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Dallas
See it – Although this may not be considered one of Gary Cooper’s best movies, it is certainly an entertaining western. He plays a wrongfully accused outlaw who trades places with the incompetent marshal, impersonating him in order to bring his arch enemy to justice. This is by no means a comedy, but it has that light-hearted, “Errol Flynnish” feel to it that characterized so many films in the old days. For instance, there are certain things that you just wouldn’t do in real life; such as throwing a bullet into the fire to distract someone, or stepping on a cat’s tail so that the yelp will cause your enemy to show himself. But it’s all in good fun. The down side is that a large quantity of action scenes doesn’t always mean they are quality scenes. There aren’t any cool, memorable gunfights or explosions in this one. But it’s a good way to spend an hour and a half. 3 action rating.
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Darby's Rangers
The story of the inception of the Army Rangers is more of a drama than an action movie. It chooses to spend more time focusing on the soldiers’ relationships with their gals than the actual combat. Starring James Garner, this subpar WWII movie makes us wait until halfway through the film to watch the first battle. The action picks up a little bit later on, but honestly, it’s not worth the wait. 2.5 action rating.
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The Dark Knight Rises
4.5 action rating
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Dark of the Sun
See it – A violent and tragic depiction of the 1960’s Civil War in the Congo. Jim Brown is surprisingly solid in this action-packed, yet very dark tale of a secret mission by a troop of mercenaries to rescue an isolated village (and its diamonds) from an approaching rebel army. 3 action rating
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
3 out of 5 action rating
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Daybreakers
2 action rating
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Day of the Outlaw
Just when you think this movie is going nowhere, boom…it gets slightly better. Then it goes nowhere again. What could have been a much better western, this movie crawls along at a snail’s pace. When it’s all said and done, it’s just a mediocre psychological western similar to “Firecreek.” Robert Ryan stars as a cattle rancher willing to kill his neighbor to keep fences off his land. But when the time comes to settle the dispute once and for all, a sleepy little town gets a rude awakening by some unwelcome visitors. 1.5 action rating.
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The Deadly Trackers
See it – Kind of trippy in parts, which is to be expected for a western made during the 70’s. But this one’s exciting, action-packed, violent, and stars the talented Richard Harris. Harris is possibly the most underrated actor in film history. In this western classic, he plays an Irish sheriff who goes after a band of outlaws who have murdered his family. He tracks them down one by one and seeks his revenge. The movie starts out uniquely with a slideshow of pictures accompanied by the first few minutes of the film’s dialogue. Then, the first gunfight explodes onto the screen and the pace never lets up until the end. This tragic movie is definitely not a feel-good story. But it begins and ends with a bang. 3.5 action rating.
Deadpool
Stay after the credits for a secret scene.
3.5 out of 5 action rating |
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Death of a Gunfighter
The 70’s weren’t kind to westerns, and this is no exception. An aging Richard Widmark plays a sheriff in a turn-of-century town hell-bent on modernization. Perhaps it is a profound film in the sense that it is a good picture of a man who had trouble changing with the times. But it has a totally different feel than any of the other classic westerns. Unique movie, yes. Good western, no. There are plenty of unique westerns out there that are much, much better. 1.5 action rating
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The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
This is closer to a documentary than an action movie. There is a constant narrator throughout the movie, and other than the opening combat sequence, all the “battles” are taken from real war footage. There was one scene that I found very interesting, because it was nearly identical to the recent movie “Valkyrie.” The entire sequence where an eyepatch- wearing Tom Cruise puts a briefcase bomb under Hitler’s table was surely copied from this movie that was made over 50 years earlier. Perhaps this movie is enjoyable to history geeks, but I found it extremely boring. 1 action rating
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The Desert Rats
See it – Probably the best movie ever made about the North Africa campaign in WWII. Starring Richard Burton, this action packed war movie revolves around a small group of British commandos charged with holding a strategic position against the onslaught of Rommel himself. There are about three really good battle scenes that make this movie an action classic. 3 action rating
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Desperate Journey
See it - This is an oldie but a goodie. The main characters, played by Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan (that’s right, the POTUS), are shot down over Germany during a bombing run. Disguising themselves as German soldiers, they then begin the long road back to England on foot. The boys decide to engage in a little constructive destruction along the way. At one point, Flynn says “Gents, I have a suggestion to make; how about a spot of sabotage.” Haha, I love it. It doesn’t get any better than this. It's more than just a light-hearted romp about good guys getting chased across the rooftops by a Nazi with a monocle and a Doberman. It's a desperate journey. 5 action rating
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Devil's Brigade
See it - William Holden stars in this WWII classic as the commander of a ragtag brigade of American misfits and proud Canadians. The first hour of the movie is the training and the usual “male bonding” of the soldiers. But the second hour is brimming with bristling action. This is a very similar movie to the Dirty Dozen. Only instead of a dozen, there’s a whole brigade. A very good movie from start to finish, with plenty of characters you can cheer for. 3 action rating.
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Distant Drums
See it - They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Gary Cooper brings us another great action classic. It’s the story of American soldiers who attack a fort in the everglades during the Seminole Wars in the 1800’s. They are then chased by Indians through swamps for the rest of the movie. The movie delivers every possible action scenario that you could imagine in a setting like that. It’s very similar to the first half of the classic film “Davy Crockett.” Remember when Davy Crockett fights the Indians in the swamp? Well that’s what goes down this entire movie. You don’t watch a movie like this for its plot. Yes, it’s old. But it’s Gary Cooper at his best. There is plenty of battles, including a cool underwater fight scene at the end. What do I mean by that? Well you’ll have to watch it and find out. 4 action rating
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District 9
See it - 2.5 action rating
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Django Unchained
Who would have thought that a western would be one of the coolest movies of 2012? Ahem, me actually...because westerns are awesome. And so are Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz. But I digress. Not exactly a rip-snortin' old fashioned western, but there are just enough hard-hitting gunfights to keep you action buffs entertained. 3 out of 5 action rating.
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Dodge City
See it – This is widely considered Errol Flynn’s best western. It may feel a bit “ho hum” compared to the many action-packed westerns in the 50’s and 60’s. But when you consider this classic was made in 1939, it really is the granddaddy of them all. It’s unfortunate, however, that there aren’t very many gunfights. The best action scenes consist of a cattle stampede in the beginning, a saloon brawl in the middle, and a shootout on a burning train at the end. But Errol doesn’t need to apologize. This is quite an epic western, and is magnificent if watched in color. 2.5 action rating
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Dredd
2.5 action rating
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Drive Angry
3.5 action rating
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Duel at Diablo
See it – This wild romp never fails to entertain. It has a similar look and feel to “Shalako.” Another similarity may be the slight miscasting of James Garner and Sidney Poitier. Sure, we’re not used to seeing either of them in a serious western, but just sit back and enjoy a simple, yet darn good western. It is absolutely jam-packed with Indian battles. What else could you really want? 4 action rating.
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Duel in the Sun
A big western soap opera with next to no action and a depressing love triangle. Starring Gregory Peck in one of his earliest roles, this western combines the epic setting of “The Big Country” with the jealousy and family tragedy in “Legends of the Fall.” One of the most morbid movies I’ve ever seen and a waste of 2 hours. 1.5 action rating
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Dunkirk (1958)
See it – A surprisingly great war film, this movie tells two parallel stories. One is about a group of British soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, desperately trying to make their way to the French coast. Meanwhile, on the other side of the channel, English civilians bravely prepare to help with the mass evacuation at Dunkirk. At the end, the two stories converge “Tarantino style.” There aren’t many household names in this one. Richard Attenborough headlines a cast of British actors that have recognizable faces but are relatively unknown to Americans. There is quite a bit of combat in the middle stage of the film as the British soldiers dart from hedge to farmhouse to avoid capture by the "Jerries". The pace of the movie slows toward the end, but this is a historically accurate and memorable retelling of real heroes who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 3 action rating.
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