Category: Action

Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’

Force 10 from Navarone (1978), directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Franco Nero and Edward Fox in lead roles, is a sequel to the classic WWII adventure, 'The Guns of Navarone.' Though not as good as the original by a long shot, the film is reasonably entertaining with some interesting plot … Continue reading Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’ →

Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama

Get Carter(1971), written & directed by Mike Hodges, and starring Michael Caine as the amoral titular gangster, is a gritty & nihilistic British crime Drama. It was not well received upon its release, but it's now revered as one of the greatest British films ever made. "Pint of Bitter..... in a thin glass" One of … Continue reading Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama →

The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was the second film to feature Roger Moore as James Bond. Despite having a great antagonist in Christopher Lee's Francisco Scaramanga, the film turned out to be such a critical and commercial dud that it almost became the last film in the Bond film franchise. Francisco Scaramanga aka … Continue reading The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise →

You Only Live Twice: This silly but spectacular & exotic Sean Connery Bond film has become one of the most iconic & seminal films in the James Bond franchise

You only Live Twice (1967), directed by Lewis Gilbert, is the fifth film in the James Bond film Franchise, with Sean Connery playing MI6 agent, James Bond created by novelist Ian Fleming. Though the film is the silliest Sean Connery Bond film, with an emphasis on fantastical sets and over-the-top action set-pieces over plot & … Continue reading You Only Live Twice: This silly but spectacular & exotic Sean Connery Bond film has become one of the most iconic & seminal films in the James Bond franchise →

Sudden Impact: The only ‘Dirty Harry’ film directed by Clint Eastwood is a slick neo-Noir Actioner that borrows elements from the ‘Death Wish’ films

Sudden Impact (1983) is the fourth film in the 'Dirty Harry' film franchise, which has Clint Eastwood portraying the iconic character of SFPD Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan. Apart from being the most lurid & action-packed of all the films in the franchise, this is also the only 'Dirty Harry' film directed by Eastwood. Clint Eastwood … Continue reading Sudden Impact: The only ‘Dirty Harry’ film directed by Clint Eastwood is a slick neo-Noir Actioner that borrows elements from the ‘Death Wish’ films →

From Russia with Love: Sean Connery at his very best as James Bond in one of the greatest Bond films that’s also a terrific Cold-war thriller

From Russia with Love (1963) is the second film in the James Bond film franchise. Directed by Terrence Young and starring Sean Connery as Ian Fleming's MI6 agent 007 James Bond, the film is one of the greatest Bond films ever made that captures the cold-war induced tension and paranoia of the '60s perfectly. From … Continue reading From Russia with Love: Sean Connery at his very best as James Bond in one of the greatest Bond films that’s also a terrific Cold-war thriller →

Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner

Death Hunt (1981), starring Charles Bronson and lee Marvin in lead roles, and directed by Peter Hunt, is a thrilling action-packed Western set in Canada. Golden Harvest presentsAn Albert S. Ruddy ProductionA Peter Hunt filmCharles BronsonLee MarvinDeath Hunt This is how the titles of the 1981 film, "Death Hunt" unfolds. The titles are very interesting … Continue reading Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner →

Quigley Down Under: Tom Selleck is perfectly cast as the sturdy, morally-upright cowboy-hero opposite Alan Rickman’s colorful villain in this terrific Outback Western

Quigley Down Under(1990), directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman, and Laura San Giacomo in lead roles, is an old-fashioned Western set in the Australian outback. One of the greatest 'What-ifs' in the history of American films is "What if Tom Selleck had played Indiana Jones instead of Harrison Ford?." Selleck was George Lucas' and Steven Spielberg's … Continue reading Quigley Down Under: Tom Selleck is perfectly cast as the sturdy, morally-upright cowboy-hero opposite Alan Rickman’s colorful villain in this terrific Outback Western →

Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure

British Director, Terence Young, brought together three movie icons, Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon, alongside Bond-Girl, Ursula Andress, in the 1971 Euro-Western, Red Sun. Long before Quentin Tarantino unleashed his 'Grindhouse-homage', "Kill Bill(2003)," starring Uma Thurman and David Carradine, with its mesmerizing mixture of (among other genres) Westerns, Martial arts films & Samurai … Continue reading Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure →

The Quick and the Dead: Sam Raimi’s trippy homage to Sergio Leone Westerns has a great ensemble cast and style to burn

The Quick and the Dead(1995), directed by Sam Raimi and starring Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe and Leonardo Di Caprio, is an ultra-stylish Western inspired from Sergio Leone Westerns as well as characters from 'The Bible.' I guess Sam Raimi's recipe for "The Quick and the Dead" was as follows: dump all the Sergio … Continue reading The Quick and the Dead: Sam Raimi’s trippy homage to Sergio Leone Westerns has a great ensemble cast and style to burn →

Chato’s Land: Charles Bronson stars in this bleak & brutal Vietnam-war-era Western that set the template for the ‘Death Wish’ films

Chato's Land(1972), directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson, Richard Jordan and Jack Palance, is a brutal, down & dirty, unsparing Western that explores racism & bigotry in the old-West. "To you this is so much bad land - rock, scrub, desert and then more rock. A hard land that the sun has sucked … Continue reading Chato’s Land: Charles Bronson stars in this bleak & brutal Vietnam-war-era Western that set the template for the ‘Death Wish’ films →

The Shootist: John Wayne rides off into the sunset in a blaze of glory

The Shootist (1976), Directed by Don Siegel from Glendon Swarthout’s eponymous 1975 novel, is John Wayne's final film in which he co-stars with Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard and James Stewart. The film has John Wayne playing a legendary gunfighter who's dying of cancer. “I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid … Continue reading The Shootist: John Wayne rides off into the sunset in a blaze of glory →

Sands of Iwo Jima: John Wayne towers over this seminal WWII epic with one of his greatest and most iconic performances

Sands of Iwo Jima(1949), directed by Allan Dwan and starring John Wayne, John Agar and Forrest Tucker in lead roles, is one of the most popular American war films. It features a fictional story of the events leading up to the factual raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi by the U.S. Marines. Inspired … Continue reading Sands of Iwo Jima: John Wayne towers over this seminal WWII epic with one of his greatest and most iconic performances →

Rio Lobo: Legendary Director Howard Hawks ended his career with this perfectly comfortable John Wayne Western

Rio Lobo(1970), starring John Wayne, Jack Elam, Jorge Rivero and Christopher Mitchum, marked the fifth and final collaboration between John Wayne and Director Howard Hawks. This Western is also the last theatrically released feature film directed by Hawks. "I've been called a lot of things, but not 'comfortable'!" First there was "Rio Bravo(1959)," then came … Continue reading Rio Lobo: Legendary Director Howard Hawks ended his career with this perfectly comfortable John Wayne Western →

Heartbreak Ridge: Clint Eastwood excels as the highly-decorated, hard-drinking, tough-talking Marine in the only ‘War film’ that he made as both actor & director

Heartbreak Ridge(1986), produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood, is a gritty military drama in which Eastwood plays a tough & cynical Gunnery Sergeant who's close to retirement, and is given a final assignment to whip a rag-tag group of young Marines into shape. "We're Marines, sir. We're paid to adapt, to improvise." Though … Continue reading Heartbreak Ridge: Clint Eastwood excels as the highly-decorated, hard-drinking, tough-talking Marine in the only ‘War film’ that he made as both actor & director →

Purgatory: Sam Shepard leads a bunch of immortal Wild-West-heroes into one last gunfight in this very inventive & enjoyable supernatural Western

Purgatory(1999) is a TNT original supernatural Western film shot on 35 mm by director Uli Edel. The film stars Sam Shepard, Eric Roberts and Randy Quaid in lead roles, and it explores the line between reality and myth in relation to the legendary old-West heroes. Mixing film genres is always a difficult task. More often … Continue reading Purgatory: Sam Shepard leads a bunch of immortal Wild-West-heroes into one last gunfight in this very inventive & enjoyable supernatural Western →

Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance

Khartoum(1966), directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, is the last of the Cinerama roadshow epics of the 1960s. The film has Heston playing British hero, Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, who tries to save the city of Khartoum from the invading armies of Olivier's Mahdi. Western imperialism Vs Islamic fundamentalism, that's the … Continue reading Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance →

Seraphim Falls: Liam Neeson obsessively pursues Pierce Brosnan in this austere & atmospheric post-civil war Western

Seraphim Falls(2006), directed by David Von Ancken, is a gritty Western set in the desolate, post-civil war American landscape where an Ex-confederate officer, played by Liam Neeson, driven by vengeance is hunting for a Union soldier played by Pierce Brosnan. Before his Action-film-star making performance in 2008's Taken: where he played Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative … Continue reading Seraphim Falls: Liam Neeson obsessively pursues Pierce Brosnan in this austere & atmospheric post-civil war Western →

Never Say Never Again: Sean Connery returned as James Bond for the last time in this bizarre remake of ‘Thunderball’

Never Say Never Again(1983), directed by Irvin Kershner, is a remake of the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball(1965). The film, produced by Jack Schwartzman (and not by Albert Broccoli's Eon productions) saw Sean Connery returning to his career-making role after a hiatus of more than a decade. "Never Say Never Again" is one of those … Continue reading Never Say Never Again: Sean Connery returned as James Bond for the last time in this bizarre remake of ‘Thunderball’ →

Posse: Bruce Dern gives one of his career-best performances in this Kirk Douglas directed cynical, Watergate-era Western

Posse(1975) is a typical 1970s anti-Western produced and directed by Kirk Douglas. This is Douglas' second (and final) directorial venture, and he also plays the lead protagonist alongside Bruce Dern, Bo Hopkins and James Stacy. Though Kirk Douglas was one of the first stars from Hollywood's golden era to form his own production company, he … Continue reading Posse: Bruce Dern gives one of his career-best performances in this Kirk Douglas directed cynical, Watergate-era Western →