Category: Action

Valdez is Coming: Burt Lancaster returns as the ‘lawman obsessed with justice’ in his second horse opera of the 1970s

Valdez is Coming is one of the three Westerns that Burt Lancaster made in the early 1970s, Lawman and Ulzana's Raid being the other two. In all three movies, Lancaster played some variation of the aging Lawman obsessed with establishing justice at any cost. “Tell him Valdez is Coming.” It’s not easy to accept Burt … Continue reading Valdez is Coming: Burt Lancaster returns as the ‘lawman obsessed with justice’ in his second horse opera of the 1970s →

The White Buffalo: Charles Bronson stars in a strange, allegorical Horror-Western that plays out like a nightmarish “Moby-Dick on the Plains”

The White Buffalo(1977), starring Charles Bronson an directed by J. Lee Thomson, is a moody, atmospheric Western that attempts to add horror elements to the genre. The unprecedented success of Steven Spielberg's Jaws(1975) led to an influx of countless monster movies, like King Kong, Orca, The Swarm, etc... Jaws was basically a marine adventure turned … Continue reading The White Buffalo: Charles Bronson stars in a strange, allegorical Horror-Western that plays out like a nightmarish “Moby-Dick on the Plains” →

Pale Rider: Clint Eastwood saddles up once again as the archetypal mysterious stranger in this mystical Western

Pale Rider(1985), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is a mystic Western where Eastwood reprises his iconic role as the mysterious loner, perhaps, for the last time. "Who are you? Who are you... really?" A question one should never ask the "mysterious stranger" hero of a "Western"; the question becomes even more pointless if this … Continue reading Pale Rider: Clint Eastwood saddles up once again as the archetypal mysterious stranger in this mystical Western →

The Eiger Sanction: Clint Eastwood attempted a James Bond style spy thriller with mixed results

The Eiger Sanction (1975), Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is an action-adventure thriller inspired from James Bond films. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Rodney Whitaker AKA Trevanian, the film has Eastwood playing a government assassin, who has to ascent the Eiger Mountains to kill the spy responsible for the death … Continue reading The Eiger Sanction: Clint Eastwood attempted a James Bond style spy thriller with mixed results →

Dr. No: Sean Connery’s hypnotic charisma ensures that the first James Bond film remains a most satisfying watch

Dr. No(1962) is the first of the glossy, action-packed spy thrillers featuring the character of James Bond created by Ian Fleming. The Bond film franchise would go on to become the most popular and durable film franchises in movie history. Sean Connery, who played Bond in a total of 7 films, would go on to become … Continue reading Dr. No: Sean Connery’s hypnotic charisma ensures that the first James Bond film remains a most satisfying watch →

Tombstone: A Magnificent Kurt Russell and a mesmerizing Val Kilmer leads the charge in this highly entertaining and iconic Western

Tombstone (1993), (officially) directed by George P. Cosmatos and starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, is a thoroughly enjoyable western that recounts the events leading up to, and following, the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral. Of all the actors who played Wyatt Earp on screen, a mustachioed Kurt … Continue reading Tombstone: A Magnificent Kurt Russell and a mesmerizing Val Kilmer leads the charge in this highly entertaining and iconic Western →

Hour of the Gun: James Garner is terrific as the cold & brutal ‘Wyatt Earp’ in John Sturges’ hard-hitting Western

Hour of the Gun(1967), directed by John Sturges and starring James Garner as Wyatt Earp and Jason Robards as Doc Holliday, is a quasi-sequel to Sturges' own Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957). This is a more gritty, revisionist take on the story that concentrates on the aftermath of the famous gunfight "This Picture is … Continue reading Hour of the Gun: James Garner is terrific as the cold & brutal ‘Wyatt Earp’ in John Sturges’ hard-hitting Western →

Breakheart Pass: Charles Bronson stars in a highly entertaining Western adventure adapted from an Alistair MacLean bestseller

Breakheart Pass(1975), directed by Tom Gries and starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Ben Johnson and Richard Crenna, is a very enjoyable thriller set in the old-west, which combines elements from a John Ford western and an Agatha Christie mystery. "I'm not a man of violence" The words are spoken by none other than Charles Bronson, … Continue reading Breakheart Pass: Charles Bronson stars in a highly entertaining Western adventure adapted from an Alistair MacLean bestseller →

GoldenEye: Pierce Brosnan and Director Martin Campbell reinvigorated James Bond for the post-cold war era with an excellent Bond film for the 90s

GoldenEye(1995) marked the debut of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The film, directed by Martin Campbell,  revitalized the Bond franchise and established Bond's relevance in the Post-cold war era. When the seventeenth James Bond film, GoldenEye, reached movie theaters in 1995, The fictional MI6 agent, James Bond, created by Ian Fleming, was facing the biggest … Continue reading GoldenEye: Pierce Brosnan and Director Martin Campbell reinvigorated James Bond for the post-cold war era with an excellent Bond film for the 90s →

McLintock!: John Wayne transitioned into a charming & affluent ‘Patriarch of the West’ with this rollicking comic-Western

John Wayne has never shied away from propagating his socio-political views through his films and McLintock!(1963), co-starring his favorite heroine Maureen O'Hara, is perhaps the ultimate 'John Wayne Western', where his reel and real life personas are seamlessly mixed up. In 1963, two very successful films were released that bore the unmistakable stamp of two … Continue reading McLintock!: John Wayne transitioned into a charming & affluent ‘Patriarch of the West’ with this rollicking comic-Western →

The Getaway: Steve McQueen’s cool charisma powers this highly entertaining action-romance from Sam Peckinpah & Walter Hill

The Getaway(1972) starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, was the most commercially successful film that revered director Sam Peckinpah ever made. Though not as personal as his other works, the film still bears his stamp, both visually and thematically. The Getaway is Sam Peckinpah's least personal work and, his biggest commercial success; he made it … Continue reading The Getaway: Steve McQueen’s cool charisma powers this highly entertaining action-romance from Sam Peckinpah & Walter Hill →

Point Blank: John Boorman’s avant-garde Noir masterpiece gave Lee Marvin his most iconic role

John Boorman's Point Blank(1967) is one of the greatest and most unusual crime\noir thrillers ever made. Apart from being an extraordinary hybrid of American and European film sensibilities, the film also provided Lee Marvin with his most iconic role. 1960s was the decade of revisionism in American society and American cinema. Every movie genre was … Continue reading Point Blank: John Boorman’s avant-garde Noir masterpiece gave Lee Marvin his most iconic role →

Prime Cut: Lee Marvin takes on Gene Hackman in this lurid, satirical gangster thriller that epitomizes the eccentricity of 1970s cinema

Lee Marvin has done some of the weirdest and wildest movies of his time, but nothing comes close to Prime Cut(1972). At first glance, the film, directed by Michael Ritchie and co-starring Gene Hackman, appears to be just a typical Lee Marvin 'tough guy' action thriller, but the film is layered with some truly dark … Continue reading Prime Cut: Lee Marvin takes on Gene Hackman in this lurid, satirical gangster thriller that epitomizes the eccentricity of 1970s cinema →

Nevada Smith: Steve McQueen’s dynamic star turn makes this a highly enjoyable Western adventure

Nevada Smith(1966), starring Steve McQueen, is an episodic Western revenge drama directed by genre veteran Henry Hathaway. It's one of McQueen's most successful outings, with the star in top form, elevating a very generic revenge movie with his dynamism and charisma. "I don't see nothing, except my father laying on a covered-floor all burnt and … Continue reading Nevada Smith: Steve McQueen’s dynamic star turn makes this a highly enjoyable Western adventure →

Hard Times: Charles Bronson at his very best in this hard-edged action drama from director Walter Hill

Hard Times(1975), starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn, was Director Walter Hill's debut movie. It remains a terrific exercise in gritty, genre filmmaking and boasts of a definitive Charles Bronson performance. With his  weather-beaten, craggy, inscrutable features and limited dialogue delivery skills, Charles Bronson is the last person one would expect to become a movie … Continue reading Hard Times: Charles Bronson at his very best in this hard-edged action drama from director Walter Hill →

Moonraker: Roger Moore’s James Bond goes on a space odyssey in the grandest and the most grandly absurd of all Bond films

Moonraker(1979) is the eleventh James Bond film and the fourth starring Roger Moore as Ian Fleming's James Bond . This is the kind of ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining Bond spectacle that's unthinkable in today's times. After ruling the silver screen in the 1960s, James Bond was facing some tough times in the 70s. Bond, brought … Continue reading Moonraker: Roger Moore’s James Bond goes on a space odyssey in the grandest and the most grandly absurd of all Bond films →

Ulzana’s Raid: Burt Lancaster and Director Robert Aldrich reunited after 18 years to create this gritty, revisionist Vietnam-era western

Director Robert Aldrich and star Burt Lancaster reunited after 18 years to make the gritty, revisionist 1972 Western, Ulzana's Raid , which plays out as an allegory of United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. Ulzana's Raid is the third film that Burt Lancaster and Robert Aldrich made together. The first two films, Apache and Vera … Continue reading Ulzana’s Raid: Burt Lancaster and Director Robert Aldrich reunited after 18 years to create this gritty, revisionist Vietnam-era western →

Django: Franco Nero and Sergio Corbucci took the Western to the next level with this politically-charged, ultra-violent masterpiece

Sergio Corbucci's iconic Spaghetti Western,  Django(1966), which made a star out of Franco Nero, looks better than ever  in a newly restored print. When one thinks of adaptations  of  Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, the title that comes to mind first is Sergio Leone's A fistful of Dollars. Of course, it was the first of the Spaghetti … Continue reading Django: Franco Nero and Sergio Corbucci took the Western to the next level with this politically-charged, ultra-violent masterpiece →

Apocalypse Now: Francis Ford Coppola’s psychedelic Odyssey into Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is as hypnotic as ever

It was in 1979 that Director, Francis Ford Coppola premiered his long delayed, troubled production, Apocalypse Now, in Cannes. The film was not yet finished and it was shown as a work in progress. But still it won the Palme D'or. Looks like the film is still a work in progress for Coppola. He has … Continue reading Apocalypse Now: Francis Ford Coppola’s psychedelic Odyssey into Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is as hypnotic as ever →

Scarface: Al Pacino’s electrifying performance powers this brutal and uncompromising Gangster epic from Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma

On Al Pacino's birthday, here is looking back at his grandest and most popular performance from the 1983 gangster epic, Scarface, written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma. “ Al Pacino's performance in the 1983 gangster classic, Scarface, is an instance where the lead star\actor takes over a film completely with his … Continue reading Scarface: Al Pacino’s electrifying performance powers this brutal and uncompromising Gangster epic from Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma →