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13 Hours
4 out of 5 action rating
2012
See it -This epic disaster flick has some of the most impressive special effects you will ever see. There are multiple scenes that will make you jump off the couch and spill your popcorn. Dare I venture to say it is even a ground-breaking film? Sure, why not. This film is made up of several different disasters, and each one puts its reigning genre kingpin to shame. For instance, the volcano scene is better than “Dante’s Peak,” the flood is better than the “Day After Tomorrow,” the tidal wave is better than “Poseidon,” and the earthquake is better than, well, "Earthquake." Sure, you may get a little annoyed with the number of near-death experiences the characters miraculously escape from time after time, but this movie entertains on such a grand scale that it is a must-see for everyone at some point in their life. 3.5 action rating
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300: Rise of an Empire
5 out of 5 action rating
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3:10 to Yuma (1957)
See it – Let’s get one thing straight, this is not the recent movie starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. This is the classic 50’s western on which it was based. “Based” might even be too loose of a word. The recent version is the spitting image of this version, even down to several identical quotes. In fact, the best quotes of the newer version are stolen directly from this one. The only major plot difference is the ending, which I like better in the old version. Starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, this fantastic film is nearly flawless, and didn’t need to be remade. I like to think of the newer version as paying homage to this one. The atmosphere is tense, and once you start watching it, it is impossible not to get into it. In this one, Ford plays the likable villain and Heflin plays the ordinary guy with the chance to do something extraordinary. The one thing missing is the action. Most will prefer the newer version because of its far superior action scenes. But let’s remember where it all started. 2.5 action rating
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47 Ronin
2.5 out of 5 action rating
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55 Days at Peking
See it- Outnumbered, surrounded, insurmountable odds. These are all ingredients in the recipe of a good action movie. But these aren’t Indians the good guys are fighting. They’re Boxers. This is undeniably the best movie ever made about the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900. And when you’ve got a rebellion on your hands, who you gonna call? Charlton Heston of course. David Niven teams up with Heston in the defense of Peking with an allied force made up of soldiers from the 10 different nations that had foreign embassies in China. I thought it was pretty cool to watch the various soldiers from the different armies marching around in their respective uniforms. Kind of like the opening ceremony in the Olympics. My only complaint is that this movie is a bit too long. I swear every Charlton Heston movie has an intermission. But you will be surprised by how much action this movie actually has. For some reason this film is largely unknown. But it is very exciting, and has plenty of “storming-the-castle”type siege scenes. Everyone likes an underdog, and this is a very underrated film. 3.5 action rating
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100 Rifles
This is Burt Reynolds’ best western, but is that really saying much? This movie is mainly a star vehicle for Jim Brown using Raquel Welch as eye candy. Brown plays an officer of the law in pursuit of half-breed bank robber Burt Reynolds. After Brown finds out that Reynolds used the stolen money to buy 100 rifles to help the Yaqui Indian rebellion, he decides to lend a hand. With all the action this western has, it is surprisingly hard to get into. Plus, quantity of action doesn’t necessarily mean it is quality action. With mediocre acting, an unoriginal plot, and no trace of any wit at all, this really just isn’t a good movie. 3 action rating.
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