My Favourite 13 Action Scenes

There's nothing better than a good old fashioned action sequence is there? One of those moments in a film that, gets your heart beating a little bit quicker, makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, or just plain takes your breath away. These are the type of sequences you remember most fondly from a film. The bits you hope you haven't missed when you flick through sky movies and catch a movie halfway through.


By action sequences I don't mean just scenes from action films. The type of film that the scene is in has no bearing on it's selection, though the majority are from action films in the more classic sense. It also has nothing to do with money, a good film maker will make a good action sequence on a shoestring. It's because you have something invested in the characters, you care what happens to them. A good action scene will keep ratcheting up the tension but never drag, just cause you have a lot of money doesn't mean you should throw it all at the screen. I'm taking about the Michael Bay's, Brett Ratners and Roland Emmerich's of the world. The end of Transformers 3 goes on for so long I gave up caring. I just wanted everyone on screen to die an agonising death, just so that it would end and the chance of Transformers 4 would be out of question. Honestly though, it's a film about cars that turn into robots, why is over 2 hours long? What could possible take that long to say about some robots hitting each other on the head, whilst Shia Lebeouf does that irritating screechy nostril flaring thing. This is what passes for a leading man these days?


So here are my top 13 action sequences (not in any order). Why 13? I don't know I had to cut it off at some point otherwise it may have been top 128!


Oldboy


There are a number of sequences in old boy that stick in the mind.From live octopus eating, to tongue slicing, or ants crawling under the protagonists skin, but there are few which capture Oh Dae-su's relentless quest better than the corridor hammer scene. Made to look like one take, it has a streets of rage look to it, with one man against the world and just a hammer for company. And just when he gets to the end of the corridor? There are a few more blokes in the lift. Suffice to say they meet a sticky end as well.

Children of Men
I can never decide if I prefer the car reversing motorbike scene or the final warzone scene. Both have a very naturalistic look to them, with so much going on in the scene you don't know where to look. For me the motorbike scene is more exhilarating, made by a supremely confident film maker who knows what he's doing. It's so action packed you might just miss a major character catching a bullet.

The Dark Knight

One of two Chris Nolan films that make my list, he's become the go to guy for original action sequences. The whole of the Dark Knight has a constant sense of tension that never drops during the whole running time. The prisoner transfer scene is the best scene for me. The unpredictable nature of the joker means you never know what's going to happen next. Plus the bat mobile turns into the most awesome bat bike, takes on a HGV and there's a surprise reveal at the end as well.

Inception

Mr Nolan's second entry and I'm sure he'd have 3 if the Dark Knight Rises had been released. It's not a surprise that the corridor sequence is my pick, easily the best action scene of 2010. This is the scene everyone was talking about almost as much as the ending! It goes to prove that you don't need hugely expensive CGI, just take two blokes, a rotating corridor and add gravity.... et voilà.

The Matrix

Everyone has bullet time in their film these days it's nothing special; computer games use it, TV shows use it, even bloody quiz shows like ITV's tTe Cube have it. But there was a time when this was truly special. The first time I saw the Matrix in the cinema I was blown away. The sequels definitely bought into the more is more idea, throwing too much money at the screen but for a brief time in 1999 bullet time was a beautiful thing to behold

Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers

Some people think this is the weakest film of the trilogy, the point were the trilogy sags a bit but I don't agree. This is the film were the there's no set up or tying up of loose ends. It gets going straight away with Gandalf fighting the Balrog. It's the battle of helms deep where it all truly kicks off,with hacking and slashing of the highest variety. When Gandalf appears accompanied by Eomer riding down the hill, the sun shining behind them, it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. For me is the stand-out moment of the trilogy.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Once Paul Greengrass took over the reins of the Bourne films they really seemed to find their feet. That's not to say that the first film isn't good, but Supremacy and Ultimatum just move it on. Every action film since has tried to imitate the up close, quick cutting, brutal and realistic filming style. It all comes together perfectly in the chase across the rooftops in Morocco, culminating a vicious fight for survival at the end.

The Seven Samurai
What's to be said that hasn't already been said about the Seven Samurai? The original action film. It seems that every climactic battle ends in the rain these days, The Seven Samurai started it all. The final battle against the bandits in the rain soaked village is a thing of pure beauty. Kurosawa always made exceptional films, but even by his high standards this scene stands out. 

 

Hard Boiled

What happened to John Woo? If you watch his Hollywood output, you'd say it's probably for the best that he's not made many films recently. Go back to his Hong Kong days and you realise it's genuinely a shame that he seems to have lost his touch.  Hard Boiled is possibly the high watermark of his films, Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, and balletic gun play. It makes you wish his Hollywood films had half energy of this scene.

Tell No One

This French film does have flaws. The plot is very far fetched and loses steam towards the end. The chase scene in the middle however is absolutely brilliant. There's a sense of urgency and threat that a lot of films struggle to attain. The CGI in some parts of the chase is poor but that's missing the point, this is genuinely an everyday schmo being pushed to the limit.

Heat

Michael Mann hits all the high notes during the bank robbery scene, as the meticulously planned robbery goes to shit when the cops show up. The film is a slow build but it bursts into life as soon as the machine guns start firing. Few movie heists come close to the level of excitement reached in Heat.

The Good the Bad and the Weird


A Korean homage to the good the bad and the ugly, finishes off with a barnstorming chase scene involving horses, a motorbike and the Japanese army as the titular good, bad and weird face off looking for the treasure. Funny and exhilarating in equal parts, this is a thrilling end to an excellent film.

Bullit

Who doesn't wish they were Steve McQueen? Really what more is there to say?!?

What's you favourite? No doubt I've missed something off this list which I'll regret later, c'est la vie.

We all love Pixar

Top 5 Pixar films

We all love Pixar films. Anyone who says they don't is a liar, an idiot or they have no soul. Just an empty, black, vacuous hole where there heart should be or............. they've sold their soul to the devil in exchange for riches and power (I'm thinking Michael Bay). But like children, we always love one more than the others. Even if we say we don't.

So which Pixar film to you love above the others? This is my list from 1 to 5 none of this working our way backwards to built up tension.

Wall - E

I could watch Wall-E a million times and every time it would make me smile from ear to ear. I may be grumpy most of the time but, like Singing in the Rain, no film makes me smile as much as this one does. Wall-E displays more character and heart in a few bleeps, than pretty much ever character in Shrek combined.

The opening half an hour is a beautiful homage to the silent films of yesteryear, with bits of slapstick side by side with pathos, as Wall-E shows us he doesn't want to be alone. All this and there are only about three bits of dialogue in the first 30 minutes.  Despite being a robot, Wall-E has an every man appeal to him. Man,woman or defective robot they all love him and would follow him to the end of the universe. My favourite scene is the dance sequence below. Despite involving a completely inappropriate use of a fire extinguisher, I am fire warden for my department, I can't help but be bowled over by this scene every time I see it.

  

When I went to the cinema to see this film, a little girl was bawling her eyes out when Wall-E gets squashed at the end. She was utterly inconsolable to the idea that Wall-E may not survive to the credits. It's lucky for me she was, as it meant no one heard me sobbing like I'd been kicked in the nuts during the same scene!! With nods to Silent Running and even 2001, it's a bona fide classic. Computer define Pixar perfection........ Wall-E

Toy Story Trilogy

Possibly the most perfect of all cinematic trilogies, there is virtually no misstep in any of these films. Since I gave my nephew Toy Story 3 on DVD he's practically had it on a continuous loop, much to the annoyance of his parents, but hey at least it's better than Pepper Pig!

It would be perfectly acceptable to put all three films as numbers 2-4, but that would make my life much too easy. Which child hasn't imagined that their toys come to life when they turn their back, but Woody and co are more than just toys. They're fully rounded characters, who make up the sort of family we all wish we were a part of. I remember how impressive it was to see Toy Story, being bowled over by the idea that this was all computer animated. That's passed now, even rubbish animated films look impressive, but few come close to emulating Toy Story's characters or storyline. And as above had me damn near to tears during the furnace scene below!  

We'll all miss Woody and Buzz cause we've grown up with them, but at least they ended up in good home!

Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo says more about family values than any other film that you'd care to mention. The story of a clown fish wanting to protect his only son from the outside world, is a story most people can relate to, even if it does take place a thousand leagues under the sea. More than that, it shows that a family doesn't have to be related by blood, but a common idea to look out for each other. This is shown perfectly by Dory becoming an amnesiac surrogate mother to Nemo. As with nearly ever Pixar film there is a bit that brings a lump to my throat, in this one it's when Marlin thinks Nemo is dead. Seems Pixar's main modus operandi is to make grown men cry! 

My favourite scenes are whenever the seagulls appear to a cacophony of MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE. I still do this every time I see seagulls at Whitby, much to my wife's annoyance.

UP

How many children's films start with the main characters wife having a miscarriage, then dieing in the space of a few minutes.

There are few scenes in animated or live action films that are more beautifully crafted than this. No other studio would make a film out of what seems such an unsellable plot. Old man who's wife dies, in a psychotic moment attaches balloons to his house and kidnaps a small boy! As usual they nail it, making us care about the grumpy old man, whilst simultaneously perfectly capturing what dogs would say if they could talk...........SQUIRREL

Monsters Inc

Who hasn't been afraid of what might be under their bed, or in their closet? Why else do creep into our parents beds in the middle of the night, because we're afraid. Well don't worry they're not doing it to scare us, they just need electricity. Plus, if their all as huggable as Mike then there's nothing to be afraid of. Even though it's more than 10 years old, the animation looks a bit dated, the characters are still just as memorable. Who wouldn't be won over by the utterly adorable Boo, or want the evil Randall get his comeuppance. So all together now "Put that thing back were it came from oh so help me.....

And that's that. It's not to say that the other films aren't good (excluding cars which we all know is shit) just everyone has their favourites and these are mine..... so far