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An Action Movie is a Genre in Movies which involves excessive fighting and stunts, normally in close-quarters, as compared to wars. Action movies are of various types and implement a variety of weapons and fighting styles. RISE OF THE ACTION MOVIE The genre, although popular since the '50s, did not become one of the most dominant forms in Hollywood until the 1980s and 1990s , when it was popularised by actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger , Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone . The 1988 film '' Die Hard '' was particularly influential on the development of the genre in the following decade. In the movie Bruce Willis plays a New York police detective who inadvertently becomes embroiled in a terrorist take-over of a Los Angeles office block. The film set a pattern for a host of imitators which often just used the same formula in a different setting. Examples included '' Under Siege '', '' Passenger 57 '', '' Executive Decision '', '' Con Air '' and '' Air Force One ''. Action films tend to be expensive requiring big budget Special Effect s and Stunt Work . Action films have mainly become a mostly-American genre, although there have been a significant number of action films from Hong Kong which are primarily modern variations of the Martial Arts Film . Because of these roots, Hong Kong action films typically center on acrobatics by the protagonist while American action films typically feature big Explosion s and modern technology. CURRENT TRENDS Current trends in action film include a development toward more elaborate fight scenes, perhaps because of the success of Asian martial arts elements, such as or Lethal Weapon , although most action movies employ elements of both. The elements that are considered to be important to the majority of "die-hard action movie fans"(the core audience of American action movies from the 70's to today) are: Explosions, gunfights, car chases, and the hero either killing the main antagonist or giving him a severe beating in personal combat. Action movies lacking these elements tend to be less-respected (and even looked down upon) by this audience. While some embrace the shifting toward more martial-arts based movies and the Superhero antics of The Matrix , the vast majority of this group does not like these kinds of changes and still prefers the concept of "more explosions, more gunfights, more car chases, and more carnage is better". Several of the common action film conventions saw their birth in the release of James Bond series (containing many of the original elements of spy movies still seen today). One popular element is the Car Chase , a feature that is almost standard in action films. '' Bullitt '' and '' The French Connection '' were among the earliest films to present a car chase as an action set-piece. At present, many action films culminate in a suspenseful climax centered around a Mexican Standoff between two leading characters. FEMINIST THEORY Feminist Film Theory has been used to analyze action movies, oweing to their rare variance from a core archetype. The separation between the physical male who controls the scene and the look and the female, who is almost always the object of the look is very clear in most such films. Although female characters in most action films are nothing more than objects, a prize for the winner, hostages, loving wives and the like, there has been a move towards stronger female characters such as those in works by James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow . However, in most action movies since the 1970s , the female character in an action movie is usually portrayed as incompetent and lacking in good judgement. These characters tend to unintentionally make life harder for the hero. Female leads The science-fiction action/horror movie '' Aliens '' was the first western action movie to feature a strong female protagonist, independent of a guiding male lead. Alien has thus been considered a prototype for the Girl Power-effect that occured in Hollywood towards the early 2000s when more and more action-movies with powerful female leads appeared from the comedic (e.g. Charlie's Angels ) to the mainstream martial arts film (e.g. Kill Bill ). SEE ALSO SUBGENRES
LIST OF NOTABLE ACTION MOVIES
FAMOUS ACTORS
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