“In some ways,” said film critic Peter Bradshaw, action movies “should be the quintessential cinema genre.”
After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 1980s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
These are the ten best action films according to the critics of the Guardian and Observer.
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B014IAWFU0&search_text=%TITLE%&title=North by Northwest Alfred Hitchcock]
1. [amazon text=North by Northwest&template=custom_title&asin=B014IAWFU0&search_text=%TITLE%&title=North by Northwest Alfred Hitchcock] (1959)
Director: [amazon text=Alfred Hitchcock&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Alfred Hitchcock]
Stars: [amazon text=Cary Grant&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Cary Grant], [amazon text=Eva Marie Saint&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Eva Marie Saint], [amazon text=James Mason&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=James Mason]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B014IAWFU0&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=North by Northwest Alfred Hitchcock]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B00CWZXQ9S&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Deliverance John Boorman]
2. [amazon text=Deliverance&template=custom_title&asin=B00CWZXQ9S&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Deliverance John Boorman] (1972)
Director: [amazon text=John Boorman&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=John Boorman]
Stars: [amazon text=Jon Voight&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Jon Voight], [amazon text=Burt Reynolds&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Burt Reynolds], [amazon text=Ned Beatty&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Ned Beatty]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B00CWZXQ9S&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Deliverance John Boorman]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B001PYD0KM&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Wages of Fear Henri-Georges Clouzot]
3. [amazon text=The Wages of Fear&template=custom_title&asin=B001PYD0KM&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Wages of Fear Henri-Georges Clouzot] (1953)
Director: [amazon text=Henri-Georges Clouzot&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Henri-Georges Clouzot]
Stars: [amazon text=Yves Montand&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Yves Montand], [amazon text=Charles Vanel&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Charles Vanel], [amazon text=Peter van Eyck&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Peter van Eyck]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B001PYD0KM&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Wages of Fear Henri-Georges Clouzot]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B00198X0UY&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee]
4. [amazon text=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon&template=custom_title&asin=B00198X0UY&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee] (2000)
Director: [amazon text=Ang Lee&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Ang Lee]
Stars: [amazon text=Yun-Fat Chow&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Yun-Fat Chow], [amazon text=Michelle Yeoh&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Michelle Yeoh], [amazon text=Ziyi Zhang&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Ziyi Zhang]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B00198X0UY&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B00FZIJ18Y&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg]
5. [amazon text=Raiders of the Lost Ark&template=custom_title&asin=B00FZIJ18Y&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg] (1981)
Director: [amazon text=Steven Spielberg&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Steven Spielberg]
Stars: [amazon text=Harrison Ford&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Harrison Ford], [amazon text=Karen Allen&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Karen Allen], [amazon text=Paul Freeman&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Paul Freeman]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B00FZIJ18Y&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B000TTPF20&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Bullitt Peter Yates]
6. [amazon text=Bullitt&template=custom_title&asin=B000TTPF20&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Bullitt Peter Yates] (1968)
Director: [amazon text=Peter Yates&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Peter Yates]
Stars: [amazon text=Steve McQueen&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Steve McQueen], [amazon text=Jacqueline Bisset&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Jacqueline Bisset], [amazon text=Robert Vaughn&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Robert Vaughn]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B000TTPF20&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Bullitt Peter Yates]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B00APN454E&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Die Hard John McTiernan]
7. [amazon text=Die Hard&template=custom_title&asin=B00APN454E&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Die Hard John McTiernan] (1988)
Director: [amazon text=John McTiernan&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=John McTiernan]
Stars: [amazon text=Bruce Willis&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Bruce Willis], [amazon text=Alan Rickman&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Alan Rickman], [amazon text=Bonnie Bedelia&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Bonnie Bedelia]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B00APN454E&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Die Hard John McTiernan]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B0013N3DSE&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Adventures of Robin Hood Michael Curtiz, William Keighley]
8. [amazon text=The Adventures of Robin Hood&template=custom_title&asin=B0013N3DSE&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Adventures of Robin Hood Michael Curtiz, William Keighley] (1938)
Directors: [amazon text=Michael Curtiz&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Michael Curtiz], [amazon text=William Keighley&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=William Keighley]
Stars: [amazon text=Errol Flynn&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Errol Flynn], [amazon text=Olivia de Havilland&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Olivia de Havilland], [amazon text=Basil Rathbone&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Basil Rathbone]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B0013N3DSE&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Adventures of Robin Hood Michael Curtiz, William Keighley]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B011MHBFD0&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Goldfinger Guy Hamilton]
9. [amazon text=Goldfinger&template=custom_title&asin=B011MHBFD0&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Goldfinger Guy Hamilton] (1964)
Director: [amazon text=Guy Hamilton&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Guy Hamilton]
Stars: [amazon text=Sean Connery&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Sean Connery], [amazon text=Gert Fröbe&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Gert Fröbe], [amazon text=Honor Blackman&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Honor Blackman]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B011MHBFD0&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Goldfinger Guy Hamilton]
[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B000Y5CHIE&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Last of the Mohicans Michael Mann]
10. [amazon text=The Last of the Mohicans&template=custom_title&asin=B000Y5CHIE&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Last of the Mohicans Michael Mann] (1992)
Director: [amazon text=Michael Mann&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Michael Mann]
Stars: [amazon text=Daniel Day-Lewis&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Daniel Day-Lewis], [amazon text=Madeleine Stowe&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Madeleine Stowe], [amazon text=Russell Means&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Russell Means]
[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B000Y5CHIE&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=The Last of the Mohicans Michael Mann]
The Guardian (founded in 1821) is a British national daily newspaper, and the Observer (founded in 1791) is its Sunday sibling. They are amongst the most influential papers in the world. The Guardian and its journalists have won numerous journalism awards, especially in the last decades.
Source: The Guardian
Last checked on: 16 January 2016
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