The Shaw Brothers bring another film to the 101 Action Movies list that brings all the variables we’ve come to expect from the classic kung fu movies, fights, betrayals, secrets, and more fights! Cheh Chang directs the tale that has a convoluted and engaging plot as young Yang Tieh (Sheng Chiang) is summoned to his…
Tag: 101 action movies
Drunken Master (1978) – Woo-Ping Yuen
Jackie Chan debuts on the 101 Action Movies list with this Kung-Fu classic that cemented Chan’s style of stunning fight sequences with a comedic streak. Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, who would later become the fight choreographer of such films as The Matrix, Drunken Master is a fun romp and a favorite amongst fans of the…
The Driver (1978) – Walter Hill
Long before Jason Statham was doing much the same thing in The Transporter, Walter Hill wrote and directed this action flick that is the next entry on the 101 Action Movies list. Ryan O’Neal plays The Driver and seems to be trying to do his best Steve McQueen, which isn’t surprising because apparently the film…
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Lewis Gilbert
I love when the 101 Action Movies brings me a favorite to rewatch, and I do love my Bond films, alongside For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me is one of my preferred outings of Roger Moore as 007. This one is Moore’s James Bond at his best, tongue firmly in cheek,…
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) – John Carpenter
A number of elements both horrific and action oriented combine as the siege on a closed down police station begins in this classic John Carpenter film that makes a welcome appearance on the 101 Action Movies list. 6 gang members are shot down by cops, raising tensions on the street, as Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin…
Rollerball (1975) – Norman Jewison
James Caan mumbles his way through this entry on the 101 Action Movies list under Norman Jewison’s guidance working from a script by William Harrison (based on his own short story). In a dystopian future when corporations have replaced governments (so you know, sometime around now), the game of rollerball is the only release for…
Death Race 2000 (1975) – Paul Bartel
The 101 Action Movies brings a Roger Corman produced classic for viewing, which pits David Carradine against a new comer named Sylvester Stallone. In a world where Mr. President (Sandy McCallum) has been in power for a while, after a devastating war with the French, in order to prove their virility, and their love…
The Towering Inferno (1974) – John Guillermin
The 101 Action Movies brings me to the heights of the 1970s disaster movies with this all-star epic, produced by and some sequences directed by Irwin Allen. I’ve never been a fan of the disaster film sub genre, but with a cast like this it’s hard not to settle in for the adventure, even with an…
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) – Michael Cimino
The 101 Action Movie list brought me this one, which feels like a bit of a misfire to me, though it does lay the groundwork for future buddy movies. There’s an all-star cast, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, Gary Busey, Catherine Bach and George Kennedy, with some wonderful chemistry between Eastwood and Bridges, and…
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) – Joseph Sargent
This entry on the 101 Action Movies list is based on the novel by John Godey and is hugely entertaining. The way everyone talks to each other is just so ‘New York.’ There is that irreverent tone to their voices, even when dealing with the film’s baddies, that made me laugh, smile and enjoy…
The Mind Reels 