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.
The final act action sequence in Once Upon a Time in China (1991) runs close to 30 minutes in length, and takes up 93% of the fourth act of the film.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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) 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.
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) 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.
