This entry on the 101 Action Movies list has quite a pedigree, it’s directed by John Frankenheimer, has a screenplay by David Mamet (as Richard Weisz), and stars Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean, Skipp Sudduth and Michael Lonsdale. Shot entirely on location in France, the film is gritty, realistic, and…
Tag: 101 action movies
Taxi (1998) – Gerard Pires
The 101 Action Movies list brings this highly enjoyable French film to my attention. Please don’t confuse this hugely entertaining film with the rather pathetic 2004 North American remake. This one is fun, fast, and has some great sequences. You can see the seeds for Luc Besson’s later creation of The Transporter series in…
Blade (1998) – Stephen Norrington
The 101 Action Movies and Marvel bring us this entry on the list. David S. Goyer pens this adaptation of the Marvel legend, and Wesley Snipes brings him to life. Blade is half-human, half-vampire, and he and is his assistant, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) hunt down the vampires who are preying off the unsuspecting public, and…
Armageddon (1998) – Michael Bay
The 101 Action Movies brings us another Michael Bay cotton candy confection of entertainment featuring an extinction level event, too-rapid cutting, cardboard characters, a power ballad, an all-star cast, and a number of well-placed American flags to show how noble and amazing they are. Bruce Willis leads the cast, playing Harry Stamper an oil…
Con Air (1997) – Simon West
The third of Nic Cage’s action trio from the late 90s makes its appearance on the 101 Action Movies list in this film directed by Simon West. Cage plays retired Ranger Cameron Po, who after his service is eager to rejoin his newly pregnant wife (Monica Potter) to raise their child together. On their…
Face/Off (1997) – John Woo
Hong Kong action meets big budget Hollywood in this entry on the 101 Action Movies list as John Woo fills the screens with stand-offs, explosions, and his signature balletic gunplay. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage play interchangeable roles as FBI agent Sean Archer and terrorist Castor Troy. Travolta as Archer is desperate, and obsessed…
Air Force One (1997) – Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen is back on the 101 Action Movies list, and this time he’s joined forces with Harrison Ford, who portrays U.S. President James Marshall. It’s a fun film, with a few plot holes but with a standout cast including Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Dean Stockwell, Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy, and Wendy Crewson….
The Rock (1996) – Michael Bay
Michael Bay finds his way back onto the 101 Action Movies to see before you die, and brings an impressive cast with him, in this, my favorite of his films. With his usual pacing and editing, Bay makes a full-out action movies with a surprisingly sympathetic villain. Ed Harris plays General Hummel, who has lost…
Mission: Impossible (1996) – Brian De Palma
“You’re mission Mr. Phelps, should you choose to accept it, is to continue working your way through the 101 Action Movies list, by watching Brian De Palma’s big screen remake of the Bruce Geller created, beloved, television series…. this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.” Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, he and his team, under…
GoldenEye (1995) – Martin Campbell
Welcome back to the 101 Action Movies list 007. After a number of years that had Pierce Brosnan’s name bandied about for taking over the role of James Bond, he finally takes on the coveted role and makes it his own. It also features one of my favorite pre-credit sequences in the Bond saga,…
The Mind Reels 