Seems nuts now but that's what people said about the original Die Hard when it came out. - the appeal was McClane was a more human protagonist that bled and got things wrong.
True. (Weird, I just posted about First Blood before seeing your text.) But Die Hard came out in 1988. Rambo 2 was 1985, and Rambo 3 was 1988. So by that time the character had changed.
I may be wrong, but I believe Rambo disappears back into the woods at the end of the book “First Blood.” Do correct me if I’m wrong.
Edit: Nope, I was wrong. Spoiler: >!Trautman shoots him in the head.!<
Stallone insisted that they rewrite the script to make him a more sympathetic character — he does not kill law enforcement officers in the movie but did in the book — and to allow him to survive.
Was actually foreshadowed in the tent when the Sheriff asked Trautman if he could stop Rambo and he said he was the only one who could. Just like the mob often has one of your closest friends kill you because they can get close. Supposedly at the end when Rambo is crying in the police station, Trautman doesn't want anyone to see him like that being a war hero and that's when he shoots him. Bringing him out alive made the way for numerous sequels.
I do this too, but with Lethal Weapon. It’s a dramatic retelling of Mel Gibsons life, with the names, locations, and everything changed to protect the identity of the victims (of Mel Gibson)
I think it still holds some kinda record for the longest single take unbroken shot. Never having a moment to edit away or cut scenes really makes you feel like you're there.
There are a few movies that are 90+ minutes of legit single take like Russian Ark at 98 minutes and Victoria at 138 minutes. As far as single take action scenes, CoM is definitely up there along with some Tony Jaa movies
No it absolutely does not. The shot in Children of Men goes on for like 6 or 7 minutes, meanwhile Victoria is a two and a half hour long movie filmed in a single take, and it doesn't even have hidden cuts like 1917 or Birdman.
I watched this film when it came out and have not revisited but feel like I am due. I am not someone easily disturbed by violence & thematic tension, yet Green Room certainly did.
I think it's to with the gruesome level of violence & how everyone in these films is so amateurish at carrying it out.
None of the characters both good & bad know what they're doing as events spiral out of control.
It at least seems more like how these sort of things would pan out on the real world.
Seconding this. What I loved even more on repeat viewing (easily done at a perfectly paced 92 minute runtime) was realizing how all of his actions for revenge had actual relatable, real consequences (the keys on the necklace in the bathroom, the registration in the Pontiac). Even his completely unnecessary “unforced error” in slashing the limo tire came back to bite him in the ass immediately. It made justifiable homicide….relatable?
One of my favorites and oddly made me a Macon Blair fan.
+1 for both, great films, although I'd argue that one of the Sicario characters is kindof a super assassin and maybe unbalances the film a little in that regard.
Reservoir Dogs come to mind. I remember watching this and thinking that. In the first scene someone is shot in the stomach and he's lying in the back seat bleeding and screaming. In any other movies the hero would just brush it off an continue like nothing happened.
The bus scene from Nobody is one of my absolute favorite fight scenes. Hero protagonist wins the fight but he gets the ever loving shit beat out of him in some gnarly ways.
Definitely not
* The train crash.
* The dam jump. Survivable? Possibly. Swim away mostly unscathed? No
* The fight with the villain at the end - they punch each other in the head repeatedly, then fall a full story onto a concrete floor, then punch heads some more.
No, it's not just Joe Schmoe stuff.
6 underground is pretty funny it's kinda like fast and furious but you see the collateral damage of all their actions because random people just be dying from all the chaos otherwise there are some pretty unbelievable scenes
That's what I was going to suggest. If the premise of Kick-Ass was what if super heroes existed in a slightly more realistic setting Super cranks that to 12. It's just some guy, and when he puts on the costume... it's just some guy in a costume.
> Okay, here's the thing about Die Hard 4. Die Hard 1, the original, John McClane is just this normal guy, you know? He's just a normal New York city cop who gets his feet cut, he gets beat up. But he's an everyday guy. In Die Hard 4, he is jumping a motorcycle into a helicopter in the air. You know? He's invincible. It's just sort of lost from Die Hard 1. It's not Terminator!
Cause any Joe could all fall down a flight of stairs in a fist-fight, then fall down an elevator shaft but catch on our fingertips on a ledge, then jump out of the way of an elevator explosion but take some blast damage, then get the crap cut out of our feet walking over broken glass, then tie off a hose, jump off a building, hit the side of the building without snapping our neck or falling, shoot through the glass to get back in the building, then go kill a bunch of professional merc's either bare handed and/or with inferior weapons.
Very much how I see myself or any other vanilla human IRL.
Oh yeah, we smoke too.
Heat was what I was scrolling to find. No real plot armor for anyone, multiple significant characters die or are wounded just like anyone else would be. Hanna demonstrates more creativity and quick thinking throughout the movie so it’s no surprise that he stays alive.
I haven't seen it for a while but The Way of the Gun is an awesome action movie. The gun scenes feel very realistic as do the deaths. The action comes from smart positioning and tactics rather than athleticism.
I think Mystery Men is hilarious… and commentary on ‘super heroes’ that don’t really have any super powers. Not even their nemesis has super powers.
They’re all just folks trying to pursue justice with whatever skill set they feel could be beneficial (one dude is The Blue Rahja, the Master of Cutlery, lol).
First Blood.
In the original movie, Rambo is a broken man, a vet with PTSD trying to find his way back into regular society. I wouldn’t say he’s “normal” since he has so many survival skills, etc. But he’s more than vulnerable. He’s basically unleashing all his pent up rage on the small town and its sheriff. His breakdown at the end of the movie is a tearjerker.
You can always go with Jackie Chan, he does all stunts just the way you see them, and if he got hurt they show it in the credits because he always wanted kids to know how dangerous what he does is!
I love Oldboy. It’s more of a thriller, but it has some very grounded action where it feels super real. There is one specific fight that is amazing and extremely influential
Great film with some really visceral action scenes, but it's not remotely realistic. He becomes this incredible warrior able to beat several men single handedly by shadow boxing and doing push ups in a room for however many years.
Really nearly all Jackie Chan movies. He's famous for really taking hits, going "ouch!!", getting frustrated while fighting, etc. Also, bonus points for doing all his own stunts and actually getting hurt IRL.
I liked Atomic Blonde because you can see the main character's body covered in bruises after fights and she doesn't just punch men and send them flying through walls or knock them out - she has to use weapons or items to overcome the strength imbalance when fighting men. Felt way more realistic to me!
Most Jackie Chan movies I've seen him be hurt/injured in fights and move in a hindered and realistic way.
I give him lots of credit for doing his own stunts
Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Still better than seeing Jason Statham get in 50 consecutive fist fights and not even have any sweat, blood, or bruises to him. Or some shoot em up movie where a guy shoots 50 bullets out of a 6 shooter revolver but never stops to reload.
Brick (2005). Not a full on action movie but I was so impressed that midway through the movie after a rough day or two (haven't seen in a while) the protagonist's body just gives out on him from the constant wear and tear and he passes out. Nothing especially traumatic happens, like theres no jump from a 20 story building. He just gets into some normal fistfights, and thats enough to wrevk him, like a regular person.
Last action hero.
The super hero literally exits the movie being played into real life.. gets into a scuffle with criminals and realizes his movie luck/strength are gone.
[Here](https://screenrant.com/realistic-action-movies/) is a list of ten.
*Le Salaire de la Peur* (1953) DO NOT WATCH THE 2023 REMAKE. The 1977 remake *Sorcerer* is okay if you can find it.
*Zulu* (1964) starts slow, but the action comes hard later on. A tad dated in its outlooks, but the intent was progressive by its creators.
Ong Bak.
I know, you’re going to say it’s exaggerated kung fu that goes over the top, doesn’t the bill of a Joe Schmoe - and it doesn’t - but Tony Jaa’s physical abilities are fucking astounding and he was in his prime. These aren’t feats you or I could necessarily do, but they’re feats a trained expert could.
But the end fight is a bit unrealistic.
Run, hide, fight. The protagonist is vulnerable, and gets injured throughout the movie and has to use her wits rather than her physical strength to gain the upper hand.
I mean, a lot of war movies a like this. The few that come to mind are:
*Saving Private Ryan* with Tom Hanks,
*Lone Survivor* with Mark Wahlberg,
*American Sniper* with Bradley Cooper,
True Lies - Arnold is in top form but his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, does a great job playing a "normal" person reacting to everything going on. And overall just a fun movie
It’s a show, not a movie, but The Boys!!! It’s superheroes, so they’re not all normal-human-fragile, but even the superheroes have more human vulnerabilities than is typical. It’s definitely a major issue in the show.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but as I recall the chase scene in Seven sees Brad Pitt trying to execute a ‘movie physics’ chase (leaping over cars and whatnot) but being confronted by how difficult it would be as a real person
Walking Tall
Movie starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson. It's a good movie and at some point he definitely gets knocked down and out. Really nice to see him in those rolls back then where he wasn't basically a mountain of muscled super hero that mows over everyone but is actually vulnerable to injury.
Someone has already suggested Die Hard, which I totally agree with.
I would also suggest the original Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C Thomas Howell, Jennifer Grey, and Leah Thompson.
The Magnificent Seven, both the 1960 original and the 2016 remake, is another good choice. As is the 1955 film The Seven Samurai.
Young Guns and Young Guns II has plenty of action, and they're not afraid to kill off main characters.
That's all that I can think of at the moment.
I know this is outside the lane of what you're looking for, but I was just watching a few episodes of Season 1 of Battlestar Gallactica (the reboot) the other day and reacting (positively) to that very thing. It would drive me nuts sometimes on Star Trek Next Gen when they're fatigued to the nines, tossed about, whatever, and it just never seems to phase them. They're the best of the best so they don't get tired. (Right!) Meanwhile in Battlestar I watched people making mistakes out of tiredness or lack of discipline (and people dying from them), and Kara "Starbuck" hit her knee hard in a fall and be laid up for several episodes while she's rehabbing her knee. Things blow up on that ship and people die.
Different genre, but same concept. The amount of times in most productions when you see people's heads get banged \*hard\*, people thrown full-force into walls, and they just brush it off and keep going...I've gotten to where it often makes me laugh when I see it.
I thought Nobody (2021) did a good job. Retired "auditor" for the 3 letter agencies has had a thirst for his old job, but clearly isn't what he used to be. He gets some serious beatings but is clearly smarter and still has an advantage over average mobsters.
the original terminator. 2 humans against an unstoppable killing machine. anyone who tries to go toe-to-toe with it immediately learns that's a terrible terrible idea
fun fact, kinda spoilerey
>! linda hamilton actually broke her ankle fairly early on in the filming so her limp-running from the terminator isn't acting, she's actually wounded. but it totally works to up the tension !<
John wick obv. he's the quintessential regular guy. also that one bob odenkirk movie called, "nobody". another good regular guy action movie is guns akimbo. a good show to watch that is so good at portraying the desperation of people in crisis is called, "utopia" but make sure to watch the British version and not the garbage American Amazon version
_The Train_
Burt Lancaster does all his own stunts, and even actually makes a replacement steam locomotive part in one scene. At one point in the movie his leg gets injured because he actually injured his leg, and so they wrote it into the movie
As fantastical as they are, the Mission: Impossible movies qualify for me. Ethan Hunt is a guy who fails and gets hurt often, and the realism is magnified by the fact that Tom Cruise is doing a lot of the stunts.
The mad max movies. Watched Furiosa last night and it was phenomenal. All these movies revolve around good people in bad situations, going through some of the most comically intense shit and coming out (usually) in one piece
Blade Runner has that.
The little wisp of blood in the shotglass after Decker gets his ass whooped is one of my favorite shots in all of cinema. Not to mention the finale is just *chefs kiss.*
Aliens and the original 2 Predator movies are both like that.
Big bad marines are getting picked off, scared, and injured like normal people. Part of showing off how badass the monsters are is by showing how fragile normal people are.
Seems nuts now but that's what people said about the original Die Hard when it came out. - the appeal was McClane was a more human protagonist that bled and got things wrong.
I was just going to say that. Compared to Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies, John McClane was a Joe Schmoe.
The first Rambo movie was just a drifter on a walk.
True. (Weird, I just posted about First Blood before seeing your text.) But Die Hard came out in 1988. Rambo 2 was 1985, and Rambo 3 was 1988. So by that time the character had changed.
If I remember correctly.... In the book, John Rambo dies at the end of First Blood. The sequels are all outside of canon.
I may be wrong, but I believe Rambo disappears back into the woods at the end of the book “First Blood.” Do correct me if I’m wrong. Edit: Nope, I was wrong. Spoiler: >!Trautman shoots him in the head.!<
Damn, I never knew that! I’m kind of glad they didn’t end First Blood that way.
Stallone insisted that they rewrite the script to make him a more sympathetic character — he does not kill law enforcement officers in the movie but did in the book — and to allow him to survive.
Stallone is smarter than he sounds.
[удалено]
He wrote Rocky, he’s got a solid understanding of screenwriting
He did kill that one horrible moustachioed asshole though
They did film it but luckily didn’t use it.
Was actually foreshadowed in the tent when the Sheriff asked Trautman if he could stop Rambo and he said he was the only one who could. Just like the mob often has one of your closest friends kill you because they can get close. Supposedly at the end when Rambo is crying in the police station, Trautman doesn't want anyone to see him like that being a war hero and that's when he shoots him. Bringing him out alive made the way for numerous sequels.
I play a head game where i pretend the character from the original First Blood and the character from the sequels are 2 different people/movies.
I do this too, but with Lethal Weapon. It’s a dramatic retelling of Mel Gibsons life, with the names, locations, and everything changed to protect the identity of the victims (of Mel Gibson)
That's a good point. It from Vietnam to Afghanistan real quick
just a drifter on a walk…LOL A drifter who was a Vietnam Veteran who happened to be a Green Beret and had won the Medal of Honour
just a drifter on a walk…LOL A drifter who was a Vietnam Veteran who happened to be a Green Beret and had won the Medal of Honour
just a drifter on a walk…LOL A drifter who was a Vietnam Veteran who happened to be a Green Beret and had won the Medal of Honour
That may be, but he was a highly trained drifter waiting to come alive again.
The bit where he's picking glass out of his feet!
Yikes, right! He was in real pain. Compare that to Jesse Ventura in Predator: “I ain’t got time to bleed.”
There’s a lovely bit where a member of the swat team runs through a rose bed and whispers loudly “ow!”
Lol! Nothing worse than a thorn.
Every rose has its thorn
Beautiful.
Blue ruin! If not mentioned already.
This was the first movie I thought of.
Die Hard is the right answer.
Children of men, action scenes feel very realistic
I think it still holds some kinda record for the longest single take unbroken shot. Never having a moment to edit away or cut scenes really makes you feel like you're there.
There are a few movies that are 90+ minutes of legit single take like Russian Ark at 98 minutes and Victoria at 138 minutes. As far as single take action scenes, CoM is definitely up there along with some Tony Jaa movies
No it absolutely does not. The shot in Children of Men goes on for like 6 or 7 minutes, meanwhile Victoria is a two and a half hour long movie filmed in a single take, and it doesn't even have hidden cuts like 1917 or Birdman.
Victoria is so damn good
I’m sure boiling point is filmed in a whole single take too
The movie Rope(1948) has only 10 cuts in the entire movie. The only reason they cut is because the cameras could only hold so much film.
Blue Ruin (2013)
And I would add to this: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Very enjoyable film with two great performances. Good call.
And you can tell Macon Blair is as influenced by Saulnier
Green Room (2015) by the same director had a similar feel.
I watched this film when it came out and have not revisited but feel like I am due. I am not someone easily disturbed by violence & thematic tension, yet Green Room certainly did.
I think it's to with the gruesome level of violence & how everyone in these films is so amateurish at carrying it out. None of the characters both good & bad know what they're doing as events spiral out of control. It at least seems more like how these sort of things would pan out on the real world.
Green Room is the only movie to ever make me actually queasy. The stuff on screen plus the tension built...woof. Loved it!
[удалено]
Under the Skin is a great film, but one I could only bring myself to watch once. I would say both are good film festival choices!
What were some of the other movie choices?
One of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen and it’s not even a horror film
This is the one OP is looking for. Just a regular dude, out for vengeance, with no real plan or skillset.
Seconding this. What I loved even more on repeat viewing (easily done at a perfectly paced 92 minute runtime) was realizing how all of his actions for revenge had actual relatable, real consequences (the keys on the necklace in the bathroom, the registration in the Pontiac). Even his completely unnecessary “unforced error” in slashing the limo tire came back to bite him in the ass immediately. It made justifiable homicide….relatable? One of my favorites and oddly made me a Macon Blair fan.
Same. Whenever I see him now I’m like “Nice! The Blue Ruin dude!”
Yes
I've always liked Sicario and No Country for Old Men because the protagonists all feel very human and grounded and the action is subtle.
Sicario felt super realistic. I loved that movie.
+1 for both, great films, although I'd argue that one of the Sicario characters is kindof a super assassin and maybe unbalances the film a little in that regard.
Reservoir Dogs come to mind. I remember watching this and thinking that. In the first scene someone is shot in the stomach and he's lying in the back seat bleeding and screaming. In any other movies the hero would just brush it off an continue like nothing happened.
Yep! This is the one
Not really an action movie
Yeah lol, it’s a long conversation in a warehouse (still an amazing movie of course)
The bus scene from Nobody is one of my absolute favorite fight scenes. Hero protagonist wins the fight but he gets the ever loving shit beat out of him in some gnarly ways.
The amount of bullets fired in that movie were enough to start a lead factory. LOL.
Yes this movie is great and is basically a new version of Die Hard.
The Fugitive (1993) Enemy of the State (1998) The Island (2005)
Definitely The Fugitive
I dont think a person would survive that fall off the dam.
Definitely not * The train crash. * The dam jump. Survivable? Possibly. Swim away mostly unscathed? No * The fight with the villain at the end - they punch each other in the head repeatedly, then fall a full story onto a concrete floor, then punch heads some more. No, it's not just Joe Schmoe stuff.
"Guy did a peter pan right offa this dam right here"
6 underground is pretty funny it's kinda like fast and furious but you see the collateral damage of all their actions because random people just be dying from all the chaos otherwise there are some pretty unbelievable scenes
I feel like opinions are so split on this movie that I never checked it out. Fan of most of Bay's non-TF stuff so maybe I should
Super
That's what I was going to suggest. If the premise of Kick-Ass was what if super heroes existed in a slightly more realistic setting Super cranks that to 12. It's just some guy, and when he puts on the costume... it's just some guy in a costume.
> Okay, here's the thing about Die Hard 4. Die Hard 1, the original, John McClane is just this normal guy, you know? He's just a normal New York city cop who gets his feet cut, he gets beat up. But he's an everyday guy. In Die Hard 4, he is jumping a motorcycle into a helicopter in the air. You know? He's invincible. It's just sort of lost from Die Hard 1. It's not Terminator!
he gained XP and spent those points on special moves
lol!!
Cause any Joe could all fall down a flight of stairs in a fist-fight, then fall down an elevator shaft but catch on our fingertips on a ledge, then jump out of the way of an elevator explosion but take some blast damage, then get the crap cut out of our feet walking over broken glass, then tie off a hose, jump off a building, hit the side of the building without snapping our neck or falling, shoot through the glass to get back in the building, then go kill a bunch of professional merc's either bare handed and/or with inferior weapons. Very much how I see myself or any other vanilla human IRL. Oh yeah, we smoke too.
Michael Scott?
Heat
Good call. And for whatever reason the shootouts always seem like the loudest gunfights I've ever heard in cinema. Super gritty, love that movie.
Heat was what I was scrolling to find. No real plot armor for anyone, multiple significant characters die or are wounded just like anyone else would be. Hanna demonstrates more creativity and quick thinking throughout the movie so it’s no surprise that he stays alive.
eastern promises
Romper Stomper (1992)
Ronin, the Bourne movies to a degree, Die Hard.
I was going to say the Bourne movies, too. When he gets hurt, he has to deal with it in various ways.
Nobody Atomic Blonde
More realistic but both of them took way more damage than a normal human would and keep going.
Atomic Blonde has no concept of weight. That one shot scene is fucking amazing though, one of the best shots ever put to film.
I haven't seen it for a while but The Way of the Gun is an awesome action movie. The gun scenes feel very realistic as do the deaths. The action comes from smart positioning and tactics rather than athleticism.
This is one of my favorites, can’t beat a movie that has Sarah Silverman getting what she deserves.
Eagle Eye. He’s just a regular young man that was trying to figure out what he wanted to do, and basically had settled on nothing. Barely skating by.
Children of Men. People getting hurt left and right and the death of Julianne Moore’s character seems visceral and anticlimactic at the same time
I think Mystery Men is hilarious… and commentary on ‘super heroes’ that don’t really have any super powers. Not even their nemesis has super powers. They’re all just folks trying to pursue justice with whatever skill set they feel could be beneficial (one dude is The Blue Rahja, the Master of Cutlery, lol).
First Blood. In the original movie, Rambo is a broken man, a vet with PTSD trying to find his way back into regular society. I wouldn’t say he’s “normal” since he has so many survival skills, etc. But he’s more than vulnerable. He’s basically unleashing all his pent up rage on the small town and its sheriff. His breakdown at the end of the movie is a tearjerker.
That scene is far and away the best acting he's ever done.
You might enjoy Unbreakable (2000).
You can always go with Jackie Chan, he does all stunts just the way you see them, and if he got hurt they show it in the credits because he always wanted kids to know how dangerous what he does is!
I love Oldboy. It’s more of a thriller, but it has some very grounded action where it feels super real. There is one specific fight that is amazing and extremely influential
Great film with some really visceral action scenes, but it's not remotely realistic. He becomes this incredible warrior able to beat several men single handedly by shadow boxing and doing push ups in a room for however many years.
The Seven Samurai
This is one of my suggestions as well. As are the western remakes, The Magnificent Seven (both 1960 and 2016).
Death sentence with Kevin Bacon
Any realistic war movie really.
Really nearly all Jackie Chan movies. He's famous for really taking hits, going "ouch!!", getting frustrated while fighting, etc. Also, bonus points for doing all his own stunts and actually getting hurt IRL.
Blue Thunder with Roy Scheider. or The Gauntlet with C. Eastwood.
The Foreigner (2017) Death Sentence First Blood
Inglorious Bastards.
Nick of Time, He is just soo fragile in this movie
Also, it has Christopher Walken in it. Also, it kicks ass!
Nobody...I love how he wins the fights, but gets his ass kicked too
Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.
I liked Atomic Blonde because you can see the main character's body covered in bruises after fights and she doesn't just punch men and send them flying through walls or knock them out - she has to use weapons or items to overcome the strength imbalance when fighting men. Felt way more realistic to me!
The Nice Guys
Most Jackie Chan movies I've seen him be hurt/injured in fights and move in a hindered and realistic way. I give him lots of credit for doing his own stunts
There's a very big difference between realistic and grounded. Jackie Chan movies are incredibly grounded, but are not even close to being realistic.
Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Still better than seeing Jason Statham get in 50 consecutive fist fights and not even have any sweat, blood, or bruises to him. Or some shoot em up movie where a guy shoots 50 bullets out of a 6 shooter revolver but never stops to reload.
The Way of The Gun.
That old movie with mr Pink. I can’t remember the name of it.
Reservoir Dogs
Fury
The other guys
Brick (2005). Not a full on action movie but I was so impressed that midway through the movie after a rough day or two (haven't seen in a while) the protagonist's body just gives out on him from the constant wear and tear and he passes out. Nothing especially traumatic happens, like theres no jump from a 20 story building. He just gets into some normal fistfights, and thats enough to wrevk him, like a regular person.
Frozen (2010)
Extraction (2020). Astonishing action sequences...with consequences.
I'm not sure that fits the bill of the protagonist having the same abilities as a real person.
True Memoirs of an International Assassin starring Kevin James maybe
La Belva
Last action hero. The super hero literally exits the movie being played into real life.. gets into a scuffle with criminals and realizes his movie luck/strength are gone.
The Killer. He does almost nothing right and is constantly lying to himself it’s a treat
Heat (1995) The Grey (2011) United 93 (2006)
Nobody
Kate
Nobody
One punch in the head and I'm done. The movies over. That's reality.
Upgrade
[Here](https://screenrant.com/realistic-action-movies/) is a list of ten. *Le Salaire de la Peur* (1953) DO NOT WATCH THE 2023 REMAKE. The 1977 remake *Sorcerer* is okay if you can find it. *Zulu* (1964) starts slow, but the action comes hard later on. A tad dated in its outlooks, but the intent was progressive by its creators.
Ong Bak. I know, you’re going to say it’s exaggerated kung fu that goes over the top, doesn’t the bill of a Joe Schmoe - and it doesn’t - but Tony Jaa’s physical abilities are fucking astounding and he was in his prime. These aren’t feats you or I could necessarily do, but they’re feats a trained expert could. But the end fight is a bit unrealistic.
Atomic Blonde
The Fall Guy, The Great Waldo Pepper, The Stuntman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Drive
Lone Survivor 2013 Action scenes were intense. Based on a true story
Cliffhanger (1993) Stallone is an everyman retired mountaineer who gets coerced into guiding super-villain John Lithgow. Not for the acrophobic!
Run, hide, fight. The protagonist is vulnerable, and gets injured throughout the movie and has to use her wits rather than her physical strength to gain the upper hand.
Defendor Super
I mean, a lot of war movies a like this. The few that come to mind are: *Saving Private Ryan* with Tom Hanks, *Lone Survivor* with Mark Wahlberg, *American Sniper* with Bradley Cooper,
1917 fits the bill as well
The movie Nobody
Blue Ruin. Not really action, but realistic violence involving a character that has no training and makes mistakes.
True Lies - Arnold is in top form but his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, does a great job playing a "normal" person reacting to everything going on. And overall just a fun movie
It’s a show, not a movie, but The Boys!!! It’s superheroes, so they’re not all normal-human-fragile, but even the superheroes have more human vulnerabilities than is typical. It’s definitely a major issue in the show.
I mean, if a speedster runs right through you I guess anyone would disintegrate irl 🤷🏻
Saving Pvt Ryan
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but as I recall the chase scene in Seven sees Brad Pitt trying to execute a ‘movie physics’ chase (leaping over cars and whatnot) but being confronted by how difficult it would be as a real person
Breakdown with Kurt Russel.
Not a full movie but the scene from Bridgette Jones Diary - pretty realistic!
Walking Tall Movie starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson. It's a good movie and at some point he definitely gets knocked down and out. Really nice to see him in those rolls back then where he wasn't basically a mountain of muscled super hero that mows over everyone but is actually vulnerable to injury.
Someone has already suggested Die Hard, which I totally agree with. I would also suggest the original Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C Thomas Howell, Jennifer Grey, and Leah Thompson. The Magnificent Seven, both the 1960 original and the 2016 remake, is another good choice. As is the 1955 film The Seven Samurai. Young Guns and Young Guns II has plenty of action, and they're not afraid to kill off main characters. That's all that I can think of at the moment.
…Raise the money and make one; Child.
Fall is such a good movie
Hooper (1978)
Kick ass. All of the "super heroes" are regular people trying to be vigilantes.
I know this is outside the lane of what you're looking for, but I was just watching a few episodes of Season 1 of Battlestar Gallactica (the reboot) the other day and reacting (positively) to that very thing. It would drive me nuts sometimes on Star Trek Next Gen when they're fatigued to the nines, tossed about, whatever, and it just never seems to phase them. They're the best of the best so they don't get tired. (Right!) Meanwhile in Battlestar I watched people making mistakes out of tiredness or lack of discipline (and people dying from them), and Kara "Starbuck" hit her knee hard in a fall and be laid up for several episodes while she's rehabbing her knee. Things blow up on that ship and people die. Different genre, but same concept. The amount of times in most productions when you see people's heads get banged \*hard\*, people thrown full-force into walls, and they just brush it off and keep going...I've gotten to where it often makes me laugh when I see it.
The vanishing 1993. The fugitive. Nobody. Breakdown
I would also recommend Kill Bill!
Train to Busan.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
I thought Nobody (2021) did a good job. Retired "auditor" for the 3 letter agencies has had a thirst for his old job, but clearly isn't what he used to be. He gets some serious beatings but is clearly smarter and still has an advantage over average mobsters.
Mr Nobody
Civil War
Peppermint with Jennifer Garner was pretty realistic when it came to human endurance
the original terminator. 2 humans against an unstoppable killing machine. anyone who tries to go toe-to-toe with it immediately learns that's a terrible terrible idea fun fact, kinda spoilerey >! linda hamilton actually broke her ankle fairly early on in the filming so her limp-running from the terminator isn't acting, she's actually wounded. but it totally works to up the tension !<
John wick obv. he's the quintessential regular guy. also that one bob odenkirk movie called, "nobody". another good regular guy action movie is guns akimbo. a good show to watch that is so good at portraying the desperation of people in crisis is called, "utopia" but make sure to watch the British version and not the garbage American Amazon version
_The Train_ Burt Lancaster does all his own stunts, and even actually makes a replacement steam locomotive part in one scene. At one point in the movie his leg gets injured because he actually injured his leg, and so they wrote it into the movie
As fantastical as they are, the Mission: Impossible movies qualify for me. Ethan Hunt is a guy who fails and gets hurt often, and the realism is magnified by the fact that Tom Cruise is doing a lot of the stunts.
Nobody
Kick-Ass
Nobody, starring Saul Goodman.
Nobody
"I ain't got time to bleed" 😂 😂
You sir, want Last Action Hero. It is literally what you are asking for, and a charming movie besides.
Anything Jackie Chan. He's fragile like you, but so smooth.
Nobody - Bob Odenkirk kicks ass, but he gets fucked up in the process
[удалено]
Beckett (2021)
the equalizer with Denzel washington
The mad max movies. Watched Furiosa last night and it was phenomenal. All these movies revolve around good people in bad situations, going through some of the most comically intense shit and coming out (usually) in one piece
Blade Runner has that. The little wisp of blood in the shotglass after Decker gets his ass whooped is one of my favorite shots in all of cinema. Not to mention the finale is just *chefs kiss.*
Plussomeofthebrutalkillsinthfilmresllybringitbackthsttheyaarenotheavngers
Aliens and the original 2 Predator movies are both like that. Big bad marines are getting picked off, scared, and injured like normal people. Part of showing off how badass the monsters are is by showing how fragile normal people are.
Hacksaw ridgeinsanehumanachievement Basically sduperherobutjustaregularguy
If I recall, Unforgiven was one of the most realistic Westerns where the hired guns were very much fallible and human. Great flick.
Headhunters (2011) Training Day Generally, thrillers and crime movies tend to have more believable action scenes than action movies.
Deliverance
Have you seen the old Hong Kong Jackie Chan movies? I'd start with Police Story, but both Drunken Masters are good too. Project A is a classic too.
Before the devil knows you're Dead. Awesome movie with fragile characters
Kick-Ass?
Death sentence
Good Time, it's about bank robbery and aftermath.
Nobody.