Reviews & features: Action
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Red Tails
11 May 2012
George Lucas pet WWII project suffers from thin characterization, cliché and crude simplification
Star Wars creator George Lucas used clips from his favourite aviation dramas to stand in for battle scenes in the original rough-cut of Star Wars, so it’s no surprise that several decades later, Lucas has invested some of his personal wealth in an…
How I Spent my Summer Vacation
10 May 2012
Tightly directed action-comedy that even ardent Mel Gibson-haters will find difficult to dislike
There are probably quite a few people – not least screenwriter Joe Eszterhaus, judging by his recently published missive – who would probably like to see Mel Gibson languishing in a filthy Mexican jail. But sadly for them, How I Spent My Summer Vacation…
Avengers Assemble
27 Apr 2012
Joss Whedon’s finely balanced superhero extravaganza is well worth the wait
The main issue facing the making of a superhero ensemble piece is balance: with so many strong personalities on screen, how do you ensure each of them get their due? It’s a problem Joss Whedon has tackled effectively in Avengers Assemble, keeping…
Safe
23 Apr 2012
Guilty pleasure action flick starring Jason Statham
(15) 94mins You have to admire Jason Statham. An actor that knows his limitations but plays to his strengths, while you’re unlikely to ever find him starring as Hamlet, it’s hardly surprising he’s ascended the ranks of Hollywood’s tough guys with…
Piggy
23 Apr 2012
Ultra-violent London-set thriller starring Martin Compston
(18) 106mins Fight Club meets Death Wish in this ultra-violent vigilante movie, one so gratuitous it will turn even the strongest of stomachs. Set in a modern-day London where hoodies wielding knives seem to lurk on every street corner, Martin…
William Friedkin's Killer Joe to open EIFF
18 Apr 2012
The Exorcist director's comic thriller to kick-off 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) organizers have announced today that comic noir thriller Killer Joe will be the Opening Gala on Wed 20 Jun 2012 in Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre. The film is directed by William Friedkin, best known for his…
The Raid
17 Apr 2012
A short, tough, pumped-up flick for die-hard action fans
(18) 101min ‘1 ruthless crime lord. 20 elite cops. 80 floors of chaos.’ The advertising sets exactly the right proficient tone; crunching the numbers as well as bones, The Raid features a small group of policemen taking on a vertically stacked army of…
The Cold Light of Day
12 Apr 2012
Clumsy, by-the-numbers action thriller starring Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver
(12A) 93min Wall Street trader Will Shaw (Henry Cavill) is taking a break from his Stateside business worries to visit his family in Spain, despite terse relations with his father (Bruce Willis). Unfortunately, he barely has time to sip a sangria…
Battleship
11 Apr 2012
Michael Bay-inspired blockbuster burdened by bog-standard plot and uneven tone
(12A) 131mins Inspired by the Hasbro board-game, Battleship is part Michael Bay-inspired planet-trashing mayhem and part love letter to the US Navy, with whom director Peter Berg shares an intimate family history (his father was both a former Marine…
Trailer for new Oliver Stone film Savages
10 Apr 2012
John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Benicio del Toro star in the director's drug war action movie
It's been a while since Oliver Stone has made an unequivocally brilliant film. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was fair, but not brilliant; W. was a bit of a damp squib; World Trade Centre contained graphic scenes of flag-waving; and Alexander was just…
Colin Farrell kicks ass in new Total Recall trailer
2 Apr 2012
Updated CGI, a Biel v Beckinsale punch-up and Bill Nighy among the trailer highlights
Fans of 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Total Recall have had little reason to be impressed by the forthcoming remake of Arnie's second best film (it’s not a patch on T2): casting Colin Farrell in the lead alongside almost forgotten female leads…
Act of Valour
2 Apr 2012
Impressive technique and verisimilitude delivered at the expense of plot and characterisation
(15) 110min The on-screen pursuit of combat verisimilitude is the driving force behind Act of Valour, an anti-terrorist action flick which aims to make a virtue of casting real life Navy SEALs (United States Navy's Sea, Air, and Land Teams) as…
Wrath of the Titans
2 Apr 2012
Sloppy sequel with poorly defined characters, starring Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson
From its flimsy concept to its similarly sloppy use of post-conversion 3D, Wrath of the Titans is a sequel that fails to improve on the original in any way. Set 10 years after the events of Clash of the Titans, this pointless follow-up invents a…
The Hunger Games
21 Mar 2012
Adaptation that successfully transcends its teen-fiction origins, with excellent cast and direction
(12A) 142min A dystopian thriller with cross-generational appeal, The Hunger Games is an adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy. From writer and director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) and co-written by Collins herself, it’s set in…
21 Jump Street
12 Mar 2012
Deceptively smart big screen revival of the once popular TV show, with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill
(15)109min Taken at face value, 21 Jump Street is another mis-matched buddy cop outing that mixes elements from the original television series, Superbad coming-of-age values and the gung-ho rhetoric of Michael Bay's action movies. But there's a…
Cleanskin
9 Mar 2012
A gratuitously violent Sean Bean action vehicle light on sociological insight
'I love my country. I’ve killed for it and I’ll die for it', growls Ewan (Sean Bean), an ex-soldier turned secret service agent who is tasked with tracking down a cell of homegrown suicide bombers in this London-set thriller by British writer-director…
John Carter
8 Mar 2012
Visually impressive epic adventure suffers by prepping for sequels
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 creation finally hits the screen after 79 years of development hell, with pre-production on an animated feature originally scheduled for 1931. Andrew Stanton, director of Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo and WALL-E, has…
This Means War
1 Mar 2012
Unsuccessful mash-up of the rom-com and spy action genres
(12A) 97min McG attempts to satisfy both sexes in This Means War – a testosterone-driven action meets girl-pleasing rom-com, that ends up not being good in either genre, despite featuring two of the hottest young actors around (Tom Hardy and Chris…
Avengers Assemble in latest trailer
1 Mar 2012
Trailer for superhero movie with Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow
It’s the moment comic book and action movie fans have been waiting for as we get our first good look at all six members of the superhero team, The Avengers, in the latest trailer. The hype has been building for this massive blockbuster with Iron Man…
Guy Pearce delivers futuristic TED talk for Ridley Scott's Prometheus
29 Feb 2012
Pearce stars as the founder of Weyland Industries
We appreciate a well-thought out viral online campaign here at List HQ. We're also fans of the inspirational TED talks, where the leading lights of culture, technology and industry come together to deliver talks based on their chosen field of expertise.
Interview: Gareth Evans brings The Raid to GFF 2012
17 Feb 2012
The Welshman on directing his high-tension Indonesian action movie
Gareth Evans is apologetic: ‘Sorry for beating your guys in the rugby at the weekend,’ he says in an unmistakeable Welsh accent down the line from his home in Indonesia. No apology necessary. While we may have to endure the indignity of the Scottish…
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
17 Feb 2012
OTT second outing for Nicolas Cage's flaming-skulled anti-hero
(12A) 95mins Nicolas Cage’s latest stab at lending Ghost Rider mainstream credibility suffers from the decision to employ Crank duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor as co-directors. For while certainly high on manic energy, Spirit of Vengeance lacks…
Chronicle
16 Feb 2012
Suspenseful non-horror addition to the found footage canon
(12A) 84min The found footage genre is beloved by horror filmmakers (Blair Witch, [REC], Paranormal Activity). With its panicked shakiness and POV perspective, it’s a neat shortcut to instilling a sense of panic. Godzilla clone Cloverfield attempted…
GFF 2012 - Mark Millar interview
13 Feb 2012
The comic book creator of Kick-Ass and Wanted tells us about his role at the Glasgow Film Festival
Mark Millar has written some of the biggest comics of the last 20 years. He’s tackled the X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman and Fantastic Four alongside...
Safe House
8 Feb 2012
Brutally slick but flawed action thriller starring Denzel Washtington and Ryan Reynolds
(15) 115mins Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds make a formidable partnership in Daniel Espinosa's Safe House, a brutally slick, if flawed, action thriller.
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