Mary D. Brown - Favorite Action Movies

Action Movies
	Lethal Weapon A Classic. Only after seeing Ransom did I seek out other movies that Mel has starred in and hit on Lethal Weapon. Mel has some great scenes playing suicidal LA cop, Martin Riggs, who's wife has recently been killed in a car crash. This isn't just an "action movie," it's a movie with action but most importantly a plot, and great characters and actors.
	The Terminator One of the great love stories of our time spiced with the intriguing twist of time travel, Terminator is an all-out great movie. Produced on a relatively low budget, it had to count on story and believable characters to get there. And The Terminator hits the mark.
	The Hunt for Red October The first of the Jack Ryan films (from the work of Tom Clancy) gives us Alec Baldwin in the role of Ryan and Sean Connery as the skipper of a Russian nuclear submarine wanting to defect to the West. I'm a big Harrison Ford fan but have always thought Baldwin better fit the character of Jack Ryan. This movie is incredible, with an excellent sound track.
	Top Gun Non-stop action, again one of the few movies I've purchased several times and saw many, many times during it's 1986 theatrical run. A some-what hokey, cliched story, but the excellent special effects and non-stop pacing, make it a prime candidate for repeat viewings.
	Robocop Graphic Violence but also a great story of humanity. "Murphy, it's you," says x-partner Lewis (Joan Allen) when she meets RoboCop and discerns the similarities to her deceased partner. A great ending as well.
	Terminator 2 - Judgment Day A worthy sequel to The Terminator. This film featured much more extensive special-effects and a script that effectively carried on the story from the first film. I was glad to see Arnold return this time as the good Terminator.
	Lethal Weapon 2 An extension of the original, which carried forward the story of Riggs (Mel Gibson) as the potentially suicidal/maniacal cop bent only on justice. I liked the way this movie completed the story of Mel's wife's death, and put it all together in a highly satisfying conclusion.
	The Road Warrior Mad Max strikes again. This is definitely a situation in which the sequel surpasses the original (Mad Max). In a post-apocalyptic world, Max roams the countryside in search of his next tank of gas.
	Das Boot The ultimate war film showing the dark and gritty reality of submarine warfare. The 209 minute "Director's Cut" version takes you along with the crew to the horrors of war most of us can only imagine. And even then, hardly quite fathom.
	Die Hard Action and terror as NY cop John McClane struggles to free 20 hostages, including his estranged wife, from terrorists. I'd never been much of a Bruce Willis fan, but he is actually a decent actor.
	Lethal Weapon 3 Starting to lose the "lethal" touch but still a great ride. Riggs and Murtagh (Danny Glover) are again teamed up "getting the bad guys." I enjoyed the scenes with Mel and Renee Russo.