For the last few decades, action movies have been a young man’s game. But recent times have seen a steady surge of mature movie heroes kickin’ butt and takin’ names…
It’s no secret that Hollywood is made up of archaic social attitudes towards women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBT community, but its conservatism about respecting its elders has been proving successful. Over the last decade there has been a string of action movies with mature heroes saying to the world, “I may be 70, but I can kick your arse!” Here are a few of our current favourites.
Image credit: Rolling Stone
Harrison Ford: It doesn’t matter if he’s toting the whip or doing the Kessell Run, when Harrison Ford’s on screen, we pay attention. Ford has been an iconic name in action since 1977 when he helped Luke Skywalker overthrow the Empire. He then made the step from supporting hero to lead in 1981 when he donned a Fedora and went hunting for the Ark of the Covenant. Now he’s 75 and still as hot as Hansel, revisiting all his classic roles. In 2008 he brought out the whip and searched for El Dorado in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, two years ago he was back piloting the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens, and now he’s hunting down replicants in Blade Runner 2049. His grumpy attitude, ability to silence with a stare, and perfectly timed one-liners keeps him snugly in a job, not to mention his own run-ins with death. In 2015 the engine of a plane he was flying failed and forced a crash-landing, he broke a leg on Force Awakens when the Falcon’s doors went berserk, and this year he narrowly avoided a collision while flying a light aircraft. It’s no wonder he’s everywhere right now, who doesn’t want a terminator in their movie?
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Speaking of terminators, it doesn’t look like Arnie will be saying “hasta la vista” to action any time soon. One of the most recognisable faces and physiques of the ‘80s, the bodybuilder turned actor briefly went MIA as Governor of California, but in the last few years he’s been back with a vengeance! Since teaming up with iconic action names such as Stallone, Statham, Li, Willis, Van Damme, Gibson, Norris, and Snipes for three Expendables movies he’s been unstoppable: bringing us a fifth Terminator movie as well as a new hitman-comedy, Killing Gunther. Thanks to his efforts in the ‘80s and impressive voice, Schwarzenegger (age 70) will forever be an iconic action hero, but just because his reputation is cemented in history doesn’t mean he can’t teach new dogs some old tricks!
Sylvester Stallone: Cue the Rocky theme because here comes the man himself. Although it seems like we haven’t seen him in a while, Stallone (age 71) has never left the action scene. Since writing, directing, and starring in The Expendables, the last seven years have seen him hovering on the fringes of action-dramas including Grudge Match alongside Robert De Niro and Creed where he reprised his iconic role of boxer, Rocky Balboa. More recently he put the scare on Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, finished filming Escape Plan 2: Hades, started Escape Plane 3: Devil’s Station, and has announced that he’ll be directing Creed II (due 2018). The gloves are off and Stallone is pulling punches left, right, and centre with his cinematic knowhow and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Michael Keaton: Let’s not forget that Michael Keaton (age 66) was saying “I’m Batman” a decade before Christian Bale, and it was just as rad then. He may not be an obvious action hero, but he’s no stranger to the genre. His action career has been flakey but flavoursome in a funny, life-imitates-art kind of way, beginning in 1989 with Tim Burton’s Batman and then Batman Returns. This brought irony to his character in Birdman, which then pitched him as the perfect villain for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Amongst all this he popped up in the remake of Robocop and has recently played a former navy SEAL training hitmen in American Assassin. Keaton’s a true action-underdog filled with surprises, and that’s why we love him!
Bruce Willis: “Yippee ki yay motherfucker!” Rumour has it that Bruce Willis will return as wisecracking, ass-kicking John McClane for the sixth and possibly last Die Hard movie, Die Hard: Year One. Seeing as role reprisals are so hot right now, why not revisit the guy who made the one-man war famous? With his pointed features, shaved head, and ability to kill with one-liners, Willis (age 62) is one of the most celebrated action-men in cinema. Establishing himself as hot blockbuster material with Die Hard in 1988, he’s had a consistent string of action classics including four installments of Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, Sin City, The Expendables, RED and RED 2, and in the last few years Once Upon a Time in Venice, Precious Cargo, and a remake of Death Wish. Take into account his successful roles in dramas and comedies and he stands as a force to be reckoned with. Young guns better beware!
Image credit: Pinterest
Samuel L. Jackson: Whether he’s having coffee with Quentin Tarantino or staring down Iron Man, no one is more badass than Samuel L. Jackson. Boasting a long-running career of minor roles, leads, and cameos since the ‘70s, Jackson (age 69) is one of those guys who seem to pop up in everything and absolutely kills. Proving to be a ‘bad motherfucker’ in 1991 with Pulp Fiction he’s gone from strength to strength, never leaving where the action is. He made the Star Wars prequels almost bearable to watch as Jedi Master Mace Windu, he was telling off John McClane in Die Hard With a Vengeance, he teamed up with Tarantino twice more with Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, he was blowing people’s heads off in The Kingsman, and he’s the one who started the Avengers! With his piercing stare and ability to kill with the sass in his voice, it’s no wonder he’s still kicking butt and taking names!
Liam Neeson: If Bruce Willis made the one-man war, then Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills took it global! The success of Taken brought with it a new revenue stream for Neeson (age 65) who was formerly known for dramatic films such as Schindler’s List and comedies like Love Actually. But we often forget that he’s is no stranger to action. Before he was kicking arse all over the world, he was fighting a Sith apprentice in The Phantom Menace and training Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. But it was Taken in 2008 that took his Irish brogue and fatherly face and turned them into hero material. Since then he’s had a number of successes under his belt including The A-Team, two more Taken installments, Battleship, The Next Three Days, Clash of the Titans, Non-Stop, and Run All Night with many of his roles being either leader or mentor. If there’s a more fatherly figure in action, we haven’t met him!
Do you have a favourite badass granddad? Leave us a comment below!