Action

  • John Ford – Men Without Women (1930)

    1921-1930ActionDramaJohn FordUSA

    Synopsis:
    Aboard the U.S. submarine S13 in the China seas, Chief Torpedoman Burke goes about his duties. In actuality, he is Quartermaine, the infamous former commander of the British ship Royal Scot, which was sunk by Germans with a Field Marshal aboard. Quartermaine had told his sweetheart that the Field Marshal would be aboard, not knowing that she was an informant for the enemy. When the S13 sinks, Burke takes charge when the commander, Ensign Price, is unable to command. Burke must keep his mates alive long enough on the bottom of the sea for rescuers to arrive.Read More »

  • Kazuo Kuroki – Ryoma ansatsu aka The Assassination of Ryoma (1974)

    1971-1980ActionAsianJapanKazuo Kuroki

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    This was also voted No.55 on 1999’s Kinema Jumpo Poll of Top 100 Japanese Films of All Time.
    It’s a samurai film but its style is rather different from those Toei & Daiei jidaigeki in 50s & 60s (probably not surprising as an ATG production), It has a non-heroic (or at least, unorthodoxy) portrait of the protagonist: Ryoma, at times even a parody, with the wry humor everywhere in the film. But it also looks a bit like a documentary, as the film is very grainy and the cinematographer is Masaki Tamura, who’s responsible for the look of many Shinsuke Ogawa & later, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s films. Read More »

  • Takashi Miike – Jûsan-nin no shikaku aka 13 Assassins [International Version] (2010)

    2001-2010ActionAdventureJapanTakashi Miike

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    Plot / Synopsis
    Based on actual events that served as the inspiration for the 1963 film of the same name, Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins follows a group of noble samurai as they seek to slay a tyrannical, politically connected lord before he seizes control of the entire country. Japan, 1844: as the era of the samurai winds to a close, a sadistic young lord uses his powerful political ties to commit heinous atrocities against the common people. Recognizing the dangers to both his country and its citizens should the lord manage to gain any more power, a concerned government official secretly recruits 13 of the most skilled swordsmen he can find to defeat the evil lord once and for all. But reaching their target won’t be easy, because the elusive lord is constantly flanked by legions of fearless bodyguards. Realizing that the bodyguards would decimate his modest task force in a traditional battle, the assassins’ leader (Koji Yakusho) lays an ingenious trap that will give his men the upper hand, and waits patiently for their prey to take the bait. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviRead More »

  • Masud Kimiai – Reza Motori AKA Reza the Motorcyclist (1970)

    1961-1970ActionDramaIranMasud Kimiai

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    Reza Motori, who has feigned madness, escapes from an asylum and robs a factory, with the aid of a friend. Afterwards, a young writer, who looks exactly like Reza, visits the asylum in order to write about inmates. There he is mistaken for Reza and detained. Meanwhile, Reza assumes the identity of the writer. Reza falls in love with the writer’s fiancée and decides to give up the money he has stolen from the factory, but his friends prevent him from doing so. Received the best actor and best music prizes at the Third Iranian National Film Festival “Sepas” in 1971. Read More »

  • Tay Garnett – The Fireball (1950)

    1941-1950ActionDramaTay GarnettUSA

    Plot: Johnny runs away from Father O’Hara’s orphanage and becomes a roller skating star with the help of Mary Reeves. He becomes involved with women, including Polly, who only love him because he is a champion, not, as with Mary, out of love for him. Then he gets polio. Written by Ed StephanRead More »

  • Basil Dearden – The Assassination Bureau Limited (1969)

    1961-1970ActionAdventureBasil DeardenUnited Kingdom

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    Based on an unfinished novel, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd by Jack London.

    Before the start of World War I, would-be journalist Sonya Winter (Diana Rigg) begins to investigate the Assassination Bureau, a mysterious organization that chooses its targets based on moral issues. In recent years, however, the group has become corrupt and unscrupulous, prompting Sonya to request that the organization assassinate its own leader, Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed). Amused, Ivan accepts Sonia’s request. But is he really the villain Sonya thinks he is?Read More »

  • Koreyoshi Kurahara – Nikui an-chikushô aka I Hate But Love (1962)

    1961-1970ActionComedyJapanKoreyoshi Kurahara

    In the high-octane, unorthodox romance I Hate But Love (Nikui anchikusho), a celebrity (played by megastar Yujiro Ishihara), dissatisfied with his personal and professional lives, impulsively leaves fast-paced Tokyo to deliver a much-needed jeep to a remote village. When his controlling manager, the woman he loves (Ruriko Asaoka), follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters.Read More »

  • Yasuo Furuhata – Gokuchu no kaoyaku AKA Prison Boss (1968)

    Drama1961-1970ActionJapanYasuo Furuhata

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    Synopsis:
    Ken Takakura stars in yet another bad-ass Prison film, in “Prison Boss”. Here, rival gangs battle it out over ownership of a bicycle race track. The outside life for the yakuza mimics prison life in two respects,…. First, there are rules that must never be crossed and second, when opportunity arises, the rules will always be broken.Read More »

  • Carlo Lizzani – Banditi a Milano AKA The Violent Four (1968)

    1961-1970ActionCarlo LizzaniCrimeItaly

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    Description: As public outrage mounts against organized crime in modern-day Milan, four robbers meticulously plan a timed assault on several major banks within a period of 40 minutes. Led by the mastermind Cavallero, the men have pulled off other robberies in the past, keeping their identities secret by leading seemingly law-abiding lives. While making their getaway after one robbery, however, there is a slip-up, and the men must blast their way through the streets with submachine guns, killing several innocent bystanders in an effort to escape from the police. Three of the robbers escape, but a fourth, Rovoletto, is wounded and captured. The city is blockaded with the latest electronic devices, and police inspector Basevi questions Rovoletto, who finally breaks down. Lopez, the youngest gang member, is easily captured in his home, but Cavallero and Notarnicola evade the police dragnet. Before long, however, they are tracked down and cornered in an abandoned farmhouse. While being brought back to headquarters by Basevi, Cavallero boasts that his crimes have made him as famous as the Sicilian bandits of old, but he is shocked when a mob of irate citizens surround the police car, cursing and spitting at him.
    Read More »

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