The Operation Honeymoon sequence in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) is similar to other final act action sequences during this period in terms of length, multiple plotlines, and multi-character construction.
Category: United States
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960), itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) that inserts its plot within the narrative context of the western, follows its predecessors by allocating the bulk of its action to the fourth act, as attested by its atypically high AAD ratio
Nobody (2021)
One of the ways that action films make themselves distinctive is by defamiliarizing the genres on which they are based through unique genre combinations. Nobody (2021) does so by combining elements from the espionage film with that of the gangster movie, a sub-genre of the crime film. This combination assumes its primary shape through the film’s protagonist-antagonist structure.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
Nothing in action films signals the agency of the hero protagonist as much as the ability to switch from a captive to an escapee. In Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo accomplishes this feat during the interrogation scene, replicating the same captive-escapee reversal executed in the film’s predecessor First Blood (1982). From this point on, Rambo’s agency in the film increases exponentially from a devastating avenger to a deliverer of salvation by rescuing American prisoners of war from a brutal Vietnamese prison camp.
Point Break (1991)
The bank robbery pursuit in Point Break (1991) is one of the key set pieces of the film, primarily for featuring one of the best foot chases in action cinema history.
Red Dawn (1984)
Despite its modest length, the opening invasion sequence is notable for its economy in setting up the primary narrative premises that go on to shape the film’s overarching story.
San Quentin (1937)
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.
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.