1st Edition
by James Kendrick (Editor)
An authoritative guide to the action-packed film genre
With 24 incisive, cutting-edge contributions from esteemed scholars and critics, A Companion to the Action Filmprovides
an authoritative and in-depth guide to this internationally popular and
wide-ranging genre. As the first major anthology on the action film in
more than a decade, the volume offers insights into the genre’s
historical development, explores its production techniques and visual
poetics, and provides reflections on the numerous social, cultural, and
political issues it has and continues to embody.
A Companion to the Action Film offers
original research and critical analysis that examines the iconic
characteristics of the genre, its visual aesthetics, and its narrative
traits; considers the impact of major directors and stars on the genre’s
evolution; puts the action film in dialogue with various technologies
and other forms of media such as graphic novels and television; and maps
out new avenues of critical study for the future. This important
resource:
- Offers a definitive guide to the action film
- Contains insightful contributions from a wide range of international film experts and scholars
- Reviews the evolution of the genre from the silent era to today’s age of digital blockbusters
- Offers nuanced commentary and analysis of socio-cultural issues such as race, nationality, and gender in action films
Written for scholars, teachers and students in film studies, film theory, film history, genre studies, and popular culture, A Companion to the Action Film is an essential guide to one of international cinema’s most important, popular, and influential genres.
