Action genre
Definition
An action genre always includes exciting action sequences often involving violence and intrigue. It is fast paced and should have no trouble holding the audience’s attention. There is often a hero who has to face a series of challenging situations. The audience feels for the hero and goes with him through a series of fights, chases and dangerous situations.
Explosions
The use of explosions in action films is sudden, dynamic and grabs the attention of the audience both through the visual effect and the noise that it makes. It varies the types of difficult situation the hero has to cope with and is a good vehicle for the use of special effects.
Hero/ heroine
The use of a hero or heroine is a common idea which enables the audience to identify with either of them. Since the action film genre is one that tends to appeal to men more, the hero in this type of film is very often male. Stereotypically men are faster, stronger and take more risks and therefore make a more dramatic subject.
Side kick
In this type of film there is frequently, but by no means always, a side kick. He is a person that the hero can confide in, thus letting the audience know what is going on in the hero’s mind. He is often of inferior intelligence and ability which makes the hero seem all the more brilliant. Since he is in on the plot he may be useful as a back up in getting the hero out of an impossible situation.
Chase scene
The chase scene in an action film is exciting and stimulating. People seem to enjoy watching vehicles travelling incredibly fast as this is not something normally allowed, and are often startled at the feats which the stunt drivers of the vehicles perform.
Fighting (punch up)
The fight scene often involves heroes and villains, good and evil, coming into close contact with one another and striving to win. It is much more real and up close than seeing two machines confront each other. There are often sound effects of thumps and grunts which may cause the audience to almost feel the pain.
Self surgery
This shows that the hero is brave and strong and will carry on whatever happens. He is not deterred or put off by a major injury.
Villain (usually Effeminate/ homosexual, foreign bad guy, oppositional characters)
The villain in an action film is the vehicle for the fear, tension and excitement that the action film tries to nurture. Villains need to be apparently strong, invincible and all powerful. They are usually thoroughly unpleasant so that the audience doesn’t mind what happens to them and are often part of some minority group that most of the audience will not identify with. If they are foreign the nationality is very often unspecified. While the villain may be in possession of advanced equipment and be backed up by an army of supporters or employees so that he appears fearsome, it is often when he comes into hand to hand contact with the hero that his weaknesses are revealed.
The villain misses
Very often in action films the villain can’t hit a still target in front of him let alone hit any of the main characters. This is known as the Stormtrooper Effect. This adds to the heroism of the main character as it makes him look better and stronger.
The main character usually won’t die
It is the fact that the main character never dies that allows many people to enjoy sitting through the fear and tension of the fights, explosions and the chases. They know that their hero, the man they are identifying with, will survive come what may. He is an almost superhuman person that members of the audience may aspire to be like.
Survival
It is often the case that however violent the explosion or fierce the fire the film will show hero or villain escaping with barely a scratch. This highlights their amazing abilities.
Male and female romance
Since the idea of the film writer is that everybody wishes to identify with their superhero, who is leading a life of excitement and challenge, they tend to round the hero off by not only making them invincible but also very attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore every woman who meets the hero will find them deeply attractive and the hero will win the prize of the woman who is perceived to be the most desirable.
The Film: Die Hard
The hero in ‘Die Hard’ is a detective of the New York City Police Department called John McClane. He arrives in Los Angeles
The villain in the film is called Hans Gruber who is a German terrorist. The film uses the cliché of the villain coming from a minority group which the audience will not identify with.
When Marco goes to shoot McClane and says ‘Next time you have a chance to kill someone, don't hesitate’. McClane answers with ‘Thanks for the advice’. This dialogue is a cliché as it is very commonly used. This adds comedy to this scene as it is a light hearted remark and makes the audience feel less tense in this scene. This break in the tension makes the return to the action all the more gripping.
When Gruber orders one of the terrorists to shoot the glass it means that McClane has to walk across it with bare feet as he has no shoes. This means that the glass cuts his feet and he needs to perform self surgery on them in the toilets. This is another cliché which shows how brave and courageous he is. This scene also shows the blood which has come from his feet smear across the floor. This adds to the effect and makes the scene all more valiant.
One of the fight scenes in ‘Die Hard’ uses a less common cliché which involves the element of surprise. Karl and McClane meet face to face. Karl is just about to shoot McClane when a shot is heard but he doesn’t fall. Suddenly the camera changes its angle to reveal that Powell has just shot Karl. This has the benefit of making the audience sit up and take notice. They are just beginning to relax, believing Holly and McClane to have escaped when suddenly they realize that McClane is about to be shot and cannot escape. There is a feeling of inevitability as the shot rings out and then puzzlement as McClane appears unhurt.
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