Talk:Action film/Archive 1

Archive 1

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I just made a distinction between fighty action movies and explody action movies. Could we start a list of subgenres like the two above and with others like the racy action movie (Ronin), and the dramatic action movie (Way of the Gun), etc? I'd also love to see more trends and conventions listed and detailed.

Also, isn't the list of stars a little out of date? Those guys haven't made a decent flick in a long time. There's a new round of action heroes. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tubby (talk • contribs) 03:22, October 18, 2002

But those guys define the genre. Nowadays there are no real action heroes, although Vin Diesel may belong on the list. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.48.30.244 (talk • contribs) 08:50, October 31, 2005

Less famous films but still fun

What are these 'Less famous films but still fun'? Looks like a Steven Seagal shrine to me! Pcb21 10:08 10 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Seven Samurai

I've removed the section about Seven Samurai. Sorry to whoever wrote this because it's well-written and interesting, but I think there's a problem in including it mainly because this article is really about modern Hollywood action films, and Seven Samurai doesn't seem to have much relation to them at all. If we're going to include it we'd have to start including war films, westerns, adventure films, the lot. This article would really have to be massively expanded and the whole focus changed. But if anyone violently disagrees they can always put it back in:

One of the most influential early films of the genre was The Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Although the plot is more complex than many action movies today, the premise was very simple: set in Feudal Japan, the basically good, weak villagers are about to be attacked by a large horde of bandits. So, the villagers hire seven samurai to protect their village and train their people for the upcoming onslaught. This movie introduced basic, recurrent action film themes such as good vs. evil, sacrifice, the vigilante spirit of the protagonists, and the use of an action climax (which until then had been restricted to westerns). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jay-W (talk • contribs) 11:43, June 6, 2005

well isnt the first i suppose "modern" action movie goldfinger? no mention of james bond here but it pioneered everything from quick cuts and speed ramping in the editing to the sly one liners when he dispatches the villain and trademark catchphrases. ive seen everyone including arnie, willis, stallone, murphy, diesel etc ALL say at some point in an interview that bond is granddaddy of the action movie (as well as the spy genre). "Explosions, gunfights, car chases, and the hero either killing the main badguy or giving him a severe beating in personal combat" id say that describes a bond film pretty well. lol. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.6.166.23 (talk • contribs) 23:09, April 23, 2006

The Seven Samurai is sort of an action movie, and it was an early movie to use slow motion. Yojimbo501 (talk) 00:08, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

clear bias

if anyone looks at the Feminist theory part, its clearly totally biased...totally..this is my first wikipedia thingo so sorry in advance for anything and everything i did wrong —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.162.236.154 (talk • contribs) 09:39, 27 April 2006.

I'm not sure that I see the bias. Feminist theory is what it is, and while the field of study might be biased, mentioning its focus on action films here seems reasonable. There's one item that I placed a {{fact}} tag on because I'm honestly not sure that it's supportable, and at the very lease needs a citation. -Harmil 16:36, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

If you look at the wording, its obvious(well to me) it was written by a feminist, not really a bad thing, but feminism isnt generally considered NPOV.

"female characters in most action films are nothing more than objects, a prize for the winner"

The words have a connotation that isnt NPOV, its very hard to explain, im sure theres a word for it but i dont know it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.162.236.154 (talk • contribs) 01:36, May 8, 2006

Sub-genres

I'm a bit uncomfortable about adding Resident Evil under Action-Horror because it didn't feel like a horror-movie to me (though it definitely classifies as such according to the description). I feel that Doom would almost be better but perhaps I'm not the best judge (I thought The Exorcist was a boring movie). Any comments on this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by HannuMakinen (talk • contribs) 11:49, April 29, 2006

Giving the sub-genres a second look, if it were me I'd class RE as an Action-Thriller and RE: Apocalypse as SciFi-Action (perhaps Doom as well). But I dunno. If a movie has zombies does that automatically make it a horror film? — Preceding unsigned comment added by HannuMakinen (talk • contribs) 11:52, April 29, 2006

I've re-written the whole section. When speaking about popular topics such as movies, Wikipedia tends to have a short memory. I've tried to correct this by focusing on fewer, and earlier examples of each sub-genre which either started or revitalized the form. -Harmil 16:33, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

What the f...?!?!

"Femenine values have begun to influence the movie industry so much that it is now commonplace for a 90 pound woman in high heels to beat the hell out of 50 heavily armed 300 pound men who are not only stereotypically agressive, but as dumb as a brick wall. This is a much more realistic representation of the roles of women and men in society then the afore mentioned scenarios which are sexist and completely false."

Yeah...I'm taking this out for so many reasons. Twin Bird 19:02, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Citations needed

This article definetly needs citations, but I wont delete anything because it seems to have a good grasp on things. I also think this is close to Start or B class but should be a stub untill it has citations. Other things include the fact that only one man is in the "crewmembers" section. Besides all that I think it is a good article. Yojimbo501 (talk) 00:16, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Hello. To whom it may concern, I'm new to Wikipedia, and not sure if I'm leaving this message in the right place. I wrote the "citationless" article "History" on the Action Film page (if that's what's being discussed here), and I added to what little was there already, using the four or five sentences that previously existed as a framework around which I added the bulk of what you presently see in that section (as of 03-06-11 anyway). Months later- today in fact- I realized my mistake. My most recent contribution, added just a while ago under the section "Sub-genres", was swiftly removed (despite adding clarity, depth, and if I must say, rather useful information). My attempt to undo the undoer led to my being informed of my embarassing mistake- Wikipedia only allows information from published sources. In a word... whoops! (You can't always tell from reading the information. A-hem.) But since that is apparently the case, I see no need to allow my previous contribution- a rather large percentage of the History section- to stay either. I admit that I re-wrote and/or added to what little was there out of pride- and stunning failure to read Wikipedia's simple instructions- but mainly because (as Ybimbo501 may have said about what I wrote) I do feel that I have a "good grasp on things" relating to the subject. I don't know what "close to Start or B class" means, nor do I know anything about the "crewmembers" section. But having tried to research the history and diversity of the action film genre, I know that there isn't a great deal of useful, comprehensive information available at the moment. I sincerely thought that my research (and humble skills where words n stuff are concerned) could make for an informed and better-written contribution. Again, my apologies. I am not a published source- merely a schmuck what likes action films- and I hope that someone as bright, knowledgable, well-spoken (and attractive, frankly) comes along and eventually fills in the blanks as thoroughly and as eloquently as I did... with the added bonus of citations and references from the necessary published material... (whatever or wherever that may be). Until then, I'll be glad to see that at least some of my work is still posted, until someone decides to take it down. I would do it myself, but as I mentioned, some 5-10% was already there, and I don't remember the date (months ago) when I added to and modified it. Sorry if that makes someone's day on the job more miserable, but there it is, as clear as I can possibly make it. Crying shame too- I wrote some good shit. Sounded erudite; and it was. My apologies again for my ignornace, ego, and adherance to the usage of foul language. "John Spartan you are fined one credit for violating the verbal moralities statute." Can you guess the sub-genre where I got that line? Nevermind. Its a no-brainer. Good luck with the rest of the site, and thanks for your own contributions. Sincerely. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.185.137.25 (talk • contribs) 12:55, March 6, 2011

Action-comedy

Action comedies should have their own page...right now it just diverts right to this one. Is anyone very knowledgeable about them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.241.129.214 (talk) 02:58, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

XXX

--213.6.106.159 (talk) 17:48, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

First Blood

I've removed the highlighted section from the following sentence:

However, the action film did not become a dominant form in Hollywood until the 1980s and 1990s, when it was popularized by actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, whose film First Blood in 1982 is considered to be the beginning of the modern day action film.

The only source I have found states Dirty Harry as the beginning of the modern action film. I've moved the line here, however, just in case a reference can be found to back up the First Blood claim (which I privately feel has some merit but can't back up with a source at the moment.) - AdamBMorgan (talk) 19:50, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Proper action movies

The entire idea of "proper action movies began with _____" is silly and pointless. There are boatloads of movies pre-1970 with oodles of guns, fights, car chases, etc. Hell, the original "The Fast and the Furious (1955)" isn't much more than a 75 minute car chase, and it pretty much nails most of the other current action movie conventions as well. This entry is titled "Action Film", not "Cool movies most of us grew up with, so we can't be bothered to look any further back than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood". I realize that citations might be a little hard to come by, but that's no excuse to offer up one measly reference as fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.177.118.154 (talk • contribs) 22:17, November 1, 2008

Non-free file problem

File:Sonny Chiba The Street Fighter.JPG was removed from this article because it either does not have a Non-free use rationale or there are problems with the existing rationale. Please see Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria for the applicable policy and Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline for how to fix the problem. If further input or help is needed, questions can be directed towards Wikipedia:Media copyright questions, the help desk or my talk page. Thank you. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 10:24, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Is Action a Genre???

It is the most recent of film genres, but is it really a genre?? For me it's just a sub-genre of thriller/suspense with more action than your average thriller. 201.42.211.28 (talk) 23:36, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

There have been several books citing it here as a genre. Please note that your suggestions are against WP:OR. Regardless, I do not think the films of Jackie Chan would be part of any subgenre of thrillers for example. Andrzejbanas (talk) 02:56, 13 February 2010 (UTC)

Martial arts films in general are hard to re-categorize as thrillers or crime, though that can be a secondary characteristic. The style of fighting is so prominent and so characteristic of MA movies that it becomes their defining trait, so in that sense I think they are very "pure" action movies. Of course that's up for debate. Alexgriffith (talk) 22:00, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes, action is a genre by its OWN. People even argue that horror is also part of thriller. This just makes the thriller genre way too broad. Action and horror are both evolved enough to be by THEMSELVES - individual genres. In actuality, thriller should also be a sugbenre of crime or drama because most have incredible amounts of drama and crime elements. You see, this goes like a domino effect. I hereby say that action, thriller and horror are individual genres. They can diverge, but not usually.User:Lionhead99 (talk) 20:56, 8 June 2012 (EST)

I agree with Lionhead99 and would add that what makes action a genre isn't just the common "content" tropes - the lone hero, the resolution of conflicts through violence, and car chases or other familiar set pieces - but also how it's filmed. I'm going to add a sections called something like "Camerwork in Action Cinema" or "Action Cinema", discussing kinetic editing, shakey cam, steadicam, quick cuts, using Paul Greengrass, Quentin Tarantino, and John Woo as examples. I'll also link to a really good video-essay by Matthias Stork on the decline of action cinema. One opinion among many but it's good to include the general internet discussion on a topic's Wiki page. Let me know what you think! Alexgriffith (talk) 20:17, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

References

Grammatical and stylistic problems with the article

I have attempted to remove grammatical issues in the portion of the article that explains the history of the action film. There are many cases where sentences could be compressed and words could be eliminated, and I have tried to do this for clarity.

I'm not going to alter the overall narrative of the history of the action film, although I do have some problems with the way it is presented here. It seems that the author(s) are using their personal knowledge of action films but are not providing the proper references to back up their claims.RoyalBlue43 (talk) 00:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Removal of Top Ten Lists

In an effort to contribute to the clean-up effort, I have removed two sizable sections including lists of the "top ten" action films and actors. Though clearly made in good faith, these lists were based upon somewhat subjective information; a single IMDB link alone for each section is an insufficient reference, and a "top" anything that cannot be quantified is inherently un-encyclopedic. "Top-ten grossing films" would be okay (though probably not necessary in this article), but "top-ten" alone is not. Please discuss any other changes before implementing them. --Jackson Peebles (talk) 04:50, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Sub genres

I've removed sections of sub-genres that either

• didn't have sources
• stated information that was not in their sources at all.

I don't believe they should be re-added without sources. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:29, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

The recent additions to these sections again state information that is not in the source. The action adventure genre is pulled from this and does not state what is written here at all. Same with the action-drama sources here, this one is referring to television genres, not film, this is no appropriate so I'll have them removed. Andrzejbanas (talk) 17:22, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

It would have been better to rewrite according to the sources. This was the book which I took info on action adventure from. Kailash29792 (talk) 17:52, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

Looking at that page, it still says what is stated in the previous source, which was not stated at all on your source. This authors definition seems to be nearly the same as the action thriller definition item as well. Which would look weird on the page. Andrzejbanas (talk) 13:28, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

77Survivor, please comment. Let's come to a consensus that allows redirects like action drama film and action adventure film to remain undeleted and correctly targeting anywhere without being broken redirects. Kailash29792 (talk) 14:08, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Well, first off, I am sorry for responding late. I too think that redirects to action drama film and action adventure film should at least remain undeleted. There are many movies that combines these genres, and I've myself used the aforementioned redirects instead of mentioning them separately. But as for listing the sub-genres on the article page itself, it's a bit difficult to say. Action can be combined with any other genre, and I'd agree with what AllMovie says for the genre's speciality:

"the various other action subgenres too numerous to mention." [1]

But redirects are pretty harmless. Especially when a lot of Indian movies make use of them, mostly action-dramas. Action-adventure still remains an uncharted territory for many movies, but given there are movies that combine both the genres instead of falling into just one, I think redirects shouldn't be a problem. I'm not going to question the removal of sub-genres such as action-crime because again, action can be combined with any other genre and that would make the combinations, too numerous to mention. (77Survivor (talk) 14:42, 8 July 2020 (UTC))

I'm sorry but the removed subgenres do exist, and if you're unhappy with the sources at the moment, I will add more sources to back them up. 2A02:C7F:6E64:1C00:6D74:7E53:B048:55D6 (talk) 15:06, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Thank you 2A02:C7F:6E64:1C00:6D74:7E53:B048:55D6 for restoring those sections. Now please add more sources to the films mentioned under Action -horror. Kailash29792 (talk) 15:14, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Will do tomorrow when I'm a little freer. 2A02:C7F:6E64:1C00:6D74:7E53:B048:55D6 (talk) 15:17, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

I've re-removed them as the current sources and content re-added was not backed up by their source. I'm happy for re-adding them, but I can't think of any instance when you should be re-adding them with sources that do not reflect the content. Andrzejbanas (talk) 15:51, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Andrzejbanas, did you read mine and 77Survivor's comments? Also, did you read this source I had added? Page 174 says, "Action-adventure films were among the most popular movies of the 1980s. The three Indiana Jones films, starring Harrison Ford, are the archetype of this genre, in which the male hero performs remarkable feats that require bravery and skill throughout a fast-paced 90-minute struggle with an evil villain. The hero ultimately emerges triumphant after several close calls, defeating the villain, saving the day, and usually winning the affection of the female lead. One version of this genre places the hero in faraway, exotic lands, making the villains and the action more unpredictable." Taking info from that, I wrote the section which you mercilessly reverted, saying it does not match the source. Kailash29792 (talk) 15:58, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

I must have made a mistake. I was distracted that all the other content re-added without a source (or sources that didn't match their content). I am confused how they say "one version of this genre" which does not sound like a really strong argument of what the genre is about. Also, is this genre more related to adventure films, or more related to action films? They seem to go on about it also belonging to the Vietnam War genre style, but then list things like Rush Hour which seem to contradict what the style of the genre is. I apologize though, it was a mistake on my part. Andrzejbanas (talk) 16:04, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Coinage of the term

Some time in maybe the mid 80s A writer from the northern US was discussing with my girlfriend an article he was writing about the genre. He was having a problem with what to call the genre. My girlfriend, having previously discussed our preferences in movies where I told her I preferred more action than she did, called me into the conversation asking what the genre of movies like "Rambo" was called. I did not know but made up the term "action movie". Both her, and the writer literally burst in recognition of the appropriateness of the term. Shortly after that the term was widely used in publication. I say this for anyone who wants to research the coinage of the term to look in northern US publications mid 1980s for origin of the term.

98.164.71.229 (talk) 06:43, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

References to use

Please add to the list references that can be used for the film article.

• Brown, Jeffrey A. (2011). Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and Popular Culture. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-714-1.
• Donovan, Barna William (2008). The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3403-9.
• Donovan, Barna William (2009). Blood, Guns, and Testosterone: Action Films, Audiences, and a Thirst for Violence. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7262-2.
• Gallagher, Mark (2006). Action Figures: Men, Action Films, and Contemporary Adventure Narratives. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-7012-1.
• Inness, Sherrie A. (2004). Action Chicks: New Images of Tough Women in Popular Culture. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6403-8.
• Lichtenfeld, Eric (2007). Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie. Wesleyan. ISBN 978-0-8195-6801-4.
• Logan, Bey (1996). Hong Kong Action Cinema. Overlook TP. ISBN 978-0-87951-663-5.
• Purse, Lisa (2011). Contemporary Action Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-3817-8.
• Schubart, Rikke (2007). Super Bitches and Action Babes: The Female Hero in Popular Cinema, 1970–2006. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2924-0.
• Sims, Yvonne D. (2006). Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2744-4.
• Stork, Matthias (2011). Chaos Cinema: The decline and fall of action filmmaking. Press Play http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/video_essay_matthias_stork_calls_out_the_chaos_cinema. {{cite AV media}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
• Tasker, Yvonne (2004). The Action and Adventure Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-23507-5. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Erik (talk • contribs) 21:13, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2020 and 10 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Tpourci1, Kmklein1, Troygreen65. Peer reviewers: Aellengray, Favaa98, Laurensmith18.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 13:22, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Orphaned references in Action film

I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Action film's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "lim":

• From Vigilante film: Lim, Dennis (October 19, 2009). "Revenge, our cinematic tradition". Los Angeles Times.
• From Taxi Driver: Lim, Dennis (October 19, 2009). "Vigilante films, an American tradition". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT⚡ 09:24, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Information Literacy and Scholarly Discourse

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Wiki Education assignment: Information Literacy and Scholarly Discourse

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Wiki Education assignment: Information Literacy and Scholarly Discourse

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