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A lament for lost carnage — and coherence — of action movies.

Published 8:00 am Monday, December 3, 2012

At [one] time T2 seemed bombastic and excessive; now its emphasison characters and storytelling impact seems quaint.
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At [one] time T2 seemed bombastic and excessive; now its emphasison characters and storytelling impact seems quaint.
At [one] time T2 seemed bombastic and excessive; now its emphasison characters and storytelling impact seems quaint.
More recently the popularity of the Bourne sequels directed by Paul Greengrass unleashed the menace ofthe 'shakycam' aE“ chases and fights shot messily on deliberately wobbly handheldcameras to give the impression of documentary realism aE“ even though real footage shot by war journalists is often less messy.
Movies like Salt, Taken, Quantum of Solace, Gamer, The Grey, and Warrior have the kinds of plots that used to be written to string together fights and chases, but the action is so muddled and incoherent it might as well be left out.might as well be left out.
Even the attempted genre-revival The Expendables is disappointingly Post-Action.
Steven SoderberghaE™s Haywire showcases some of the most exhilarating fights of recent years by combining the aEœrealisticaE MMA-inspired fighting preferred by Post-Action directors with the long takes and unobstructed shots they fear.
Nicolas Winding RefnaE™s Drive, despite being sued by that lady for not being enough like Fast Five, punctuates its slow burn story with superb car chases.
Fast Five, come to think of it, also has great action and stunts, but good olaE™ R-rated blood wouldaE™ve really helped its Diesel-vs.-Rock fist fight.
Hyams' 2009 Universal Soldier: Regeneration is a more thrilling action experience than 95% of what studios havereleased in theaters in several years.

A lament for lost carnage — and coherence — of action movies. Read more: Action Movies Don’t Have to Suck by Vern.Vern’s website: The Life and Art of VernPublished on August 17, 2012

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