THIS WEEK: ’80s Action Heroes
THE FILMS: Rocky III (1982, Sylvester Stallone), Commando (1985, Mark L. Lester), First Blood (1982, Ted Kotcheff)
1980s Hollywood was a landscape rich with American Superpower energy, post-Vietnam trauma, and unparalleled violence on screen. And for the better part of the decade, two men were at the center of it all.
In his latest book, The Last Action Heroes, author Nick de Semlyen examines how Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger—along with their mile-wide egos—used guns and muscles to become action icons. But their reign as the Kings of Tinseltown would be short-lived. As 1990 grew closer, people like Bruce Willis, Steven Seagal, and Jean-Claude Van Damme picked up the mantle. For the better part of the decade though, nobody could touch them. That’s the time we’re celebrating with this week’s triple feature. There is a plethora of films to pick from, but these three are at the top of the heap. So dust off the VCR, cue the synth music, and dive in—then be sure to pick up Nick’s amazing book.
