A while ago I posted this question on my facebook status:
Matt said 'Speed' was his favourite. An uncommon choice, but I see his point. It's a simple concept with very clear tension - if the bus drops below 50mph, you're all dead! There are some great moments in the film, but a lot of the time is spent trying to work out what to do, which means a fair bit of expo-style action. Still, a great film!
Stephen mentioned 'Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark', which, in my opinion, has one of the finest chase sequences of all time, made all the more exciting by John William's amazing score:
Inevitably, the great 'Face/Off' got mentioned - a film that could have been a complete joke. It also had some very risky casting for an action film - John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. But it turned out to be a great movie, with some cracking scenes. I'm a huge fan of this particular one - badass Travolta!!!
I listed my own top 5 action films of all time:
'Die Hard' is generally considered a classic, and proof that characterisation has a strong place in action films.
'Terminator 2' took everything that worked in the first film and amped it up to the next level. For crying out loud, it gave us this scene!
'Predator' gave us one of the greatest horror icons of all time and some kick-ass moments:
'Taken' is my No.4, simply because it's so bloody ruthless:
'Face/Off' was my number 5 (see above)
We also mentioned John Woo's 'Hard Boiled' which features an incredible one-shot action sequence.
On the theme of extended shots, I'd say this is the finest of them all, featured in 'The Protector':
There was a lot of discussion about the greatest action sequence, which brought up some classics. A lot have been mentioned above, but I think this is one of my favourite scenes from Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'. An incredibly realistic fight scene:
What is the best action film ever made?Before I knew it, a right old debate was going on about the greatest action flick of all time. So I thought I'd detail what we talked about and just how we justified our insane ramblings.
Matt said 'Speed' was his favourite. An uncommon choice, but I see his point. It's a simple concept with very clear tension - if the bus drops below 50mph, you're all dead! There are some great moments in the film, but a lot of the time is spent trying to work out what to do, which means a fair bit of expo-style action. Still, a great film!
Stephen mentioned 'Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark', which, in my opinion, has one of the finest chase sequences of all time, made all the more exciting by John William's amazing score:
Inevitably, the great 'Face/Off' got mentioned - a film that could have been a complete joke. It also had some very risky casting for an action film - John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. But it turned out to be a great movie, with some cracking scenes. I'm a huge fan of this particular one - badass Travolta!!!
I listed my own top 5 action films of all time:
'Die Hard' is generally considered a classic, and proof that characterisation has a strong place in action films.
'Terminator 2' took everything that worked in the first film and amped it up to the next level. For crying out loud, it gave us this scene!
'Predator' gave us one of the greatest horror icons of all time and some kick-ass moments:
'Taken' is my No.4, simply because it's so bloody ruthless:
'Face/Off' was my number 5 (see above)
We also mentioned John Woo's 'Hard Boiled' which features an incredible one-shot action sequence.
On the theme of extended shots, I'd say this is the finest of them all, featured in 'The Protector':
There was a lot of discussion about the greatest action sequence, which brought up some classics. A lot have been mentioned above, but I think this is one of my favourite scenes from Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'. An incredibly realistic fight scene:
Dollhouse Season 1 Episode 6 - Fight between Echo and Paul from Mr Seb on Vimeo.
Before I could say it, David got in with 'Flashpoint' for a great martial arts battle between Donnie Yen and Colin Chou:
Scott Adkins got a mention for his skill in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' - some amazing stunt and martial arts work:
There's a lot more to say but I'm running out of time. But what you can see from the above comments is that it's all about preference. Some people love 'Die Hard' and others love 'Speed'. Personally, I love a good action sequence, even if that does mean sitting through 100 minutes of Jean Claude Van Damme's acting.
So, what's your favourite action film of all time? And why?
2 comments:
Some great choices...
I'd definitely add The Matrix and Aliens to the list.
And then of course, there's this movie:
http://scriptwrecked.com/2010/02/02/best-action-sequence-ever/
:)
There's some fantastic choices there but I've got to go with Raiders of the Lost Ark as well -- it is the perfect thrill ride.
The action sequences as so well writen. For example, if people wanted to know who Indiana Jones is that brillant chase scene that you've posted perfectly sums him up to a T. It's a demonstration of character through an action scene.
And if anyone's interested in the ten coolest fight scenes by the way...
http://preview.tinyurl.com/yzcel5e
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