This website aims to answer that question by taking an action scenario approach and combining it with an empirical analysis of action in films.
Author: Tico Romao
I am Assistant Lecturer at University of Alberta and have authored several publications, and I am currently writing a book on the action cinema. My other research interests include film style, cognitive film theory, and social cognition.
How to Analyze Action in Film
In this post, I will summarize the methods I have employed when analyzing action moments and how I go about quantifying them.
The Principles of Continuous Action
In this post I turn to the issue of what constitutes continuous action. Consider the recurrent scene in which the protagonist and the antagonist of a film are locked in some type of combat and pause to banter, and after exchanging insults, resume their fight. Do we treat the scene as a whole as continuous action and the pause in action a mere blip? Or should we consider the banter as a more significant interruption that separates the action into two separate moments? The question poses the problem of interruptions in action. Since interruptions can assume many forms, this post will consider the cases in which interruptions do not entail discontinuous action and the cases in which they separate action into distinct moments.
13 Assassins (2010)
Amongst the longest action sequences in film history, the town battle at the end of 13 Assassins (2010) is astonishing in many ways.
A Better Tomorrow (1986)
A Better Tomorrow (1986) is often cited as the progenitor of the 1980s heroic bloodshed cycle that set the template for the films to come later in the production trend.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The climactic action sequence of the film consists of a battle between Prince John, and his guards, against Robin Hood, his merry men, King Richard the Lion-Heart, and his supporters.
Attack (1956)
Combat films are usually noted for the showcasing of battle sequences, normally situated in outdoor settings. However, Attack (1956) was based on Norman Brooks 1954 play Fragile Fox. Robert Aldrich decided to retain the theatrical dimension of the story by having the narrative focus of the German Advance sequence on the drama taking place inside the command post while the action scenarios instead primarily serve as exterior background context.
Back to Bataan (1945)
Like other combat films of the period, Back to Bataan (1945) relies heavy on sound design to help shape the auditory and visual space of the battle field. In addition, depictions of violence in combat films also were constrained by the strictures of the Production Code. As a result, certain scenes of potential graphic violence in the film are rendered off screen, in shadow, or only the aftermath is presented.
Bad Boys II (2003)
The Haitian heist sequence is among the longest action sequences appearing in the first act of a film. At close to a 15-minute running time, the sequence takes up more than 37% of the first act, creating an unusual 2-3-4-1 action structure in which over 61% of the total action in the film is placed within its first 40 minutes. In terms of action scenarios, the sequence primarily consists of an attempted heist that segues into an extended and highly destructive pursuit.
Batman (1989)
The sequence has distinct plotlines that primarly follow the story paths of Batman, the Joker and Vicki Vale. What is noteworthy is that not only do these plotlines converge as a means to signal to the viewer that the sequence is coming to its climax but also the converge is executed on the planes of action.