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Tall in the Saddle![]() One of John Wayne’s earlier westerns. More of a romance than a shoot ‘em up western. Compare it to “Along Came Jones” because it’s an old school western with more comedy than gunfights. 1.5 action rating
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Taras Bulba![]() See it – The ending ruined this one for me, which is a shame because it is a unique film. It’s a sword and sandals movie about the Cossacks in the Baltic War, and stars Yul Brynner in the role that he was quite literally “born to play” (being Russian-born). There are sweeping battle scenes with hundreds of extras, and even a few swashbuckling sword fights. Unfortunately, Tony Curtis (as Brynner’s son) hogs most of the scenes, and the battles are too brief. Every time a battle looks like it’s about to get good, it will abruptly end. Honestly, the main reason I’d see this movie is to watch the scene that undoubtedly was stolen by Monty Python’s Holy Grail when the guy’s pushing a cart yelling “Bring out your dead!” 3 action rating.
Terminator Genisys![]() 3.5 out of 5 action rating
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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo![]() This is a heart-warming drama about love and war. Unfortunately, as the title implies, there’s only about 30 seconds of action. The story of American bomber pilots who trained to fly on aircraft carriers in order to go on a secret mission to bomb Japan. After accomplishing their mission, one plane crash lands in China. Starring Van Johnson, Robert Mitchum, and Spencer Tracy, this could have been a much more exciting movie. Not to be confused with the atom bomb over Hiroshima, if you want to watch a more recent version of this lesser-known historic event, just watch the last half hour of 2001’s Pearl Harbor. 1 action rating
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The Tin Star![]() See it – This feel-good western is not as action packed as we would like it to be. Plus, it is a bit cliché. But this is one of Henry Fonda’s best westerns. Maybe his best. It is truly a well-made film, and does a great job building the characters and their relationships. But don’t worry, this isn’t a soap opera. It has three gunfights – one at the beginning, middle, and end. A fairly standard western. 2.5 action rating.
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To Hell and Back![]() See it – Without a doubt one of the most action-packed war movies of all time. The most decorated soldier in U.S. military history, Audie Murphy, plays himself in this remarkable true story. Who cares if you or anyone else doesn’t think he’s a good actor. The guy won the medal of honor. And this movie has several of the best WWII combat scenes ever filmed. Truly an action classic. 5 action rating
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Too Late the Hero![]() See it – This is one of the better unknown world war 2 movies. Perhaps one of the reasons it is underrated is that it is a British anti-war flick with a lesser-known cast headlined by Michael Caine. Dare I compare it to the 2nd half of “Bridge over the River Kwai?” Fine, I will. “Too Late the Hero” is the story of a suicide mission on a Pacific island. That’s pretty much all you need to know. 3.5 action rating
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The Train (1964)![]() See it – “You could get killed for stopping a train. Especially if you are French, and the train is German.” In the final weeks of the occupation of France, the Germans load up a train full of France’s artistic and cultural treasures. The train is supposed to go to Germany, but Burt Lancaster plays a French railroad man who reluctantly agrees to try and stop it. Though the first half of the movie is slow, this WWII epic would rank high on a short list of war classics. The pace of the movie picks up near the midway point, and the ending is heroic and profound. 3.5 action rating
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Triple Cross![]() This WWII espionage movie could have been much better. The plot, which is based on a true story, has so much potential, but it never delivers. Christopher Plummer plays a former bank robber and “safe-cracker” who, after being imprisoned, volunteers his skills to the Germans so that he can be released. But who is he really working for? Is he a double-agent, or possibly a triple-agent? After watching the movie, I still don’t know the answer to that question. This movie doesn’t flow well, and there seems to be holes in the plot. Yul Brynner plays a mysterious German officer who happens to be an anti-Nazi. While Brynner is great as usual, Plummer doesn’t bring much on-screen chemistry. And the director, who also directed a few James Bond movies, tries too hard to make Plummer a “007” kind of character. The main problem is that this movie is just boring. Not enough action to make it worth the watch. 1.5 action rating
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Two Rode Together![]() After watching this, I was literally embarrassed for Jimmy Stewart. He probably accepted the role because this movie was directed by John Ford, but this is easily Ford’s worst movie. It has absolutely no action. It attempts to be humorous but fails at that as well. Perhaps this film about white children kidnapped by Comanches was considered profound back when it was originally made. But if that was the case, it has aged horribly. Ford is not known for having heavy action scenes, but usually he can at least weave a great tale. This one has neither. The only reason I have this movie on here is to keep you from wasting your precious time with this one. 0.5 action rating.
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