Conventions of the Action Genre

Brad Pitt in June release World War Z

Ever since the dawn of the 'modern action movie', there have been many conventions and cliches that you find in almost every mainstream action film. Gunfights and chase sequences are an extremely common staple, with both on foot and vehicular types, as well as fistfights and close quarters combat. Explosions are especially important. These set-pieces are often fast-paced edited.

The protagonist is often a very masculine character, appealing to both men and women, suave and intelligent, yet tough and brutal (James Bond). He is often seen shirtless, showing off his muscular physique, and can perform some kind of self-surgery in a matter of moments. He often has a romantic/sexual interest, who either he has to protect and rescue, or meet his match in her skills.

The villain tends to be rather effeminate in contrast to the hero, usually foreign, who hires henchmen much tougher than him. An exception is Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, who can match or even beat the hero. A common theme is betrayal and deception, as well as quest for vengeance (Taken). The hero can take an inordinate amount of bullets, and enemies can never fire guns particularly well. Action films can feature globe-trotting across exotic locations, or feature confined or restricted environments such as Die Hard or The Raid.