Why Every Action Movie Looks Like This Now

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"An action scene is the high point of a story, therefore it must be a part of it and you need to build towards it" is such a basic lesson, many directors had mastered it decades ago. The fact that modern day Hollywood has collectively decided to just ignore it is insane.

the fight scene in David Finchers 'The Killer' really caught me off guard. it isn't trying to be anything new or different but it's so well crafted and orchestrated that it felt fresh.

A favorite of mine is Emily blunt and Jon Berenthal in Sicario. Realistic in the sense that Blunt is at a size and strength disadvantage, but is trained. So it's interesting to see how she fights back. She's ultimately saved by a partner, but it doesn't feel unearned.

The example you used from Taken truly crystalized the point of action serving a purpose to the story.

Captain American 2--Elevator Fight. Great build up. Great character moments. And the fight is important to the story, as it signifies Cap's break from authority, and his transition from the establishment to the hunted.

I used to love action scenes, but I definitely tune out more often than not during action scenes nowadays. I couldn't put my finger on why they bored me so much, but you've revealed it so perfectly.

That edit from 0:45 to 0:51 was absolutely incredible. It was so subtle that if you weren’t paying attention you might miss it, but it perfectly highlighted the exact point you were making at that precise moment. Bravo!

The fight between Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in Fury Road is one of my favorites of the last decade and the one I always remember as it nails "viscerality". Great video.

Should’ve talk about Upgrade. It does everything he mentions, but plays with linear angles, and visually tells a story when the camera moves with the protagonist

One of the best action sequences that comes to mind for me is from Eastern Promises, where Viggo Mortensen's character ends up in a naked fight at a public bath/sauna. The nudity isn't sexual at all, and just emphasizes the vulnerability and ouch-factor of everything that's taking place. When you mentioned 'viscerality' is was the first fight sequence that came to mind, nails it in spades.

A better example from last year is the bus fight scene in "Nobody". That was one of the most visceral experiences in cinema. Odenkirk is just so unassuming, snarky, calm, & then BANG! He also takes a serious beating and I could feel every hit he takes & dishes out.

18:56 Another great example of action scenes that are earned is Michael Mann's Heat, which you've done a video on. IMO Heat isn't an "action movie", yet it has one of the greatest and most influential action scenes ever put to film. It hits so hard because the ENTIRE MOVIE up until that point (2 hours out of 3, if I'm remembering correctly) was building up to that shootout, and good lord did it deliver.

I was the VFX technical director on Wu Assassins. Also was a previs TD on some shows in the past, designing my own stunts even. The scouts give you the location, and you go to examine it, in order to figure out all of the possible things that can be done within the environment, as well as how to shoot it. Then you present the options to the director and stunt coordinator, and they figure out what works best for them. Been part of 2nd unit on some shows. That is where you get to be the interim director, often working on the same set, doing angles that allow for stand-ins to record action without involving main actors. I never really thought about any of it philosophically. You do what's being asked and that's pretty much it. With old heavy film cameras, the kind of things that could be filmed were limited by the mobility of the equipment, especially in tight places. And now, you can litter the scene with GoPro's, Blackmagic and portable Red's and move as fast as the stunt men. More dynamic action is possible for the camera itself, so it becomes an active performer. And once someone in film does something that makes the audience go "wow", everyone will start copying it. In the old days, we used to have clients come in with a stack of movies, and a list of reference marks regarding shots they wanted replicated. That is if they didn't have previs in the budget. Previs saves time on the back end, but on the front end, it's sometimes very hard to even convince the production that previs is needed. Some like winging it. Depends on the directior and the amount of money he gets to play with... Anyways, nice video. It is highly informative and is entirely correct with its observations and conclusions.

I think the bathroom fight scene in 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' deserves a shout out. While the choreography in it was indeed cool, the emphasis lie on the directing and editing. It wasn't a merely display of choreography, it really was about Ethan Hunt and August Walker trying to stop John Lark. It's a shame it didn't become a trend. It'd be a great counterbalance when everyone's trying to be John Wick.

I can't remember where I heard it first, but in my own writing I always go by the words "an action sequence should always be a part of the story, not a break from it". Which I feel at times is the issue with a lot of new movies. Yeah sure it looks great, and yeah sure it gets them to the next scene. But just because story happens during a fight doesn't mean the fight was part of the story. Which I think is where the whole deal with second unit direction comes into play. A director who works with the second unit and actually directs them can certainly make it work wonderfully, but if they don't work together, but simply work on the same project, then it can easily feel disconnected.

duuuuude the editing holy shit really well done

Not enough people talk about how much a difference good sound can make in an action scene. Skywalker Sound did such a great job with the Indiana Jones fights; I felt EVERY punch, EVERY gunshot.

Great video! I love the emphasis on meaning and the fact that you did not point fingers at the specific individuals who do much of the second unit directing. It seems to me that film studios think you can just stick together different things and they will make a movie. You need a vision of the whole picture.

tbh, "the raid" really started these kind of action movie genre.