Art of Action: Celebrating the Real Action Stars of Cinema
It’s time to celebrate the skill and daring of actors and stunt performers whose extraordinary on-screen exploits push the boundaries of filmmaking.
‘If I hadn’t trained so hard, I would not have survived this picture!’
– Linda Hamilton on Terminator 2: Judgment Day
From the moment that film cameras first started rolling, the choreography of action has helped to shape the language of cinema. Early action films, such as the swashbucklers of Douglas Fairbanks, introduced audiences to chase sequences, protagonists in peril and breathtaking – sometimes even literal – cliffhangers. These films would have a profound influence on subsequent directors. In this nationwide season, we will be launching you into the explosive world of action stunt-work – from early pioneers to the boundary-pushing films of Hong Kong, Bollywood and today’s new wave of action stars. At BFI Southbank, programmers Dick Fiddy and Kimberley Sheehan concentrate on several themes alongside stunts, from the women of action and Hong Kong master John Woo to the unbridled cinematic power of Bollywood. They also chart the course of action cinema with a special, all-action-themed Big Screen Classics.
Ti Singh, BFI FAN season producer
Additional notes by Geoff Andrew, Ian Haydn Smith and Madeleine Mullett.
With thanks to
A BFI FAN initiative supported through National Lottery.
Events
Woman Kings
Celebrate the women of action, both in front of and behind the camera.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Linda Hamilton brings the action in James Cameron’s landmark futuristic spectacular.
Executioners
Martial art icons Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung reunite in this sequel to The Heroic Trio.
The Long Kiss Goodnight
A woman suffering from amnesia finds danger awakens her dormant previous character – that of a lethal CIA agent.
The Long Kiss Goodnight + intro by Melanie Hoyes, BFI Director of Inclusion
A woman suffering from amnesia finds danger awakens her dormant previous character – that of a lethal CIA agent.
Run Lola Run
Time twisting thriller with Franka Potente excelling as the titular runner, attempting to save her boyfriend.
The Woman King
This thrilling action epic, brimming with phenomenal female performances, is an absolute triumph.
The Woman King + intro
This thrilling action epic, brimming with phenomenal female performances, is an absolute triumph.
Polite Society + Q&A with director Nida Manzoor
Nida Manzoor’s hilarious and exhilarating action comedy is a stunt action knockout!
John Woo Focus
His stylised and entertaining take on the action film has made John Woo a pioneer of the genre. We look at the influential master’s Hollywood years and a spectacular, rarely screened period epic.
Hard Target
John Woo’s first US film paired him with action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays an ex-marine reluctantly drawn into a confrontation with ruthless criminals.
Hard Target + intro by Ti Singh, BFI FAN season producer
John Woo’s first US film paired him with action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays an ex-marine reluctantly drawn into a confrontation with ruthless criminals.
Broken Arrow
John Travolta and Christian Slater go head-to-head in John Woo’s glorious actioner.
Face/Off
John Woo’s finest US film is both an essential staple of 90s Hollywood and a delirious, borderline insane action thriller.
Red Cliff
The end of the Han Dynasty is the backdrop to John Woo’s recreation of an epic historical battle, which this film traces the genesis of.
Red Cliff II
The second part of John Woo’s stunning period epic details the build-up to the conflict at the titular port and then recreates the battle with breathtaking aplomb.
Bollywood
Bollywood has always brought great intensity and spectacular stunts to action cinema. We present two glorious gems from the 2000s alongside a recent smash hit.
Main Hoon Na
Part thriller, part high-school comedy, this genre-blending Masala hit is pure entertainment.
Main Hoon Na + intro by BFI Product Manager Zenobia Bharmal
Part thriller, part high-school comedy, this genre-blending Masala hit is pure entertainment.
RRR
An Oscar-winning blast of excitement and pure spectacle – action cinema pushed up to 11!
Big Screen Classics: The History of Action
A whistlestop tour through the history of the genre with a collection of landmark films.
Safety Last!
Silent star Harold Lloyd takes the art of action to (literally) new heights. Plus a Buster Keaton short involving one of his most celebrated stunts.
The Mark of Zorro
Douglas Fairbanks in a swashbuckling adventure that was a landmark in the development of the action genre.
The Mark of Zorro + intro by Bryony Dixon, curator, BFI National Archive
Douglas Fairbanks in a swashbuckling adventure that was a landmark in the development of the action genre.
Battleship Potemkin
Eisenstein’s memorably kinetic documentary-style recreation of a 1905 naval mutiny against Tsarist oppression, culminating in the famous Odessa steps sequence.
Captain Blood + intro
Errol Flynn crosses swords with Basil Rathbone in this lavish action epic.
The Thief of Bagdad
A classic Arabian fantasy, with witty escapist exoticism, marvellous Technicolor, and superb sets, costumes and special effects.
Seven Samurai
Rice farmers hire a band of samurai to defend them against marauding bandits in Akira Kurosawa’s influential epic, showing here in a digital 4K restoration.
Goldfinger 60th anniversary screenings
A special 60th anniversary screening of the quintessential James Bond movie.
Goldfinger 60th anniversary screening + intro by season programmer Dick Fiddy
A special 60th anniversary screening of the quintessential James Bond movie.
The Train
Frankenheimer’s slick, suspenseful action classic finds members of the French Resistance trying to prevent Nazis from escaping with impressionist masterpieces.
Bullitt
A landmark action-movie memorable for its exhilarating extended car chase around the hills of San Francisco.
Enter the Dragon
Bone-crunching martial arts action as Bruce Lee takes on all comers in this game-changing classic.
Enter the Dragon + intro by film critic Katie Smith-Wong
Bone-crunching martial arts action as Bruce Lee takes on all comers in this game-changing classic.
Three the Hard Way
A trio of Blaxploitation genre heroes assemble to fight a white supremacist group bent on poisoning the Black population of major US cities.
Three the Hard Way + intro by Ti Singh, BFI FAN season producer
A trio of Blaxploitation genre heroes assemble to fight a white supremacist group bent on poisoning the Black population of major US cities.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
The second and arguably best of the Mad Max movies – taut, witty and breathlessly kinetic.
Police Story
Global action icon Jackie Chan stars in a barnstorming masterpiece featuring balletic action and insane stunts.
Police Story + panel discussion with Action Xtreme
Global action icon Jackie Chan stars in a barnstorming masterpiece featuring balletic action and insane stunts.
Taxi
Fast and furious car-chase chaos is key to this action film, which kick-started a hugely successful franchise.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee’s mesmerising masterpiece fuses sumptuous melodrama and action, while playing homage to wuxia classics of old.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon + intro
Ang Lee’s mesmerising masterpiece fuses sumptuous melodrama and action, while playing homage to wuxia classics of old.
District B13
Martial arts action combines with parkour in this exhilarating thrill-ride set in a dystopian near-future.
District B13 + intro by Chee Keong Cheung, writer, director, producer and CEO of Action Xtreme
Martial arts action combines with parkour in this exhilarating thrill-ride set in a dystopian near-future.
IMAX
Mission: Impossible All-Nighter
Join Ethan Hunt as he attempts to stop the cataclysmic plans of his foes in this showcase of the franchise’s peak entries.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee’s mesmerising masterpiece fuses sumptuous melodrama and action, while playing homage to wuxia classics of old.
Want more?
See our Silent Cinema screening Girls Without Nerves: Action Women of the Silent Era.
BFI Riverfront will be closed on Thursday 3 October 2024 for a private event.
BFI Membership
Become a BFI Member from £39 to enjoy priority booking as well as other great benefits all year round.
Join today
