The Last Action Heroes
The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage
Ratings5
Average rating4.4
15
The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage
Ratings5
Average rating4.4
'A blast' - Ian Rankin 'A lively celebration of 1980s action stars' - The Times 'Hugely entertaining' - Edgar Wright Now with BONUS MATERIAL, from the editor of Empire magazine this is the behind-the-scenes story of the golden age of the action movie, the stars who ruled 80s and 90s Hollywood and the beloved films – from Die Hard to The Terminator – that made them famous. Charting Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War. It also reveals the untold stories of the colourful characters, from Steven Seagal to Bruce Willis, who ascended in their wake. These invincible action heroes used muscle, martial arts or the perfect weapon to save the day, becoming pop-culture titans. Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their collaborators, friends and foes, Nick de Semlyen' s The Last Action Heroes chronicles how, as the 1990s rolled in, the glory days of these macho men began to fade, but how the mayhem they wrought on screen and off excites us still.
Reviews with the most likes.
I reallllly enjoyed this cultural history of the stars and movies within the muscle boom boom sub genre!
The Last Action Heroes is a wonderful retelling of the glory years of the action movie. It's packed full of anecdotes on the biggest stars of the time, and the crazy stuff happening both on and off camera.
The Last Action Heroes is a wildly entertaining and insightful look behind the scenes of some of the biggest action movies and stars of the 1980s and 1990s. Author Nick de Semlyen has done an incredible amount of research, conducting new interviews and digging up fascinating anecdotes and details about the making of famous action flicks and the real-life dramas surrounding their muscle-bound leading men.
The book is structured around profiles of the reigning “Kings of Carnage” from that era - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Dolph Lundgren among others. De Semlyen pulls back the curtain on the excesses, ego clashes, and crazy stunts that went into blockbusters like Rambo, Die Hard, The Terminator, Universal Soldier, and more.
The stories are jaw-dropping and hilarious, like Stallone trying to fire Dolph Lundgren as his opponent in Rocky IV because he was too gigantic and intimidating, or the battles between Stallone and Schwarzenegger over who got to star in certain roles first. There are also poignant moments examining the toll the action hero life took on things like their personal relationships and long-term health.
What makes the book so gripping is de Semlyen's eye for little known details and his ability to capture the big personalities and competitive streaks of these iconic badasses of the big screen. He clearly has a deep affection for the action genre and its stars, celebrating their most legendary achievements while also cheekily calling out their most laughable misfires.
Overall, The Last Action Heroes is an absolute must-read for any fan of 1980s and 90s Hollywood and action movies. It's insightful, funny, wildly entertaining, and gives a whole new appreciation for the punishing work and outrageous real-life dramas that went into making these classic films. An fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the Kings of Carnage.
Rating: 5/5 stars
