40 - True Lies
James Cameron is certainly one of the greatest action directors. Generally his films are quite serious, even when they verge on the silly. True Lies is not. True Lies takes the silly conventions of the action genre and exaggerates them. For example, have you ever noticed that vehicles tend to blow up a lot in movies? Well in true lies, they blow up if you sneeze. The film is as close to a spoof as you can get without actually spoofing a genre. It is ridiculous in places but it is unquestionably entertaining and always very funny. Arnie is on fine form as the secret agent who leads a double life, which is the biggest joke of all as he is clearly not an office worker.
Best bit: Arnie using a police horse to chase down a motor bike, through a skyscraper.
39 - The Crow
Bruce Lee's death was sudden and too soon, but he had already achieved more than most do in a hundred years. What is so sad about Brandon Lee's death is that he was only getting started, and The Crow would have propelled him so high. An infamous on set accident saw Brandon getting shot in the belly by a fellow actor. A genuine tragedy in Hollywood's long history. The only saving grace is that The Crow was an excellent film that proved that Brandon was an actor not just a clone of his father. This was the first role Brandon could get without having to do martial arts (which he saw as a hobby, not a career) was just perfect for him. Eric Draven and his fiancée are killed by a local gang in their own home. Eric literally climbs out of his own grave a year later with no memory of what had happened to him. On returning home he discovers he has psychic abilities, which flood him with memories of his loss. Torn apart by the pain he is remade as The Crow, an angel of the night. The Crow hunts down his killers one by one, taking their lives and their memories of the crime. His final act of vengeance is to use the pain and suffering as a weapon against the man behind his ordeal. For such a sad film, it has a surprisingly hopeful view of the afterlife as Eric is finally reunited with his lost love in the afterlife.
Best bit: Eric gate crashing a bad guy AGM, getting shot to ribbons only to get back up and kill them all.
38 Enemy of the State
Bruckheimer, as a producer, is not normally known for his gravitation toward substance; normally, hes a style guy, unfortunately sometimes, hes
exclusively a style guy. However with Enemy of the State, thanks in huge part to direction from the late, great Tony Scott, old Brucks manages this time to slap his name on a film that provides its audience with both style
and substance. The action is pacey, intense and unbelievably spirited and while Smith is totally believable, totally comfortable in this sort of role, its perhaps a testament to Scotts direction that would-be antagonist Gene Hackman doesnt totally steal the show when it comes time to actually
act. Smith and Hackman working well together in an actioner whodathunkit?! But the proof is in the pudding as they say. Enemy of the State is both an extremely accomplished action movie and a truly spirited, entertaining thriller; perfect for any discerning modern action fan.
Best bit: Smith turns the tables...