We take a deep dive into the explosive brilliance of the one-man army action movie with ten essentials you have to see…
The 1980s were a glorious time for action cinema. They took all the tropes of the Western with near indestructible and stoic heroes taking on hordes of bad guys. They moved completely away from the dark, gritty and pessimistic cinema of the late 60s and early 70s where anti-heroes often met with downbeat endings. The Reagan era action heroes were run and gun merchants, usually Golds gym stalwarts with a penchant for one-liners between pumping iron and killing commies.
The one many arm action film seemed to just drift out of popularity somewhat in the late 90s, heading into the new century, but thanks to some MF killing Keanu Reeve’s dog, has made something of a comeback with more near indestructible heroes able to take out 50… 100… 200 bad guys, almost entirely by themselves. These guys weren’t comic book heroes, born of superpowers or the kind of wealth affording them a never-ending line of gadgets. Here are ten essential one man army run and gun classics….
Invasion U.S.A
These days, Chuck Norris’ legacy is as much down to his internet stardom as it is his movie career. One of the precursors to meme culture was Chuck Norris facts. When God said, “Let there be light,” Chuck Norris said, “Say please.” A persona was built around an exaggeration of Chuck’s slightly ridiculous Reagan-era heroics, and even if viewed with irony, he’s become something of a legend to a generation or two after his actual movie fans.
As for his movies, Norris might be one of the best one man Army, run and gun exponents with two Delta Force movies (albeit with backup from Lee Marvin) and the Missing in Action trilogy, which saw Norris take on swathes of baddies single handed. However, his best and the one that perfectly exemplifies the Chuck Norris persona is Invasion USA. Aided by a gruesomely evil villain in Richard Lynch, Invasion USA is just the perfect epitome of how ridiculously entertaining a one-man army can be. From the double denim to twin Uzis to a bazooka finisher, this is ruthlessly simple but great fun.
Red Scorpion
Dolph Lundgren’s career never quite hit the heights he deserved and in part down to rotten luck with distribution problems and perpetually unlucky choices. Most of his best films only gained their cult following years after release, such as The Punisher or the growing appeal of Dark Angel (I Come in Peace). If Dolph appeared to drop down the budget range in advance of his contemporaries like Seagal and Van Damme, it must be said that he still had a number of films full of the kind of excess carnage that make these films enjoyable. The Punisher has a ridiculous kill count, Dark Angel annihilates a comical amount of cars and Army of One (Joshua Tree) balances John Woo-inspired shootouts with James Bond-inspired car chases.
Red Scorpion was yet another film choice, which on paper should have proved more successful, but as with everything Dolph did, probably came 2-3 years too late, whilst the decision to cast him as a Russian hero to trade off his Ivan Drago fame, would alienate theatrical audiences (though the film was a huge success on video).
Whilst the film is also famous for being an ego project of lobbyist (and now convicted felon) Jack Abramoff, it did find a cult audience thanks to the impressive action sequences, full of big stunts, explosions and Dolph in near-God-like physical shape. If anything, the film’s uncontrolled budget and slightly cowboy approach probably aided the action scenes as much as it proved detrimental to the narrative. Overspending and reckless stunt work, filming in potentially dangerous territories just seems to add something and the finale feels as large-scale and destructive as anything in Lundgren’s CV.
John Wick: Chapter 2
The entire John Wick franchise represents a modern answer to the 80s One Man Army flick. The first film by the standards of the sequels, feels self-contained but certainly has the relentless bad guy demolishing to qualify. Things just really kicked up a gear in John Wick 2. The world-building became more elaborate and the indestructibility of Wick himself went up several notches to almost spoof levels.
As Wick, Keanu Reeves brings his inherent likeability to a monosyllabic and enigmatically stoic role. He goes from stage to stage in this relentless film which has some amazing set pieces utilising the Wick-patented gunfu. Aside from the enjoyable action, the film also looks gorgeous thanks to the photography of Dan Lautsen.
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Who is the run and gun king? We’ve had some greats but it’d be hard to argue that one of the top 2 contenders wasn’t Sylvester Stallone. First Blood is a great action film that has some dramatic weight and certain grit. It felt like a bridging film between the dark pessimistic cinema of the decade prior, and the sign of things to come during the 80s.
The first sequel, however, may well be one of the poster boys of the 1980s run-and-gun flag-waving action film. Here, Rambo is sent back to Nam to try and find the missing P.O.W’s. There he runs afoul of a nefarious Russian Colonol. What follows in the George P Cosmatos-directed film is a relentless series of explosions and massive-scale carnage, with the film being one of the biggest budgets ever at the time. Though it lacks the depth of the original film, Stallone still throws himself willingly into the action here.
Sisu
Another recent example of the one-man army movie is Sisu a macabrely funny Finnish action spectacular which sees a prospector with his freshly dug gold, ambushed by departing Nazis who decide to ambush him and steal his gold. A big mistake, however, as Aatami (Jorma Tommila) belies his age and appearance and turns out to be a badass.
With gleeful violence and a relentless barrage of grisly ways to kill Nazis, Jelmari Helander’s surprise action sleeper of 2023 really did strike a chord. It’s both a loving homage to the daft action of yesteryear, whilst also having enough wit to send up the tropes without besmirching them. Above all, it’s lithe, focused and sets out to entertain you without agendas.
Commando
Let’s just say it. Commando reigns supreme. John Matrix is the greatest one-man army in cinema history and the cartoonish violence and cheesy quips never fail to entertain. It finds a perfect action formula with a rock-solid script by Steven E De Souza, Matthew Weisman and Jeph Loeb. Films like this never got much respect upon release, often dismissed as dumb, but compare this to the majority of action films these days.
Commando always knows what it’s doing (it was meta before meta was even a big thing in action cinema), hitting clear beats and finding the perfect levels of self-awareness (80s action films weren’t always in on the joke, but this one is). Furthermore, you’ve got great direction from Mark L. Lester (who jumped skilfully between several genres back then), great photography (Matthew F. Leonetti) brilliant editing (with specialist Mark Goldblatt among others), and an awesome score from James Horner whose 80s action scores were immense.
It feels like action films all too often get churned out, relying heavily on CGI made without the kind of expertise and artistry of some of the 80s classics. Above all, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a walking special effect with his larger-than-life persona and screen presence in a film loaded with great stunts and imaginative carnage. There are certain films you could watch weekly and never tire of and Commando is one of them.
Atomic Blonde
Tarkovsky references and a badass female heroine who takes on legions of bad guys pretty much single-handedly. Charlize Theron hit a stride in action cinemas between Mad Max: Fury Road and this film. Atomic Blonde is effectively Jane Wick, with OG Wick co-director David Leitch going solo to direct this. It’s got similarly glossy cinematography and a rough and ready MMA approach to the fight action. Theron throws herself into it impressively and like Wick, this film prefers the action to be shot with longer takes and wide angles to offer clarity, as opposed to the tight shots and quick cutting of most modern action films.
Unlike some modern female lead action films, Theron plays a fallible character who does more than just scowl. She might seem indestructible but she takes a hell of a beating throughout making her more believable as a hero. Likewise, she might well beat 250-pound muscle men but she does so using he wiles and intelligence as well as ruthless fighting efficiency, targeting weaker areas. She doesn’t merely magically beat them with an arm bar or something impractical. We still get enough of that one (wo)man army pinch of salt and irony required but at least a sense of struggle and odds to overcome.
The Raid 2
After the breakout success of the first film, Gareth Evans broadened the scope and upped the spectacle with the sequel. All the successful elements, such as brutally bruising and chaotic (yet beautifully shot) fight sequences return, alongside shootouts and a stunning car chase.
Iko Uwais proves himself as a physical dynamo with a unique style of on-screen fighting. As with the first film some of the set pieces get crazier and crazier, mounting further odds against the hero, but in the end he inevitably succeeds. Uwais fights his way through a swathe of crime syndicate hoods before some choice showdowns with (now) recognisable brawlers like Cecep Arif Rahman (The Raid 1-2, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum). Some of the stunt work here is also astonishing in a film reliant on practical work.
Taken
Sure, Liam Neeson keeps on saying he’s about to retire from action movies, but inevitably then lines up a slate of them, but let’s not forget where it all started. Yes, Taken, a film which on paper probably read like a Steven Seagal picture, made an unlikely action star of Neeson who was well into his 50s.
The simple concept probably felt enjoyable precisely because it was the kind of straight-up action film that we weren’t getting much of on the big screen. Though there were times before completion when a theatrical release wasn’t even a foregone conclusion, Neeson’s pedigree and a gap in the market helped bring eyes to Taken. It ended up doing better than anyone might have imagined, spawning a couple of sequels and a TV reboot that 2 people watch (the show creator and his mother probably).
Taken just managed to pace itself perfectly once the film kicked into gear. The style owed a lot to the Bourne franchise, and in spite of some stylistic choices which now feel dated, the action manages to be engaging and hits some nice payoffs. I recall watching the film on advanced preview, and like many of the audience, being surprised at how enjoyable this throwback was. It’s Neeson who remains the film’s biggest strength though, selling himself well as an action man but installing the role with the kind of gravitas you’d never get from a ‘specialist’ action man of that era and budget range.
Hard Target
Maybe Jean-Claude Van Damme has cheated a bit, as he does get a little help from his elderly Uncle (played by Wilfred Brimley) but for the most part, Van Damme one many armys the shit out of this. Hard Target is the one John Woo film that really captured his style perfectly, without feeling like he was pastiching himself. It had all the war trademarks, combined with a hard R savagery often lacking in his other American works.
Van Damme, like Norris in the aforementioned Invasian USA, opts for the double denim look and this Most Dangerous Game riff sees Van Damme take on dozens of faceless foes and a group of hunters, lead by Lance Henriksen and his right-hand man, Arnold Vosloo. Van Damme is great, with a film that perfectly showcases his physical talent, but the film also benefits greatly from its villainous duo. Everything culminates in the brilliant warehouse finale where a bunch of carnival rides and equipment make for a unique showpiece to finish the film.
What’s your favourite one man army movie? What’s missing from our list? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth or on my Instagram here…
