Are Old School Action Movies Dead?

[dude love]

His eyebags came from wearing sunglasses all day. His eyes where fine in Day of Reckoning and in the "are efred of meh?" Scene.

[Octoberist]

haha, really? Seriously, I thought you could fit luggages in those eyebags of his. Get some cucumbers or something, Jean-Claude!

[TruerToTheCore]

The old school action movie is dead for almost 20 years.

[jacobed]

Keep them dead. I'll take Bourne, Bond, Batman, Avengers or Jack Reacher type action over that 80's Ahnold/Sly crap any day of the week

[-JKR-]

Originally Posted by jacobed

Keep them dead. I'll take Bourne, Bond, Batman, Avengers or Jack Reacher type action over that 80's Ahnold/Sly crap any day of the week

Duh. Seriously? How old are you? Free to say that you don't like them, but PLEASE don't call them crap. Most were better made and directed than 80% of the blockbusters being released today. Hollywood would be gold if most pics were written by talented writers such as Shane Black, and helmed by directors such as George Miller, James Cameron, John McTiernan, Richard Donner, Paul Verhoeven, etc.

The Road Warrior
First Blood
Terminator
Lethal Weapon
Predator
Die Hard
Total Recall
The Last Boy Scout
Terminator 2
True Lies
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Face/Off
The Rock

[Gianakin_]

Half of those aren't 80s.

Not that I'm disagreeing with you.

[-JKR-]

I added them because they pretty much continued the action cinema started in the 1980s, BUT:

The Road Warrior
First Blood
Terminator
Lethal Weapon
Predator
Die Hard

...still has an impact! :P

[dude love]

Ugh. The 80's did the Bourne/Bond style action film in the first place. It was called Die Hard and it did it better.

[jacobed]

Die Hard is no way Bourne. Bourne is much more hand to hand. John McClane is not a hand to hand guy. Not even close

[jacobed]

Originally Posted by -JKR-

Duh. Seriously? How old are you? Free to say that you don't like them, but PLEASE don't call them crap. Most were better made and directed than 80% of the blockbusters being released today. Hollywood would be gold if most pics were written by talented writers such as Shane Black, and helmed by directors such as George Miller, James Cameron, John McTiernan, Richard Donner, Paul Verhoeven, etc.

The Road Warrior
First Blood
Terminator
Lethal Weapon
Predator
Die Hard
Total Recall
The Last Boy Scout
Terminator 2
True Lies
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Face/Off
The Rock

Haha only like 3 or 4 of those movies are actually good. And your so called list of "great directors" um not counting Shane Black all them dropped into mediocrity before dropping off the grid completely. Unfortunately Cameron hasn't fallen off the grid, he keeps delivering mediocrity

[Ultimatehero]

Jacobed, only stating this due to the haha part, that is YOUR opinion. Not the truth. The only truth is that truth is subjective. Your truth is different from his truth is different from my truth. THAT is the only truth. Your opinion holds no more merit than his.

[Gianakin_]

I think the list -JKR- made is full of action masterpieces. And yes, I know what the word "masterpiece" means.

[Parker Wayne]

I'd also call J's list great... But it's missing Lethal Weapon 2.

But I don't think most of those 80s action movies he listed are considered "Old School". When I think 80s action movie, I don't usually think Lethal Weapon or Die Hard, but the fun, shoot em up movies of Arnold/Sly. I think of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard (especially the latter) as the movies that helped changed the trends of action movies and helped give birth to what an action movie star is today, which is more of a normal, down to earth looking character who you wouldn't even suspect would be an asskicker.

[-JKR-]

Originally Posted by Parker Wayne

I'd also call J's list great... But it's missing Lethal Weapon 2.

But I don't think most of those 80s action movies he listed are considered "Old School". When I think 80s action movie, I don't usually think Lethal Weapon or Die Hard, but the fun, shoot em up movies of Arnold/Sly. I think of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard (especially the latter) as the movies that helped changed the trends of action movies and helped give birth to what an action movie star is today, which is more of a normal, down to earth looking character who you wouldn't even suspect would be an asskicker.

You're right, and I'm sorry.

And even though those movies DID revolutionize the action genre, I still consider them old school action movies. They built upon the previous/first genre entries, and helped improve the genre. Just calling the Stallone/Schwarzenegger shoot 'em ups such as those already mentioned and Cobra, Commando, etc. would be very limiting.

Haha only like 3 or 4 of those movies are actually good. And your so called list of "great directors" um not counting Shane Black all them dropped into mediocrity before dropping off the grid completely. Unfortunately Cameron hasn't fallen off the grid, he keeps delivering mediocrity

The fact that many of those directors have burned bridges in Hollywood doesn't take away anything they did while they were on top. And at their top, they did stuff most directors today could only dream about. But at this point I'm curious. Which ones are good, and why aren't the others good to you?

[Tequilla]

One of the biggest problems with the action genre is that studios forgot that they needed talented directors. People sometimes forget that masterful filmmakers like Leone , Kurosawa , Peckinpah sometimes worked clearly in the genre.

During the 90's i think it got associated with too much crappy movies (some of them are actually very fun)

Even in the land of action (HK) , the genre stalled

Shiiiity directors....

[Ajendo]

I'm watching Hard Boiled tonight cot dammit!

[Tequilla]

Originally Posted by Ajendo

I'm watching Hard Boiled tonight cot dammit!

My man !



Tequilla , a baby and a shotgun , all that's needed to have a blast !

[-JKR-]

Originally Posted by Tequilla

One of the biggest problems with the action genre is that studios forgot that they needed talented directors. People sometimes forget that masterful filmmakers like Leone , Kurosawa , Peckinpah sometimes worked clearly in the genre.

During the 90's i think it got associated with too much crappy movies (some of them are actually very fun)

Even in the land of action (HK) , the genre stalled

Shiiiity directors....

True! Although I can't comment on the HK action movies, haven't seen much. Still got lots of catching up to do on that part!

[Bad Superman]

I'm sure that if Charles Bronson was around Sly would've given him a part on the Expendables.

[Octoberist]

In Hollywood, nothin truly dies. It'll come back a a relevant genre again. It's all circular.

[SlamAdams]

Originally Posted by Parker Wayne

I'd also call J's list great... But it's missing Lethal Weapon 2.

But I don't think most of those 80s action movies he listed are considered "Old School". When I think 80s action movie, I don't usually think Lethal Weapon or Die Hard, but the fun, shoot em up movies of Arnold/Sly. I think of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard (especially the latter) as the movies that helped changed the trends of action movies and helped give birth to what an action movie star is today, which is more of a normal, down to earth looking character who you wouldn't even suspect would be an asskicker.

yea, and I prefer the sarcastic everyman movies to the one man army movies.

[SlamAdams]

I may have seen The Last Stand, Parker, and Bullet to the Head if the trailers didn't make them look like spoofs of the old school action movies.

When Schwarzenegger talked about getting back in the game, he said he had to pick his roles better like Clint Eastwood. So far I haven't seen that from Arnie. He seems to be doing the same thing he was doing before he retired except when all is said and done he says, "Ugh, I'm old." Arnie needs a Unforgiven. He needs a In the Line of Fire.

[Octoberist]

Originally Posted by SlamAdams

I may have seen The Last Stand, Parker, and Bullet to the Head if the trailers didn't make them look like spoofs of the old school action movies.

When Schwarzenegger talked about getting back in the game, he said he had to pick his roles better like Clint Eastwood. So far I haven't seen that from Arnie. He seems to be doing the same thing he was doing before he retired except when all is said and done he says, "Ugh, I'm old." Arnie needs a Unforgiven. He needs a In the Line of Fire.

Exactly.

[SlamAdams]

And what the hell is Stallone doing? Rambo and Rocky Balboa were so surprisingly awesome that the both Expendables movies (despite how fun they are) completely pale in comparison.

[-JKR-]

Originally Posted by SlamAdams

And what the hell is Stallone doing? Rambo and Rocky Balboa were so surprisingly awesome that the both Expendables movies (despite how fun they are) completely pale in comparison.

The Expendables movies are a waste of talent. You gather all those action stars and THAT is all you can get out of it?