Action is a vital
ingredient to today’s Blockbusters. It’s
a universal language that crosses all cultural boundaries. People all over the world love to watch
fistfights, car chases, and shootouts.
Unfortunately, such things often come at the expense of character and
story, which is why genre has been largely dismissed by critics and cineastes in the past. Over the last decade or so, that perception
has been slowly changing. A handful of well-made actioners have shown critics just
what the genre is capable of in the right hands. In addition, a few historians have been proactive
about pointing out the genres merits to their peers.
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| Photo by Juliet Turback |
One such fellow is Eric
Lichtenfeld. He is the author of ‘Action
Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie.’ It is one of the few, if not the only,
scholarly tomes ever written about the genre.
It isn’t simply an extended list of its high points, but a true
reference guide. It identifies and
examines the underlying themes common to most action pictures. It also puts things into historical
perspective. Being the action junkie
that I am, I sought out Mr. Lichtenfeld so I could pick his brain a bit. I ended up getting much more than I’d bargained
for, as he proceeded to school me on my beloved genre.
