As one would expect from a prison film, the main set piece of San Quentin (1937) is an escape sequence that involves a well-staged vehicular pursuit.
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.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Amongst the most influential action films ever made, Seven Samurai (1954) is also significant for its sheer epicness concerning its story as well as its duration. With a story duration of over 3 hours and 18 minutes, the Seven Samurai manifests a staggering 54 distinct action moments that generally grow in length as the film reaches its climax.
Sholay (1975)
There are a number of qualities that make Sholay (1975) a distinct film. As a masala western, the film is a hybridization of the plot structure of the Hollywood professional western, with the Hindi cinema of interruptions in which song and dance numbers are inserted into the film’s plot, and elements of the Indian dacoit (bandit) genre. But what really distinguishes Sholay from other action films is the way in which the film’s song and dance numbers are integrated into action scenarios.
Speedway (1929)
As an early automotive racing film, it is no surprise that the central action scenario in Speedway (1929) is speed. This holds true as well for the film’s climactic set piece, the Decoration Day Race, that takes up most of the final act. This sequence is significant for the ways that it depicts speed and risk but also successfully manages to weave a dramatic story through the race.
Straight Shooting (1917)
Straight Shooting (1917) was made during a period when the film conventions of the western genre were solidifying. Among these conventions was the duel that takes on a different complexion in the film given it is neither a fast draw nor involves pistols. Instead Cheyenne Harry, the protagonist of the film, and Placer Fremont a hired gunslinger, use rifles and engage with each other by stealth.
Star Wars (1977)
Although Star Wars (1977) is often cited as one of the films during the 1970s that ushered in the blockbuster film, less recognized is its impact on the science fiction genre.
Tenet (2020)
Tenet (2020) is without a doubt among the most innovative espionage-sci-fi films ever produced. While time travel in sci-fi films is not new, the film features technology that can reverse entropy permitting objects and characters to travel backwards in time. This premise departs from the standard ways time travel is depicted in film, namely by presenting scenes where objects and characters traveling forward through time interact with objects and characters traveling in the reverse temporal direction. The film’s action scenarios are given a novel twist as a result of this narrative premise. In the film, fights, battles, and rescues feature forward and reversed temporality fundamentally altering the narrative logic of these action scenarios and extending what can be imaginatively conceived when staging action for the screen.
Thunderball (1965)
The underwater battle sequence is the action highlight of the film and is a significant set-piece within the James Bond franchise as well.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Despite being a late entry into the western genre, given its long history, The Wild Bunch (1969) manifests action scenario variations revealing how they are shaped by genre. Amongst the most notable of these is the dragged-by-a-horse stunt, a variation of the speed scenario, that often showcases its danger for both stuntperson and character.
X-Men (2000)
The Liberty Island battle set piece is an exemplar of the extended action sequence, given its 19-minute plus duration.