I lament the fall of our Big Damn Heroes. Van Damme fell into drugs and
only wants to do "serious films" (like Universal Soldier 5), Steven Segal is a lawman, Wesely
Snipes decided he was too good to pay his taxes, and Arnold is Governing. What is going on? Obviously, I knew the times would change, but
how long before we return to the "kick ass, take names" action flick?
Of
the original action stars, Sly Stallone is the only one still kicking
(barely). Lucky for us, it seems he's trying to pass the torch, but who
will take it? If you've seen Black Dynamite and Blood and Bone, you'd
know that Michael Jai
White is certainly a capable candidate. Terry Crews has the
build, but he can't carry a movie solo. Dwayne "Don't Call Me The Rock"
Johnson was too busy carving his name in the "family friendly" market, but he's finally stepping his game up (Faster/Fast 5). Jet Li is both too short
& too Asian, & Jason Statham
is too likely to remove his shirt and the world just can't handle Danny Trejo (Machete). The current solution is to just pair
them up in an ensemble movie. The Expendables Series = Equal screentime, equal badassness. (Even Chuck Norris is signed onto that)
So
my question is who will step up and be the next "Big Damn Hero(es)?" Do we
need one? Are ensemble action movies our only choice now? Hopefully those answers will come soon. There's nothing left to do in the meanwhile but
wait. Somedays, however, I'll catch Commando, or Kick-Boxer, or even Passenger 57 and wonder
aloud, "What happened?"
The Expendables (2010):
The Expendables 2 (2012):
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