THEMOSTEXCITINGfilmsthiswinterare
allgloriousodestopure,unadulteratedaction.
Nothingencapsulatesthismorethanthereturn
ofRambo, stilldrawingbloodafternearly 40
years,orthearrivalofHobbs& Shaw, a giddily
ludicrousFast& Furiousspin-off.
Infact,thegenrehasbeenreinvigorated
byMadMax:FuryRoad,TheRaid,JohnWick,
theaforementionedFast& Furious moviesand
more.Plus,withtwomoreMission:Impossible
sequelsandJohnWick:Chapter 4 onthe
horizon,therenaissanceisn’tslowing.
Yetthesefilmscontinuetobeunderestimated
andmisunderstood,solet’sbeclear:theaction
filmis anartformuntoitself.Actionis sensory,
immersiveandsomethingofa spectacle.It can
betherapeuticandcathartic;theresurgenceof
theMission:Impossiblefranchise,wherewe
eagerlywaittolearnwhichlimbsTomCruise
willendangerinhispursuitofaudaciousstunts,
is pureescapism.
Actiondistilsa storyintoitsmost
fundamentalparts.Afightis a battleofgood
againstevil(NeoversusAgentSmithinThe
Matrix); a carchasecrystallisesconflictand
tension(youmaynotrecallwhatBullittis
about,butitschaseis indelible).Andthe
stakesaretangible.Thesemoviesaren’tjust
aboutviolence;rather,theactionserves
thestory.It revealscharacterandexpresses
heightenedemotions.JohnWick’shyper-
specificviolencearticulateshisgriefbetter
thananydialogueevercould.
Actionfilmsfunctionasculturalartefacts.
Theycanbepolitical,literary,evenspiritual.
MadMaxis a campfirelegend,a manon
a JosephCampbellianhero’sjourney.JohnWick
is Orpheus,wholoseshiswifeintheUnderworld
andgetsdraggedbackdowntohell.EthanHunt
is Odysseus,embarkingonanimpossiblequest.
InFirstBlood, Rambois Philoctetes,theonly
warriorcourageousenoughtohonourHeracles’
dyingwishtobeburnedaliveonhisfuneralpyre,
theSalweenashisRiverStyx.
Actionersdon’tneedsubtexttobetaken
seriously.Theycanbeadmiredforthebeauty
oftheirfightchoreographyalone,likethe
blood-soakedballetofTheRaid. Buttheir
accessibilityis theverythingthatmakesthem
idealvehiclesforloftier,evensubversiveideas.
Youcanreadintotheirsymbolism,enjoythe
wide-shotsandthecleverframing,oryoucan
considerTheRockandJasonStathamteaming
uptotakeona geneticallyenhancedcriminal
namedBrixtonandthink:“Thismightbethe
mostfunI willhaveatthecinemaallmonth.”
You might be right.PRISCILLA PAGERAMBO: LAST BLOOD IS IN CINEMAS FROM 19 SEPTEMBERThiswinter,cinemasare
dominatedbyexplosive
escapism.We’venever
needed it more
An ode
to action
movies
PREVIEW
LANDMARK, YANA BLAJEVA