action movie freak    
 

Action Movie SUBGENRES

ADVENTURE |  ALL FOR LOVE  |  ARNOLD MOVIES |  BOND  |  BUDDY  |  CHASE  |  FIGHT  |  GRRRL POWER
 
HEIST   |   MARTIAL ARTS  |  REVENGE  |  SUPER COP
|  SUPERHERO  |  SUPER SOLDIER

This is a huge, ongoing project that I live to work on :D  If a movie that you think should be in a category is not there,
it's probably because I haven't gotten around to re-watching it to be sure. Same thing, if you see any glaringly wrong placements
of films in categories, please email me:  gynell@gmail.com. For a list of movies, see my Hit List.


007 James BOND 

Our Yearly Action injection
Quantum of Solace chase scene through marble quarryIt really didn't matter if they were believable or not at first because, for years, there was nothing as exciting. I wanted every movie to give me that Bond feeling, but until there were other expensive Action blockbusters to compete, one Bond blockbuster a year was just about all Action Movie Freaks got.  When other Action Movies finally caught up on the scale of Bond effects and showcased more physically capable actors, we no longer could suspend our disbelief for Bond, and at the end of a long run of less-athletic actors, our collective dissatisfaction was redeemed by Daniel Craig's all-out Parkour-style chase scene in the opening of Casino Royale.  No more "Q" with gadgets, this new Bond was such a 'machine' he needed only a tracking device inserted in his arm, and a defibrillator in his Aston Martin DBS V12. (Yay! They returned to a British vehicle for a British Secret Agent).


ACTION MOVIE
SUBGENRE

James BOND

Dr. No

From Russia with Love

Goldfinger

Thunderball

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty's
Secret Service


Diamonds Are Forever

Live and Let Die

The Man with the
Golden Gun


The Spy Who Loved Me

Moonraker

For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

A View to a Kill

The Living Daylights
 
License to Kill

GoldenEye

Tomorrow Never Dies

The World Is Not Enough
 
Die Another Day

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

SKYFALL

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

SPECTRE


     

 

 

Dr. No (8 May 1963)
Sean Connery goes to Jamaica and meets Ursula Andress.  The most indelible thing from the movie seems to be her in that belted bikini.  It was a fun movie. You have to love the Bond movies where the villain has a secret lair. 

Being from the Bahamas, this movie appealed to me because they went to Jamaica. Being from the islands is a collective kinship (like being "Central American" or "European") From the moment Bond got there, it seemed like they tried to kill him at every turn. American Actor John Kitzmiller played a Caymanian boatman "Quarrel". According to IMDB Kitzmiller had the distinction of being the first black Actor to win Best Acting award at the Cannes Film Festival.

 (The Cayman accent is really hard to imitate. To the unaccustomed ear it's indistinguishable from a Jamaican or Trini accent but islanders know the difference.  I think it's a shame they didn't use a Caymanian but movies do that a lot.)

 

From Russia With Love (27 May 1964)
Lotta Lenya stole the show in this movie as Colonel Rosa Klebb of the
Russian counter-intelligence agency SMERSH.  She had to be at least part of the inspiration for Edna 'E' Head in The Incredibles (although IMDB says that The Incredibles character was based on real-life costume designer Edith Head). 

The movie also starred a great 'Man's Man' Actor Robert Shaw as the villain, Codename: Donald 'Red' Grant.  He and Bond have a really great fistfight in close quarters on a train.   

 The other most memorable thing for me was the soundtrack, although, since Léa Seydoux was referred to as a "henchwoman" in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, it made me remember Lotta Lenya, who was one of the first powerful and dangerous female villains I ever saw. It was an indelible performance.

Funny how we don't think of women as 'henchmen' because that implies that you're kept around just for your strength, however, recently, other movies have featured men being protected (as art imitates life) by a group of female bodyguards. I look forward to the day when a really, big, muscular woman is featured.  What are they waiting for?!


Goldfinger (9 Jan 1965)
Aaah Miami Beach in its 'heyday'. Much of the fun of this movie must be credited to Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger. He really makes it seem like Bond has gotten under his skin, so that when the get to the end and Bond is about to be lasered in two, there is so much satisfaction in Goldfinger's response:
 

Thunderball (22 Dec 1965)

You Only Live Twice (13 June 1967)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (18 Dec 1969)

Diamonds Are Forever (17 Dec 1971)

Live and Let Die (27 June 1973)
My favorite Bond movie pre-Daniel Craig. This movie was BADDER than BAD thanks in large part to Yaphet Kotto. who played two characters "Kanaga" and "Mr. Big".  Both were the same man, which we find out in a reveal that was very "Mission: Impossible" (the TV show 1966-73).  The character Actor who stole the show was as Clifton James as "Sheriff J.W. Pepper", and that was no mean feat because Geoffrey Holder as "Baron Samedi" was enthralling with the kind of presence you can imagine fills the room when he is on the stage (and what a voice!).  Clifton James delivers that hilarious line: "Secret Agent?! On whose side?" Now that I've ruined the best line for you, I have to say this movie
has  everything you love Bond for.  If you've never seen it, what are you waiting for—it's a must see! 

The Man With The Golden Gun (20 Dec 1974)

The Spy Who Loved Me (3 Aug 1977)

Moonraker (29 June 1979)

For Your Eyes Only (26 June 1981)

Octopussy (10 June 1983)  
This movie is so campy, it makes me cringe when I watch it.  Louis Jourdan, what were they thinking?!  "Octopusseeeeeee!"

A View To A Kill (24 May 1985)
Ladies and Gentlemen . . . introducing Dolph Lundgren!   I remember thinking, "Holy crap, who is that?!"  Yes, this was his first role. The movie also featured Grace Jones.

The Living Daylights (31 July 1987)

Licence To Kill (14 July 1989)

Goldeneye (17 Nov 1995)

Tomorrow Never Dies (19 Dec 1997)

The World Is Not Enough (19 Nov 1999)

 

 

Die Another Day (22 Nov 2002)
Halle Berry does justice to the belted bikini look from Dr. No.  With the last of the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies, we said goodbye to the less physical, more gentlemanly Bond.  Although this is a very good movie, audiences were tired of suspending disbelief.  It took four years for the franchise to start again with a more physically believable actor. 

 

Casino Royale (17 Nov 2006)
This Movie is in the category All For Love.

The entire movie up to the point of Bond's declaration of love (and WHAT a declaration it is!) can be seen as fate, and he gives up everything for love, only to lose it. The Bond we knew would never have consoled a woman by holding her fully clothed in the shower, being there for her when she needed someone. This is Bond? This is Bond in love. This early loss (in his career) of this true love creates the Bond we know later. Seeing the story behind all the years after of the character's cold emotions brings him full circle for the audience. Read more here.

Quantum of Solace (14 Nov 2008)
This Movie is also in the category Revenge. Check it out there.

Daniel Craig in SkyfallSkyfall (9 Nov 2012)
Synopsis:  Bond's loyalty to "M" is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. We get to see a bit of Bond's dark past as we lose Judi Dench as "M". This movie really grew on me. I didn't like it as much the first time I saw it (not sure why) but I have watched it countless times since, and love it for its very Bond-iness! It hits all the right notes for me.

The soundtrack and the look of the movie couldn't be better. I think the Macao casino (not a real place, totally movie magic) and the 'jellyfish fight scene' are breathtaking cinema, period!

Kingsman: The Secret Service (13 Feb 2015) Kingsman: The Secret Service students
This is not about James Bond, but it is about The Secret Service, and as such, is the whole reason for our interest in the movie. If there were no James Bond, this movie could serve to kick it off!  This movie proves there's room for more than one 'Bond' (in the past there was as well with satires, which this movie treads the line on).  Read more.

 

 

Spectre (6 Nov 2015)
Synopsis:  A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Daniel Craig finds another love interest in this dazzling installment. Another strong, skilled female character to be happy about. Although she's objectified (and beautiful), she's nobody's fool. Played by  Léa Seydoux, "Madeleine" can handle herself.  She knows how to use a gun, and doesn't fall into bed with 007 even when she's drunk. LOL Madeleine is fearless in the movie, and takes a beating from Dave Bautista's character.

Here is Léa with stunt double Gemita Samarra.

 

 

Action Movie SUBGENRES
ADVENTURE |  ALL FOR LOVE  |  ARNOLD MOVIES |  BOND  |  BUDDY  |  CHASE  |  FIGHT  |  GRRRL POWER  |  HEIST
MARTIAL ARTS  |  REVENGE  |  SUPER COP
|  SUPERHERO  |  SUPER SOLDIER




Fellow Freaks 
 

87Eleven Action Design | Chad Stahelski + David Leitch
The Action Elite  Eoin Friel
Action Fanatix
ActionFest  (please bring it back . . . ) | Aaron Norris, Bill Banowsky, Dennis Berman
ActionFlix
Action Reloaded  | Jeff Turner
Alex in Wonderland | Female Action Films/Girls WIth Guns list
AvP Central
AllOuttaBubbleGum  | Brenton Haysom + Tyler Hanson
  Artemis Women in Action Film Festival
Black Ops | Toys
  City on Fire
Exploding Helicopter
Explosive Action
Headquarters 10 | Matthew Kiernan
  Herve Attia
IMCDb Internet Movie Cars Database
IMFDb Internet Movie Firearms Database
IMPDb Internet Movie Plane Database
Iron Dragon TV Action Fest
John J. Rambo
Kain's Korner/Kain's Quest | Brenton Haysom
The London Action Festival  Year 2: June 21-25, 2023
Magnolia Pictures
Man In Hat  | Peter Kaplowski
 
Fandango Movie Clips
Outlaw Vern
Poisonous Monkeys
Predator The Hunted
Rantbo's Repository Ty Guy on Letterboxd | Ty Hanson
Ric Meyers
The Riddick Archive
Screen Junkies
Stallone Zone
The Stunt Pod

Xombie Dirge
Star Store
zeroplate at CHUD


  

Contact Me
ripley@actionmoviefreak.com


Trash talking since 2009


©2009-2023

 


BIFF
BAHAMAS
International
Film Festival

Tate's Comics + Toys + More
566 N University Dr, Lauderhill, FL 33351

korateo dot com john gynell photography logo

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Facebook  •  instagram

TAURUS
World Stunt Awards