It’s almost inevitable that Michael Mann’s “Heat 2” will be starting production next year. There’s a major studio battle already brewing over the rights to the sequel.
While speaking with Total Film (via Games Radar) about “Heat 2,” Mann gave his thoughts on modern action films, which he admits totally bore him:
“I’m just bored by it. It’s not very interesting. I mean, sometimes the choreography is so outrageous that it’s fascinating, and it is quite good. But generally, no. It’s just stale.”
I’ve already mentioned the staleness of the comedy genre since 2010, but not many mention just how terrible the action genre has become. Mann is right, realism has been totally thrown out of the window for outrageously conceived choreography.
This is why there was such acclaim for “Mad Max: Fury Road” in 2015. Its back-to-the-basics approach, by utilizing practical effects, felt like a breath of fresh air. If anything, this past decade in action reminded us just how important practical effects were for the genre — the more realism there was, with limited CGI, the more intensely visceral an action experience could be.
What are some other examples of great action movies since 2010? I found ten.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Skyfall, The Raid, Edge of Tomorrow, Baby Driver, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Snowpiercer, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Drive, John Wick 2
It gives me no pleasure to report that this is one of the worst films of Schrader’s career. Wooden acting, Jack Huston and Sofia Boutella are badly miscast, the script is dull, the photography is flat; nothing works.