Just before January comes to a close, it seems a good time to look ahead at what 2017 has to offer in the way of sweet-as action movies.
What qualifies as “action” on this blog isn’t the same as it is in other places and I purposefully leave out comic book adaptations and Star Wars etc. As cool as those movies are, I’m going more for real-world based stuff with no superpowers and, generally, harder-edged violence.
Last year I assembled a dirty dozen of films that looked like the year’s best in action – with mixed results, to put it charitably (more on that later).
Enough preamble already – here, for a start, check out this terrific looking trailer from Indonesia:
Headshot
There’s no modern action movies I love more than The Raid and its sequel. They mostly ruled thanks to writer/director Gareth Evans, but also thanks to lead star and co-choreographer Iko Uwais. He’s back in this bad boy, from the Mo Brothers, who do generally more mean-spirited, sinister stuff than Evans. It went off at Toronto, with the Screen Anarchy review saying: “The action in Headshot showcases Iko Uwais’ growth as an action choreographer. There is no room for grace and grand gestures because what the Brothers have planned for us is gruesome and horrific violence.”
The Siege
Aussie filmmaker Justin Kurzel really impressed me with Snowtown, but has been sadly underwhelming with his following works. His next is based on the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel by Pakistani militants, who killed 31 people. Adapted from the novel by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, it’s said to focus on the brave actions of a few staff and guests who prevented a much higher death toll. Having proven Shakespeare and videogame adaptations aren’t his strong suit, Kurzel will hopefully redeem himself with this return to nonfictional material – ideally with some mint action as well.
Bushwick
This is the second film from the guys who made Cooties and is perhaps a very timely reaction to real fears of a new civil war in the US. Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow star as a pair trapped in the conflict who have to cross five treacherous blocks of Bushwick, NYC, which is beset by looters, local militias and an invading force as Texas attempts to secede. The above clip for this Sundance feature shows off gritty, faux-doco, faux-one take business that looks pretty sweet, albeit with some imperfect VFX. But man, a left-leaning Red Dawn? Hell yes, but you had me at Bautista, anyway.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Who would’ve thought that a plucky 2014 newcomer would be a more satisfying spy action film than both the latest Bourne and Bond? Not me, but it bloody was, with some very nice R-rated violence to boot. Matthew Vaughan is back, directing and co-writing the sequel, which sees the Kingsmen join their US counterparts the Statesmen, in order to overcome some grave new threat led by Julianne Moore. Vaughn reckons he only agreed to do the sequel when he thought of her role, saying “spy films are only as good as their villains” – so she must be playing someone truly wicked.
More info on ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ | Rent/Buy options for ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’
Bad Day for the Cut
Debuting in the Midnight Madness section of Sundance, this looks like a lovely revenge action thriller from Northern Ireland. It follows a farmer who isn’t keen on relying on the cops to find the killers of his mother, but would rather use a sledgehammer and his trusty double-barrelled shotty to wreak justice. The trailer teases some pretty brutal come-uppance indeed, and along with the synopsis, hints that said farmer is caught up in something much deeper than just a simple home invasion that turned fatal.
Death Wish
Eli Roth is tackling remake duties on a cult classic that I actually think is worth remaking, unlike most. The only problem is that it was already kinda remade in 2007, with the solid James Wan film Death Sentence. I can’t imagine lead star Bruce Willis starring in something as morally atrocious as Michael Winner’s original Death Wish, nor the studio allowing Roth to make the sort of uber-violent vigilante film I’d love to see him make. But this is nonetheless very interesting and I’m hopeful it delivers the goods.
Rent/Buy options for 1974’s ‘Death Wish’
Dunkirk
Now THAT is how you do a teaser. Christopher Nolan tackling World War II is set to be one of the cinematic high points of 2017, I reckon. His favouring of practical effects and shooting on film – often in IMAX format – make this particularly exciting, even if it does sound a bit excessive to spend US$5 million on a genuine WWII plane only to blow it up on purpose for your movie. The chaotic evacuation of allied forces from a horrifically strong Nazi force in 1940 is fascinating subject matter, and Nolan is just the man to capture it.
Braven
Jason Momoa was one of my favourite things about the first season of Game of Thrones. Nothing else he’s done is worth mentioning, however, but I know he still has greatness in him. Here he plays a logger who must defend his family from a group of dangerous drug runners. It’s directed by Lin Oeding, a chap with an extensive background in stunt work. The setting promises beautiful blood-on-snow shots and the simple premise has big potential, as many of the films with the same premise have shown us in the past.
Sleepless
Following his amazing turn as a badass killing machine in Django Unchained, this is one of two films on my list to feature Jamie Foxx. Here he’s trying to save his son from baddies, with his own innocence hard to gauge as he’s lost in a web of corruption and organised crime. The trailer is great. It features loads of firepower and a bit of car action with Las Vegas as the backdrop, but really delivers when it starts using punches and gunshots to form the hip-hop beat it chugs along to.
More info on ‘Sleepless’ | Rent/Buy options for the French original ‘Sleepless Night’
Baby Driver
Edgar Wright’s new film. That should be all I need to say, but it gets better. The titular getaway driver in this suffers from tinnitus and the film’s action is choreographed to the music he plays to drown out the ringing in his ears. “I always wanted to do an action movie that was powered by music,” Wright told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s something that’s very much a part of my previous films and I thought of this idea of how to take that a stage further by having a character who listens to music the entire time.”
The Fate of the Furious
This franchise, hoo boy. It keeps on relentlessly smashing the impossible ceiling it set with each preceding film, reaching ever more ridiculous and ridiculously fun excesses. I still like the fifth entry the best, as it had the greatest balance of the insane new-school Fast & Furious style with the more grounded origins of the series. But I love how stupendous it keeps going, flipping expectations and getting nearly as unnecessarily convoluted as the Saw franchise, plot-wise. The awesome three minute trailer for part 8 teases all you’d expect like startling character revelations, fish fights, gun fights, illegal street races with babes dancing by them and vehicular warfare that this time includes a submarine battling cars.
More info on ‘The Fate of the Furious’
Under the Silver Lake
David Robert Mitchell is following up his amazing 2014 horror It Follows with this modern noir crime thriller set in Los Angeles. It’s based around the kidnapping of a billionaire’s daughter and stars Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Jimmi Simpson, Topher Grace and Zosia Mamet. That’s a decidedly A-list cast compared to Mitchell’s previous work, which includes an indie teen romantic drama before It Follows. I’m very interested to see how he’ll work the bigger budget and new genre, hoping he still delivers the thrills and dread that made his last film so great.
Bonus: John Wick Chapter 2
Can’t resist chucking in this beautiful trailer, even though it’s sort of cheating as it was on last year’s list too. But come on, how fucking great does this look? Hurry up!
Speaking of that January 2016 dozen, they’re listed below, each with a one word review of what the film turned out like.
Still not out – John Wick: Chapter 2
Still not out – Boyka: Undisputed
Ruled – The Nice Guys
Ruled – Green Room
Sucked – Jason Bourne
Good – Close Range
OK – London Has Fallen
Good – The Purge: Election Year
Good – Mechanic: Resurrection
Sucked – Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Good – Deadpool
OK – 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Here’s hoping the 2017 crop turns out a larger number of “ruleds”.
