In my review of Ballerina, I mentioned that there’s been a trend of amazing and unorthodox action films in recent years. In this article I’m going to try and break down what makes these films unique and how they are examples of New Wave Action.
If there’s going to be a discussion about New Wave Action, I have to illustrate what I mean by Old School Action. I define Old School as the testosterone-fueled films of Stallone or Schwarzenegger, the one-liners of Bruce Willis, or the slap-stick martial arts of Jackie Chan.
In the 2010s we got a different flavor of action star, grounded and cohesive fight choreography, and most importantly, pain that actually looks like it hurts. You can see the DNA of New Wave Action in hits like The Raid and John Wick. Now if you’re an action-head you already know why those movies are great, so I feel no need to discuss them further. However, people might not be aware of the other films from the same era that are just as important to the New Wave Action canon.
The Man From Nowhere is like the Rosetta Stone of New Wave Action. You can see the film’s influence on everything from John Wick to Victor Santos’s Polar graphic novels. What really makes The Man From Nowhere groundbreaking is the level of physical and emotional consequences for the protagonist. It’s not just about being badass, cool, or even good. Also, in being a Korean film, we are not guaranteed a “Hollywood ending” which adds an extra level of tension to every fight.
There were also films that skirted the line between action and drama. In No Tears For The Dead, an assassin accidentally kills a child then develops complex feelings for the child’s mother. A large portion of the film is actually devoted to seeing the mother mourn her loss to the point where you forget you’re watching an action film. When the action starts it’s not an escapist power fantasy but another layer of tragedy added on top.
Similarly, in A Company Man, an assassin falls in love with a single mother and we’re treated to a well- crafted and charming romance. The romance is bittersweet by the fact that this is an action film– the impending doom feels like a sword of Damocles hanging over the relationship. The violence that follows is also more tragic than escapist. What makes these action films so unique is that they have the courage to make the viewer feel vulnerable rather than just feeling like a badass. If you try to judge a New Wave Action film by the tropes of Old School flicks you will have missed the point entirely.
There are many films that I would consider to be part of the New Wave Action. The twisted modern fairytale of Hanna, the reinvention of the exploitation film in Revenge and Everly, the use of first person POV in Hardcore Henry and The Villainess. Or I could just list other films to watch if you liked The Raid, like Headshot and The Night Comes for Us.
However, to close out I wanted to focus on the more recent examples of Baby Assassins, the Witch films, Kill Boksoon, Ballerina, and Furies. Each of films have brutally visceral action, their own aesthetic identity, and kick-ass heroines to boot!
Baby Assassins hits differently than most action comedy films because murder is treated like a day job. The lead characters are amoral yet relatable in their depiction of roommate life. Baby Assassins is a breath of fresh air from the more serious action films that wallow in the moral ambiguity of the character’s violent actions. No matter how insane the plot gets, the film never loses its heart. This multi-tonality is refreshing and uniquely Japanese.
The fact that I’m talking about The Witch films three times means how gnarly this series is. I fall into a small camp who feels that action movies aren’t violent enough. The Witch films blend action, drama, and horror in a way I’ve never seen before and can’t get enough of. The nearly limitless power of the Witches is justified because of their horror roots.
Kill Boksoon manages to balance a drama about a daughter coming out as queer to her mother with the mother holding down a job as an elite assassin. The interplay between relationship dramas and hardcore fights is a recurring factor in New Wave Action. Kill Boksoon has its own brand of badass that others should learn from.
Ballerina shines in its stylized color palette and moody aesthetics. I wish more action films had the courage to communicate their stories nonverbally. Character and emotion are conveyed through set design and “mise-en-scene” as much as actors emoting. Ballerina weaves together the real and the spectacular. Come for the grounded action then stay for the chainsaws and flamethrowers.
Furies is possibly one of the most unflinching yet empathic portrayals of abuse, trauma, and sisterhood on the list. The visceral nature of the subject matter would make most filmmakers and many audience members run in the opposite direction. Miraculously, Furies manages to deliver incredibly fun character dynamics, thrilling action set-pieces, and emotionally harrowing scenes. The duel with a drug addict using their own syringe as a weapon is a prime example of the twisted brilliance Furies has to offer.
As we enter further into a new era of action entertainment, I hope that filmmakers and film critics will look at the innovations being made within New Wave Action. It’s easy to feel like “cinema is dying” or we’re trapped in a Matrix-like hellscape of derivative films. But if you widen your palette you will find a treasure trove of excellent stories waiting to rock you to the core.
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