10 Movies That Tried Way Too Hard To Be Cool
5. Equilibrium
Of the many, many post-Matrix knock-offs released in the 2000s, there is none more memorable in its try-hardiness than Equilibrium, an attempt to take George Orwell's 1984 and cross-breed it with the Wachowskis' action aesthetic.
Though it's a relatively well-made film led by an entertainingly stoic Christian Bale, the film was marketed largely on the basis of its "gun kata" gimmick, a gun-centric martial arts style invented for the film...which ultimately turned out more silly than neat.
Seeing Bale effectively dance his way through gunfights with risibly over-the-top flips is practically the definition of an action movie trying too hard.
Given that successful action films tended to favour more gritty, "realistic" action in the years that followed - as in the Bourne franchise - Equilibrium was quickly forgotten about.