In
times like these, we could use some heroes. It makes us nostalgic for the 1980s,
the golden age of action heroes. That was the decade action really came into
its own as a distinct genre. Back then, even our president, Ronald Reagan, was
an action hero. At a time when we’re self-quarantining and social-distancing, we
will try catch up on some DVD/VOD releases we missed when they released earlier
in the year. Oliver Harper’s In Search of Last Action Heroes,
(co-produced by David A. Weiner, director of In Search of Darkness) is a
particularly good viewing choice, because as an entertaining documentary survey
of 80’s action, it also gives viewers plenty of good ideas for subsequent films
to watch—and it is indeed available on DVD and VOD.
Of
course, it is hard to chronicle 80s films without referencing some films of the
70s that they built on. This is particularly true of Death Wish and Alien,
whose sequel Aliens is considered an action film rather than horror
movie (that is a debatable but defensible position). Two stars come to define
the era for Harper and co-writer Timon Singh: Sylvester Stallone and Arnold
Schwarzenegger, which makes sense.
As
was the case for In Search of Darkness, Harper follows the development
of 80s action in roughly chronological order. Along the way, he and his many talking
heads cover the rise of Cannon Films and the influence of Hong Kong action auteurs.
Fans will be thrilled to hear director Sam Firstenberg look back on the American
Ninja franchise, but they will be disappointed the late great Steve James
is overlooked during the discussion. (Honestly, I would argue James is
sufficiently significance to warrant his own documentary. Email me if you
agree.)
None
of the really big stars like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme,
Dolph Lundgren, or even Michael Dudikoff (the American Ninja) appear in Last
Action as interview subjects, but Harper talks to some really cool
character actors and bad guy specialists, like Al Leong (Lethal Weapon),
Bill Duke (Predator), Ronny Cox (Robocop), Vernon Wells (Commando),
and Jenette Goldstein (Aliens), as well as Eric Roberts, who is in a class
of his own. However, he gets a good deal of commentary from two contemporary
action stars: Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White.
Still,
the real strength of the film is the behind-the-camera expertise provided by
the likes of Peter MacDonald (Rambo III director), Mario Kassar (T2 &
Rambo I-III producer), Sheldon Lettich (Bloodsport screenwriter),
Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard & 48 Hours screenwriter), James
Bruner (Missing in Action screenwriter), Boaz Davidson (Expendables
1-3 executive producer), and Shane Black (Lethal Weapon screenwriter).
Harper and company really show their understanding of the 80s action aesthetic
with the inclusion on Stan Bush, the rock anthem recording artist best known
for “The Touch” from The Transformers Movie original soundtrack
(famously covered by Dirk Diggler), whose songs were also heard in Bloodsport
and Kickboxer.
Since
it runs a mere one-hundred-and-forty minutes, versus the ambitious two-hundred-and-forty
minutes of In Search of Darkness, Last Action is nowhere near as
exhaustive. Still, the absence of 80s-vintage James Bond movies (including the
entire Timothy Dalton era) is a glaring oversight (perhaps due to permissions
issues). Regardless, Harper and company prompt many fond movie memories. You
just can’t beat Eighties nostalgia, especially when it comes to action movies.
Highly recommended for 80s pop culture fans (as are just about all the films it
covers), In Search of Last Action Heroes is now available on DVD and VOD
platforms.
