by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: August 26, 2008   Last Updated: September 23, 2008

Action films are not usually known for their complex, intricate plots, but rather for their fast-paced action and quick-witted dialogue, with a little bit of violence thrown in as well! Often the set up is good versus evil, although the representative of good' generally has flaws of his own.

So, where to start? Terminator 2: Judgment Day seems like a reasonable place to begin. Good old Arnie reprises his role as the Terminator' in the follow-up to the first film, but this time he is on the side of good rather than evil. Robert Patrick is perfectly cast as T-1000 a cybernetic organism' who can basically morph into whoever and whatever he touches (his hands become knives, for instance). The action is non-stop, the characters are likeable (mostly), and you find yourself rooting for the good guys to win. The plot is also pretty clever, as long as you don't analyse it too closely!

The Bourne films are also great action movies, but I'd have to pick the Bourne Identity as the best of the three films because it is here where we are first introduced to Jason Bourne who doesn't know anything about himself, and we are able to discover more about him just as he does. He demonstrates his ability to kill, and so there is supposed to be some ambivalence over whether he is really a good guy or a bad guy, but we all guessed the answer to that question. It's all down to governmental organisations: they sure know how to exploit and manipulate their operatives! The first film is also the best because it has Clive Owen who is on Bourne's trail. He's cool, calm and collected and he is a man of few words. The plot continues over the three films and it is all neatly resolved by the end, although the way is left open for another film.

Batman Begins is a great action film because it, for one, reinvented the Batman franchise, and two, it's got Christian Bale as Batman! Bruce Wayne / Batman is a tormented soul, and like in good most action films, as the main protagonist he is fundamentally a good person, but flawed. This film charts the creation of Batman; from witnessing his parents' murder to his self-discovery travelling around the globe, his return to Gotham, and his adoption of Batman as his alter-ego. The acting, the sets and the Batmobile make up for the only lousy part of the film: the love interest (Katie Holmes).

A classic action film has to be the Great Escape. A group of captured allied officers during World War Two decide to escape from the prison camp they are being held in. A stellar cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson and Donald Pleasance, amongst others, all play their parts very convincingly (just ignore Bronson's slightly iffy Polish accent!) There is a real sense of solidarity and purpose, and the fact that it is based on a true story only adds to the atmosphere. You really want these guys to escape, but nothing goes smoothly. The action really gets going once they escape. Surely everybody recognises the iconic bike chase with Steve McQueen riding his Triumph (a British bike in Germany; I don't think so!) away from his pursuers. If not, it's on every Christmas (at least in the U.K.), so you should watch it some time!

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