapon with two foul-mouthed characters that have a love-hate relationship, but their heart at the right place. The story is not spectacular, but it’s fun to see literally everyone crossing everyone else as the plot develops.
There’s plenty of surprisingly violent action, witty dialogues, and some occasional crude humor. A movie with a good fart joke always get bonus points in my book. The different villain groups are led by charming performances of James Marsden. Edward James Olmos and the late Bill Paxton. 2 Guns may not be the most original movie you’ll come across, but there a many worse ways to spend 90 minutes of your life.
Spenser Confidential is the latest joined effort of Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg who apparently have taken a liking to working with each other. Loosely based on a series of detective novels, the movie tells the story of idealistic ex-cop Spenser who helps a widow investigate why her husband was killed, and in the process triggers a bunch of corrupt police officers and the local mob going after him.
Spenser Confidential draws most of its charm from the interactions between the four main protagonists, who are a bunch of wise-ass characters that are constantly getting on each others nerves, but ultimately care for one another. Wahlberg gets ample opportunity to showcase his comical and physical talents, and this type of movies really seems to bring out his best performances.
Spenser never shies away from a fist fight, and the action package is completed by a couple of shootouts and an explosive showdown. Spenser Confidential is rollicking fun, a great mix of action, crime and comedy that doesn’t need large set pieces or special effects to kick ass.
Lone Survivor tells the true story of a botched attempt of a US Navy Seals team to capture a high-ranking Taliban officer in the mountains of Afghanistan. The movie features some of the most nerve-wrecking and visceral combat sequences ever created for an action movie.
It is one of the rare movies that truly creates the illusion that the viewer is right in the middle of the fight between the US soldiers and the Taliban. A lot of tragic things happened during the mission, and there is no well-timed plot points or climactic showdown. One one hand this prevents a buildup of real tension, and the movie lacks a message, for better, or worse. This hardly can be a point of criticism, though, as the movie’s only ambition is to provide a reconstruction of the events that actually happened.
Wahlberg leads the cast and gives another compelling performance as compassionate and righteous soldier that tries to make it out alive of the messy situation. Lone Survivor it is one of the most intense and technically perfect war action movies that has ever been made, and for that alone it is worth a watch.
Wahlberg’s plays the efficient but somewhat weak-willed hitman Melvin. One day he and his fellow hitman gang members abduct the daughter of a movie producer for ransom. Too bad that she’s also the god-daughter of their boss, who paints a big target on Melvin’s head. From the first to the last minute, The Big Hit is a comic book come alive, and occasionally it feels like a juvenile version of Pulp Fiction. The Hong Kong-style action sequences are bloody and creative, and feature plenty of Gun-Fu, car chases and huge explosions.
The humor is cheesy, but there are enough good jokes and absurd situations that will make you laugh out loud more than once. The hitman gang is like a murderous boy group, and besides Wahlberg features Lou Diamond Phillips, Bokeem Woodbine and Antonio Sabato Jr. Especially Philips is almost stealing the show from Wahlberg with his over-the-top performance and eccentric fashion choices. The Big Hit is stylish and sexy, silly and funny, and if you’re looking for the next movie to watch with a couple of friends and a crate of beer, don’t look any further.
Four brothers is another great entry for Wahlberg that follows his success formula of mixing action, drama and comedy. The movie was directed by the late John Singleton, and takes us to the suburbs of Detroit, where an elderly woman is killed in a seemingly random robbery of a corner store. Her four adopted sons, who were all juvenile delinquents, reunite for her funeral, and track down her killers in the underworld of Detroit. Singleton paints a colorful picture of Detroit as a harsh place to grow up and live, that is plagued by corruption, but also a city that people love as their home.
The movie tells a heartwarming story with plenty of comedic moments to lift the tension, and a couple of killer action scenes, among them a great car chase over the icy streets of winterly Detroit. Wahlberg gives one of his best performances I’ve seen from him as likable anti-hero, who puts his old gangster skills to use to do some good. Four Brothers is a movie that is really hard to not like. It features great storytelling, terrific action, and a great chemistry between the gang of brothers.
3) Three Kings (1999)
Three Kings starts out as a treasure hunt adventure embedded into a war setting. The US just won the first Gulf war, and four soldiers stationed at a US army base in Iraq go after a hidden pile of gold stolen by Saddam Hussein’s troops during their invasion of Kuwait. What first looks like an easy way to collect some retirement funds becomes a confrontation with the brutality of Saddam’s regime, and soon they must choose between the gold and doing the right thing.
Three Kings is a unique genre hybrid of action, comedy and war that tells a strange but compelling story. It shows the confusion of US soldiers about why they are still in the country, but even more the desperation of the Iraqi civilian population suffering under Saddam’s regime. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg gives striking performances, Clooney as disillusioned senior officer, and Wahlberg as initially naive and clueless sergeant. The frequent violent skirmishes in the Iraqi desert are captured in grainy and stylish images. Three Kings is a tragicomic action-adventure with political undertones that just works perfectly on every level.
Deepwater Horizon was another collaboration between Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, and it turned out to be their best so far. The movie describes the events leading up to the explosion of the oil platform Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, and the catastrophe that followed. The first part of the movie depicts the daily routines of the rig workers, and the faulty decisions that lead to the blowout. The second half of the movie is an inferno of apocalyptic proportions, as the rig crew tries to fight their way through the burning and collapsing platform.
Wahlberg plays a role we can easily identify with: a fairly normal and likable guy who shows great courage in the face of danger. He is joined by striking performances from Kurt Russell as outspoken foreman, and John Malkovich as slippery oil company executive. Deepwater Horizon is one of the best disaster movies that exists, and the fact that it’s based on a real catastrophe makes it all the more compelling and harrowing.
Shooter is an adrenaline-charged take on the familiar The Fugitive scenario. Wahlberg plays Bob Lee Swagger, the best Sniper in the US army who is wrongly blamed for the assassination of a high-ranking foreign politician. While on the run, he devises a plan to take revenge on its enemies, and uncovers a massive political conspiracy in the process. Shooter is a perfect action thriller. Everything in this movie directed by genre expert Antoine Fuqua just works, there are no mishaps.
The movie features non-stop action and thrills, and adds to this a JFK-assassination type of conspiracy, and some unflattering comments on institutionalized corruption in the US political system. Besides another charismatic performance from Wahlberg, Ned Beatty and Danny Glover stand out as evil politicians pulling the strings. You will want to kill them yourself every time they show up on the screen, but thankfully we have Swagger to care of that. Shooter is one of the best examples for an intelligent action movie that is not penetratingly moralizing.
