Action movies have advanced significantly over the past few decades. In my opinion, the entire cinematography revolution for action films began with The Matrix; the movie series completely redefined what could be made possible using CGI, and the production cast used what they had to the fullest extent.
When action movies were first introduced to the general audience, the basic gist that directors had for their vision would be to showcase the action. This task would ultimately come down to who had a greater creative mindset, and who would be able to successfully lay out the plot in a more entertaining manner.
To create a successful action movie, the film needs to have something special to it, whether it be a specific scene that reinvents what an action movie could contain. For example, the overall satisfaction of scenes was what contributed to Die Hard’s continued relevance, even more than thirty years later. No scene is wasted throughout the movie’s runtime, which keeps the viewers in constant suspense; the action that is consistently scattered throughout is shown in a creative fashion, which breathes life into scenes that serve as fillers.
The John Wick Saga
The recent John Wick saga has brought something distinctly different to the action movie table; a new type of cinematography. The stable capture of the brilliant fight choreography combined with a mixture of neon colors that perfectly represent the situation all contribute to a successful franchise that can only improve as it moves forward.
Many parts of an action movie can be acclaimed, but it is what makes the movie memorable that solidifies it as a classic. John Wick not only gives the audience a camera to see all the action without a filter, the cast and choreography also come up with incredibly creative ways to finish off characters. For example, this includes John Wick killing people with pencils and books. The way that the main character adapts to his surroundings makes for a very entertaining film.
The world building that John Wick has created also is very different than many of the other action movies out there. The Matrix certainly also has strong world building elements, but the John Wick saga is unmatched in creating a world for the audience to slip into. Every little detail is interesting enough for it to have its own spin-off movie; assassins, blood makers, mythology, and “The Continental” all make a film that is so easy to immerse yourself with.
Mix all of this strong production with an amazing director (who is also a stuntman) and a talented actor who is dedicated to perfecting his role, and the movie is undoubtedly going down in history.
Upgrade
Upgrade, a cyberpunk action film, entered theatres in 2018, and it has stayed fairly below the radar for most mainstream action movie watchers. I believe that this film contains some of the most underrated cinematography ever. It combines creative camera movements with noticeable character development. This creates an unmistakable experience that certainly rewards the viewer, showing the effort put in by the director of photography, the production cast, and the actors.
Here is one of my most favorite movie scenes ever:
Although the dialogue is not the most intimate and recognizable, the action and the cinematography, as well as the suspense that leads up to the fight scene, all share a similar mood. The colors before the group enters the bathroom, a warm yellow light, changes along with the tone and tension into a very dark blue and red. The way the camera moves along with the main character immerses us into the action, and it feels almost interactable somehow.
No-cut Scenes
After all this creative effort has been spent on making truly impressive action films, producers and actors needed to come up with an even more astonishing way to capture the action that they needed. The idea that they came up with is were no-cut scenes.
These scenes, by no means, are new to to the film industry; they’ve been in use for ages, ever since movies were first introduced to the public. This style of cinematography requires intensive thought beforehand, excellent choreography, and brilliant camera work.
By definition, no-cut scenes are specific scenes where there are no cuts throughout the allotted time, meaning that the entire scene had to be done in one take. If someone messes up, everything needs to restart.
For me, the perfect example would be Netflix’s recent action movie starring Chris Hemsworth, Extraction.
This scene contains three minutes of hyper-realistic fighting based in Dhaka Bangladesh, all filmed without a single cut. The cinematography required great preparation and steadiness beforehand. Here is the link for the video:
All-in-all, the evolution of action films include building on other director’s previously set creative blocks, and finding intuitive ways to represent the overall vision. In the future, we can expect to see more dazzling arrays of violence captured in more a unexpected and entertaining fashion.