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Action movies usually involve a fairly straightforward story of good guys versus bad guys, where most disputes are resolved by using physical force. Action movies are usually " high concept" films where the whole movie can be easily summarized in a simple sentence (eg. "a scientist brings dinosaurs back to life only to find them trying to dominate earth, again" for Jurassic Park). Who exactly the good guys are differs from film to film, but in Hollywood films they usually are patriotic and rather conservative Americans, whereas the bad guys are usually either criminals or agents of foreign powers. In the 1980s and before, they were very often Communists, which brings some action films fairly close to propaganda films. With the fall of Communism, Communists were no longer the villains, and the focus turned to drug lords or Middle Eastern terrorists. Action movies also tend to have a single heroic protagonist and often portray institutions such as the military or police as incompetent and limited by rules and regulations which the protagonist has no regard for. This creates the stereotypical conflict between an action hero and the establishment.Action films tend to be expensive requiring big budget special effects and stunt work. Action films are mainly an American genre, although there have been a significant number of action films from Hong Kong which are primarily modern variations of the martial arts film. Because of these roots, Hong Kong action films typically center on acrobatics by the protoganist while American action films typically feature big explosions and cool gadgets.
Action films also constitute very good examples for feminist film theory, because in them, the separation between the physical male who controls the scene and the look and the female, who is almost always the object of the look is very clear. Although female characters in most action films are nothing more than objects, a prize for the winner, hostages, loving wives and the like, there has been a move towards stronger female characters. These are maybe best exemplified in works by James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow.
Current trends in action film include a development toward more elaborate fight scenes, perhaps because of the success of Asian martial arts films in Western film. Actors in action movies are now much more skilled in the art and aesthetic of fighting than they have been in the past, apart from a few acknowledged fighters like Steven Seagal. Now, a distinction can be made between films that lean toward physical agile fighting, such as The Transporter, and those that lean toward other common action film conventions, like explosions and plenty of gunfire, such as Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever or Lethal Weapon, although most action movies employ elements of both.
Action films can trace their origins back to the 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23s, which saw the release of James BondFor the ornithologist see James Bond (ornithologist). The fictional character James Bond is a sophisticated British spy, invented by and appearing in books by Ian Fleming (and later Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Raymond Benson and Charlie Higson). Fleming series (containing many of the original elements of spy movies still seen today) and BullittBullitt was a 1968 film starring Steve McQueen as Detective Frank Bullitt. Bullitt is charged with guarding a key witness for an upcoming trial, but when the witness is killed, he seeks out the killers on his own. The film co-starred Robert Vaughn, Jacque, which contains one of the earliest car chases, a feature that is almost standard in action films.
Due to their widespread appeal, many of the following films have also spawned one or more sequelA sequel is a work of literature or film that is written after a completed work, and is set in the same "universe" but at a later time. It usually continues elements of the first story, often with the same characters, although this is not always the cases.
For more genres see List of movie genresA film genre is a rough categorization of films into genres, which describe the typical subject matter—what the film is about Western films are about the American West, love stories are about love, and so on. This is distinct from film styles which descri.
