Action
Saving Private Ryan is a mostly fictional war story directed by Steven Spielberg, which focuses around the allies liberation of France. The movie is centered around a platoon of American soldiers(Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel and Jeremy Davis) which specialize in all kinds of areas in war and led by Captain Miller(Tom Hanks) as they travel around German-occupied France, trying to find a Private Ryan(Matt Damon) to take home by request of his mother, after his siblings all were killed in action. The movie is heavily praised for its realistic and gritty depiction of the second world war, particularly its opening scene at Omaha beach which many veterans had said was very realistic. The sound design and camera work heavily compliment the film's tone such as the fading voices and shots during the post office scene following the Omaha sequence, where families are being sent informative letters telling them that their loved one has died. The film follows themes of brotherhood in war which is heavily shown in sacrifices and selfless actions during the runtime of the movie. Saving Private Ryan is often considered Spielberg's best work, behind Schindler’s List and it’s easy to understand. Its gritty, more realistic interpretation of action in war is something that I believe everyone should see.
The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is a modern take on the popular superhero “Batman”. The movie centers around Batman, years after the movie's prequel, Batman Begins, as the Joker(Heath Ledger), Batman’s fiercest villain yet, an agent of chaos with no morals, which challenges Batman’s and Gotham’s ideals in an attempt to prove that even the strongest and courageous of men can descend into madness and insanity. Morality in the face of chaos is The Dark Knight’s central theme which is demonstrated plenty of times throughout the movie, whether in impossible situations, we end the lives of others or stay selfless and value the lives of our opposition, this is demonstrated in the film plenty of times. The Dark Knight is most praised for Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker, which is commonly praised as the best acting performance of all time by many critics, unfortunately however, the stress and mental toll on the role did lead to ledger overdosing and passing away at just 28. The Dark Knight had won 2 Oscars, one for Ledger's performance and best sound. The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie of all time and a great choice if you want to see dramatic action, incredible acting and interesting themes.
Die Hard, directed by John McTiernan, re-invented the action genre upon its release in 1989, with dramatic and grounded action along with a unique setting. Die Hard takes place on Christmas Eve, 1989, whilst New York cop John McClane(Bruce Willis) visits his wife Holly’s(Bonnie Bedelia)Christmas party in Los Angeles at the Nakatomi plaza, a skyscraper, when it is suddenly ambushed by a group of co-ordinated terrorist led by Hans Gruber(Alan Rickman), in an attempt to transfer their money into their account. John McClane is the only one who isn’t held hostage and must use his wits as a cop to find his and his wife's way out of their situation. When it comes to action, it doesn’t get much better than Die Hard, the editing is good enough to not make you feel disoriented, it’s not overly polished, the stealth makes the movie more engaging and the climax is intense. It’s entertaining to watch a man like John McClane realistically(kind of) hide in vents and elevators whilst he tries to call for help and ward off terrorists trying to kill him through the night. If you are looking for an engaging action movie that still has a good story and characters, then Die Hard is a good choice.
When it comes to action movies, James Bond has always been an influential figure since his debut in cinema as Sean Connery in 1962's Dr No. The franchise has had plenty of highs and lows but one that still resonates with audiences today and hasn’t aged poorly is 2006’s Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig in his first outing as the British Secret Agent. Casino Royale is a modern remake of the original James Bond novel of the same name published by author Ian Flemming. The film follows James Bond in his early days of becoming a 00 agent. Rather than a suave sophisticated agent, the film instead depicts James Bond as a reckless, tank in the first half of the movie, where he is then forced to play at a high stakes poker game at Montenegro where he meets his account who will manage his money named Vesper(Eva Green) and plays against the infamous terrorism money manager and mathematical genius, LeChiffre(Mads Mickelson). This movie does come with heart-stopping action such as the parkour chase in Madagascar, the tanker chase at Miami Airport and the shootout at Venice. Casino Royale completely re-invented the franchise from episodic films to a structured story and giving depth to the character of James Bond.
