How Real-World Events Shaped Action Films

Matthew Hackett / Northumbria University
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How real-world contextual events affected the evolution of the action
genre
This essay will discuss how the action genre has changed in response to
cultural events through themes, narratives, changing iconography and
camera/editing techniques. It’s important to mention why audiences
watch an action film. Audiences want escapism through the spectacle of
the genre, and you can see this by looking at a film’s cultural context.
Starting at the beginning of the action genre in the 1930s, the context of
which was that the public believed that film could spread and present
things that would taint the mind of the viewer. Real-world cultural bias is
what lead Hollywood to create The Hays Production Code in 1930 which
banned things like sex, violence, and substance abuse. This had a major
effect on the action genre which was still in its infancy.
Early action films very rarely showed violence; the first recognised action
franchise was Tarzan The Ape Man (1932). Action had been seen
before in film, mainly in Western films like The Great Train Robbery
(1903) before the hays production code. Action would still be present,
however; mainly hybridized through western and crime film as the
audience of that time enjoyed the escapism those genres offered. For
example, audiences enjoyed watching the crime film because of the Wall
Street Crash (1929) which led to the Great Depression of the same year

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where people lost jobs and felt that their government had forgotten them.
This led to a lot of organised crime and people would idealise these
criminals as they’d live a lavish lifestyle that the public didn’t.
Similar to the escapism found in the western genre where the action was
a key hybridisation; because audiences of the time had been forgotten
about, they enjoyed stories about a time where a man could be who and
take the land he wanted, not tied down to a family or law. So early action
films, due to real-life cultural bias would often be hybridized with
western, crime and in the 40s, 50s fantasy and historic with films like
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938) and Ben-Hur (1959). Action stuck
to being hybridized because of the production code however cultural
context would change drastically in the 1960s.
According to a book by Drew Casper “Violence from civil rights protests,
the Vietnam War, and political assassinations, available on the home TV
in living colour, further desensitized Americans to images of violence”.
This change in a cultural context and French new wave cinema of the
1950s (European cinema didn’t have to follow the production code)
meant that film was seen as art rather than entertainment, which allowed
the Hays Code to be dropped. With the code dropped action films
thrived and they did partly through the Bond franchise.

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The Bond franchise has run from 1962 till the present and acts as a
timeline of the action genre itself and how the genre has changed due to
real-life cultural events. Originally coming from Ian Fleming’s novels,
Bond is seen as a British hero in the context where the character is born
in the late 40s and early 50s. Contextually Britain was reeling from WW2
and the British Empire was losing colonies around the world, so it wasn’t
the superpower it once was. This provided the cultural context creating
Bond. A strong British Commander and spy who represented British
values and contextually modern male masculinity but most importantly
he represented an imperial hero.
This franchise effectively shows how contextual events changed the
action genre. For example, early bond films like Dr No (1962) and From
Russia With Love (1963) had villains who are German and Russian
speaking to the international paranoia after world war two. Goldfinger
(1964) and Thunderball (1965) both focused on nuclear threats which is
a reflection of the arms race between America and the Soviet Union.
Then the following film You Only Live Twice (1967) focuses on a threat
in space which is mirroring the then ongoing space race between
America and the Soviet Union.
Another great example of a bond film mirroring its cultural context is Live
and Let Die (1973); in 1971 President Nixon declared a “War on Drugs”

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and in an article by Equal Justice Initiative (2016) “had two enemies: the
anti-war left and Black people”. This is particularly interesting as the
main villain for this film is a man of colour who could speak to systemic
racism within Hollywood and that at the time they were leaning very
right-wing. Throughout the 80s until the 2000s the Bond films constantly
centred on either a Russian or a drug-related plot responding to the Cold
War and war on drugs, the 80s action film was very much focused on
the Cold War as it was a Reaganite cinema however, we finally had a
change in the early 2000s. For context George Bush won the presidency
in 2001 and broke down relations between America and North Korea;
the American public was now scared of the North Korean threat so in
response Die Another day (2002) had a North Korean villain.
Finally, the current 2000s era deals with terrorist threats which is a
reflection of recent terrorist attacks becoming more common since 9/11.
Overall, it’s clear to see how contextual events mirror the themes and
characters within the Bond franchise.
Another real-world contextual event that changed the action genre is
women joining the workforce in the 1940s. This made a lot of men who
had traditional (very misogynistic) values feel as if their masculinity was
being challenged. This created the genre convention of the male action
hero; he’s brave and defeats all odds whilst parading masculinity and

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heterosexuality, often having many disposable female love interests.
Films like Ben-Hur and the Bond franchise which men would watch as a
form of escapism to their traditional masculine values.
Furthermore, de-industrialization, where American men were losing
manual labour jobs, being forced into the service sector and being
forced to learn and take part in more feminine careers. Rising women in
the workforce provided the cultural context to make men feel
emasculated leading to the evolution of the male action hero and the rise
in the “male body” which was the hypermasculine, fetishized “perfect
body” which are seen mainly through actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Sylvester Stallone. This era was short however with a generation
who grew up in the 60s/70s they were more accepting of females in
power and more inclined to see a man taking fewer masculine traits.
With the mentioned change in the workforce and type of work men did
the expectations of men changed which was the contextual environment
that allowed the emergence of the “new man”.
The action genre was now in its critique stage and the new man showed
this; he had traits of being an ocnophobe and would show more feminine
values; one great example is in Terminator Two (1991) where Arnold’s
character shows feminine traits by showing emotion and caring for John
Connor. Alongside the emerging new man in the action film to mirror

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this, we also see the beginning of the female action heroine. Woman’s
marches in the 60s and 70s was the contextual change that made
audiences accept strong females which Hollywood created with Ellen
Ripley in Alien (1979) and Sarah Conner in Terminator Two. However,
something is interesting about both these action heroines. They are the
most iconic heroines without a doubt however both characters only
become the action hero in the sequels of both their franchises.
Firstly Ellen Ripley was originally never written to be a woman; originally
written to be a male character they changed it to take a fresh direction
but didn’t change the script to make her more feminine. The first Alien
film is a horror but in the sequel Aliens (1986) the film is very much a
Sci-Fi action film, but now Ellen is written to become a surrogate mother
to Newt the little girl they find abandoned. This is strange because her
motive for being this action hero comes from maternal instinct; we see
this again in the Terminator franchise where Sarah was originally the
victim in the first film but becomes the action hero when she must take
care of her son.
I believe this theme of the action heroine taking care of her kids comes
from a generation not only growing up with strong feminism but also
from a generation who grew up after Vietnam, a lot of families who
lacked a strong father figure if one at all. Behind both Aliens and the first

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two Terminator films is James Cameron which is interesting as the
director grew up with a mother who aspired to join the Canadian Army
and a father who was often away for work which was common in this
generation. In closing for this point I believe that the real-world context of
women campaigning for their rights and fighting for power in the
workplace allowed for the emergence of new man, heroine and the
action hero
Action cinema in the 1980s is largely labelled “Reaganite cinema”.
Ronald Reagan would become president in 1981 and his policies would
greatly change the minds of the American Public. Alongside this,
tensions between America and the Soviet Union began to rise in 1947
which was the start of the Cold War. Reagan supported family values
and patriotism, taking a strong opposition to the Soviet Union, which
suited the generation still recovering and grieving from the Vietnam war.
Strong American values are why he won the presidency by a landslide.
Reaganite cinema is intrinsically linked with themes of the Cold War and
Vietnam and this is where we see the emergence of overly patriotic films
like Top Gun (1986) and Rocky 4 (1985).
These films are feel-good films that the American public wanted as they
mirrored how they felt. In Rocky 4 the film centred about revenge against
a Russian who uses science and unfair methods to get ahead; mirroring

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the arms and space race where America and the Soviet Union were
competing to be the best. In addition to this, we see films that have
nuclear disarmament as the main theme speaking to the anxiety at the
time due to the nuclear arms race. Reagan’s politics also changed the
minds of the American public. During the beginning of Reagan’s term,
then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev pushed for a treaty to limit Nuclear
weapons if Reagan put an end to the SDI program (Strategic Defence
Initiative). This was met with strong opposition and Regan didn’t back
down to show the American public strong leadership which fed into the
patriotism which is seen in Top Gun. Nuclear disarmament was a topic
that was divisive for the American public; this is seen in films like
Superman 4 the Quest for peace (1987) and as mentioned Goldfinger
and Thunderball. This film shows America’s technology which would
have been a part of the SDI program.
In an essay by Prince (2007) he writes about the stark differences
between Top Gun and Platoon (1986); how Top Gun is strongly patriotic
whilst Platoon strongly focuses on the harsh reality of the Vietnam war
and “As a result, Platoon forcefully contests the politics of Top Gun,
Heartbreak Ridge, and Ronald Reagan. Platoon was most widely
praised, not for its politics, but its realistic presentation of the American
infantryman in the Vietnam War”. Furthermore, other films cover Vietnam

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where a lot of Reaganite action cinema has their protagonists use
guerrilla tactics which is what the Viet Cong used to win the Vietnam
war. This shows how the American public was embarrassed over this
defeat and these action films are almost overcompensating to create
escapism in the viewer.
One great example however of both types of Reaganite cinema is First
Blood (1982) and Rambo First Blood Part Two (1985). In First Blood
there is a very serious tone throughout to show the effect the war had on
its veteran and the film as a result is very pessimistic; part two, on the
other hand, is bombastic and over the top with its patriotism. This is
because in the three years between mainstream action leant more
towards patriotic tones as they performed much better. Overall, Reagan
winning the presidency changed the course of the action genre, making
it spit between films that had strong patriotic themes and films which
criticised these same themes.
The action genre has often used hybridisation with Sci-Fi to respond to
cultural context. For example, during the nuclear arms race (1942 –
1987) there were many giant monster movies. The most important of
which was Godzilla (1954) which focused on a monster born from the
result of a nuclear attack; this is overtly referencing the American
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 where two major cities in

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Japan were victims of the atomic bomb. This caused cultural anxiety
amongst the Japanese public which lead to the story of Godzilla, where
mankind’s destruction led to Godzilla (a representation of nature) taking
revenge through destruction.
Another cultural anxiety that led to action Sci-Fi genre hybridisation was
the fear of technology. During the 1980s there was a lot of technological
advancements like the home computer in 1977 which led some people
to grow paranoid about technology. This cultural theme leads to action
films leaning into Sci-Fi hybridisation like Terminator and The Matrix
(1999) where technology has taken over. In the 2000s the Sci-Fi action
would respond to the cultural fear of the Patriot Act (2001) which was
legislation introduced after 9/11 by the American government that
allowed the government to have access to more surveillance over the
Americans; as a result, the American public felt as if their privacy was
being taken away which gave way for Stephen Spielberg’s Minority
Report (2002). The film had themes of questioning free will and privacy
and whether restricting privacy is worth it to help protect us. The themes
echo how the American public felt and opened up a dialogue about the
issue through the Sci-Fi action hybridization.
Another form of Action/Sci-Fi hybrid is the disaster movie. This subgenre
speaks to the real-world cultural fear of climate change and or theme of

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man destroying nature and facing the consequences of their bad deeds.
To summarise, I believe Action/Sci-Fi is a very important piece of
evidence to support my belief that the action genre changes in response
to the cultural context.
After 9/11 the American public needed escapism so as a result genre
hybridisation became extremely popular at the box office, films like
Spiderman (2002), Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002) were
extremely popular. Spiderman Two is a great example as it takes the
superhero genre but has a great story where New York is almost its own
character and has citizens banding together which was a great
representation of everyone’s shared grief over the attack.
After 9/11 the American government published The Patriot Act where
many of the public felt that their rights and privacy were being violated.
This cultural anxiety is mirrored in the narrative of The Bourne
Supremacy (2004) where Bourne is constantly at odds with the CIA and
the patriot act is being represented via camera work and editing. With
close-ups and rapid-fire editing, it makes the audience feel like they are
in Bourne’s perspective. Furthermore, the camera movement also
mirrors the news media at the time. Similar to the 1960s when the
American public became almost desensitised to the horrors of war
because of seeing footage on the news; in the 2000s due to

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advancements in technology (Steadicam and handheld cameras), there
was footage of the Iraq war televised to the American public daily. Paul
Greengrass mirrored this style of camera movement when creating the
action scenes for Bourne Supremacy. The news had created the cultural
context for this camera movement to be effective as it would connect the
action to the real-world threat the public saw daily. This set a trend in the
action genre where shaky-cam movement paired with a fast-paced
editing style became the norm for the majority of the 2000s: Casino
Royal (2006), Taken (2008) and The Winter Soldier (2014).
It’s no argument that Greengrass’ style has greatly affected the genre
however because of the style being inherently disorientating it looks to
be less intricate than it is. This is discussed in an essay by Insider where
they compare action scenes in The Bourne Supremacy and Taken 3
(2012). Where in The Bourne Supremacy we see “most of the blows and
the impact… are all centre framed” but in Taken 3 (2012) “they cut to
hide the action…makes it look fake but also kills the overall momentum
of the scene”. In addition, we also see this news like camera movement
in serious action dramas like Hurt locker (2009) which plot is based on
the Iraq war. This film uses this style of camera to exploit the cultural
anxiety of the time. For example, the use of extreme high angle shots
which become crash zooms followed by shaky camera movement and

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quicky panning shots all help in creating a sense of authenticity for the
film which creates a nail-biting tension for the viewer as it has been
crafted to so closely resemble the news media of the time.
Contemporary action can be seen through the Fast and Furious
franchise (2001 – present-day). These films see a return to Reaganite
themes with themes of family. This can arguably be seen in the Marvel
films too; with the big ensemble, films mirroring family themes. I believe
this is a response to the war on terror and terrorism in the modern day.
Another way contemporary action film appeals to cultural context is
through diversity. In the last couple of years, movements to promote
inclusion and diversity have provided the cultural context for Hollywood
to respond which more diverse characters in their films.
To conclude, since the beginning of the action genre it always adapted
to suit the cultural context of the time; it’s done this through its themes,
narrative, camera work and iconography which appealed to the
audience’s anxiety, patriotism and political opinions.
3000 words
Bibliography
Stephen, P. (2007) American cinema of the 1980s: themes and
variations. New Brunswick: N.J Rutgers University Press, pp. 150

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Equal Justice Initiative (2016) Available https://eji.org/news/nixon-war-
on-drugs-designed-to-criminalize-black-people/ (Accessed 31/12/2021)
Drew, C. (2011) Hollywood Film 1963-1976: Years of Revolution and
Reaction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Nathen, L.. (2018) “How one trilogy ruined action movies forever”,
Insider. Available at The Bourne Trilogy Ruined Action Movies Forever
(insider.com) (Accessed 08/01/2022)
Filmography
Tarzan The Ape Man (John Derek, 1932)
The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter, 1903)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (Michael Curtiz, William Keighley, 1938)
Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
Dr No (Terence Young, 1962)
From Russia With Love (Terence Young, 1963)
Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
Thunderball (Terrance Young, 1965)
You Only Live Twice (Lewis Gilbert, 1967)
Live And Let Die (Guy Hamilton, 1973)
Die Another Day ( Lee Tamahori, 2002)
Terminator Two (James Cameron, 1991)
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)

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Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986)
Rocky 4 (Sylvester Stallone, 1985)
First Blood (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
Superman 4 the Quest for peace (Sidney J. Furie, 1987)
Ghostbusters (Iven Reitman, 1984)
Rambo First Blood Part Two ( George P. Cosmatos, 1985)
Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
Godzilla (Ishirō Honda, 1954)
The Matrix (Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, 1999)
Minority Report (Stephen Spielberg, 2002)
Spider-Man (Sam Rami, 2002)
The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002)
The Bourne Supremacy (Paul Greengrass, 2004)
Casino Royale (Martian Campbell, 2006)
Taken (Pierre Morel, 2008)
The Winter Soldier (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, 2014)
Taken 3 (Olivier Megaton, 2012)
Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)
(2001 – present-day

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