The action genre went through an interesting transition in the 90s.
Total Recall (1990)
Paul Verhoevenis a master of indefinable films.
The watered down stateside formula is simple: woman in cocktail dress + a handgun.
And her beginning is beastly.
Nikitabegins with Parillaud as a drug addict with a death wish coupled with an impulsive trigger.
The policeman she shot merely woke her up, expecting her to be a damsel in distress.
Image via The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Nikita wasnt startled by him.
She just didnt care.
So she shot him.
Image via The Samuel Goldwyn Company
that’s held upTerminator 2as an all-time great, long after modern effects eclipsed its technological triumphs.
Try, “defending infants in a maternity ward from well-armed villains” insane.
Hard Boiledboasts all of Woo’s signature slow-motion sharp-shooting and battletic torrents of blood in their best form.
Image via Warner Bros.
Its a concoction that shouldnt work and yet it does.
The result is an intoxicating middle ground between B-Movie camp and Woo’s set-piece artistry.
Marshal, played byTommy Lee Jones.
Image via 20th Century Studios
Its no wonder the film scored seven Oscar nominationsincluding Best Pictureand one win for Jones.
For one thing, the action isn’t confined to a single location.
Image via TriStar Productions
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Image via Universal Pictures
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via 20th Century Fox
