Despite the fact that the summing up of combat films over the past year unplannedly stretched over months, we hope you are still interested in our analytics and debriefing. Interesting, right? Is it true? Today, for example, let’s look at the penultimate batch of results. Meet: Best Action, Best Sports Drama и Best Action Series 2017 according to our site users!
Best action movie 2017
A powerful nomination, and the genre seems to be more alive than dead. But again there were some surprises, although many worthy options were proposed, where all the components of a classic action movie are quite present. Fortunately, the gold medalist is clear, which makes us happy.
John Wick 2 (dir. Chad Stahelski, 2017) 22%
Even ardent opponents of the duology about the calm-as-a-tank assassin nicknamed “Baba Yaga” (okay, okay, he’s the Boogeyman) should have no doubt that this is a fresh breath for the “pensioners are back in business” genre. This is largely the merit of the directors who came from the stunt fraternity, and, in fact, the stunt team itself. The first film was good, but the second gave us not only shootouts, chases, hand-to-hand combat and interesting secondary characters, it gave us style, even smoother camera work, play with shadows and colors, amazing music, and also what they call serious film critics, - the story of a small moment.
Yes Yes exactly! After all, there are episodes in the film that are firmly etched in the memory: be it the suicide of the baroness performed by the most beautiful Claudia Gerini, be it a fight of heroes Keanu Reeves и Ruby Rose in the hall of mirrors (bow to the creators of one famous film with the legendary Bruce Lee) or whether it’s a meeting of old friends from the trilogy "Matrix" Laurence Fishburne и Keanu Reeves.
Well, with action John Wick 2 complete order: there is also a lot of hand-to-hand combat, shootouts a la “gun-fu”, stunt tricks, car and motorcycle chases... All this is presented so “tasty” that the second film about Wick can rightfully be called the best action movie of 2017. By the way, almost all publications that have summed up similar results agree with us. Well, or we are with them...
The Foreigner (dir. Martin Campbell, 2017) 15%
Significantly from "John Wick" lagged behind "Foreigner" Martin Campbell with other “pensioners” in leading roles. And it’s not that “The Foreigner” is a direct action movie, it’s more of a drama with action elements, but grandpa Jackie Chan turned out to be so cool in the role of a broken former military man who will stop at nothing to avenge his daughter that people began to vote for him. And yes, Jackie Chan, thanks to this particular role, took second place in the nomination "Best Action Film Actor" for the last year.
The film is dark, oppressive and devoid of bright colors. It’s not just that the action takes place either in gray London or in no less gray Scotland. Chan looks great in dramatic roles. So much so that Pierce Brosnan, written for the second main role, is somewhat lost, although he gives a couple of noticeable performances in the film. Of course, everyone expected a shootout or hand-to-hand combat between Chan and retired James Bond, but “The Foreigner” is not about that, it’s about something else. Although, here, of course, not without explosions, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat. Apparently, thanks to this, “Foreigner” took silver.
Undisputed 4 (dir. Todor Chapkanov, 2016) 15%
Having collected exactly the same number of votes as the previous film with Jackie Chan (18 each), another "Boyka", which absolutely undeniably runs as a red line through all our results. Adkins - best action movie actor, and the fourth film in the series "Undeniable" took gold in the category "Martial arts movie" and grabbed as many as two places in the nomination "Best Screen Fight".
But no, a new film about the adventures of a Russian prisoner, skillfully distributing guy-kicks left and right, wanted to share second position with “Foreigner” in this nomination as well. I mean, that’s what those who voted for the fourth “Undisputed” decided. But we, honestly, don’t quite understand what is there from the classic action movie here. On the contrary, this is a classic martial arts movie, where the gun is picked up only to threaten the plot. No shootouts, no chases, no “action” scenario of any kind. This is the same “Undisputed” from Adkins, whose hero deals punches exclusively in the ring, and in small street brawls.
However... This is what Boyka’s magic is like...
Atomic Blonde (dir. David Leitch, 2017) 14%
Third place and another frequent guest in our results for 2017, isn’t this an indicator of a high-quality and good action movie? "Explosive Blonde" from the director of the first "John Wick" and with a magnificent Charlize Theron starring. David Leitch follows the beaten path, filming Wick in a Skirt, but in a more interesting setting of troubled Berlin in the mid-80s. Instead of comic book assassins, there are spies and undercover secret agents. No less comic, it should be said.
But the main thing in Atomic Blonde is, of course, the action component. The guys from the stunt team are back in action 87eleven, which, as in the case of the Wick duology, give their all for cool pictures and dynamic scenes. Straight from the first "John Wick" to "Blonde" he migrated Daniel Barnhard, who played a bright and interesting supporting role, for which, by the way, he was awarded first place in the nomination by the users of our site "Cabinet of the Year". All this is played out so competently, professionally and with soul that you can and should enjoy “Blonde”, even despite the simple plot. Which is not surprising, because at the helm there are fans of their business. The scene in the film, performed without visible cuts, deserves special attention. In it, Theron's heroine desperately fights bandits, has a one-on-one duel with Daniel Bernhard, and escapes from her pursuers in a car. This truly sophisticated, cool and professionally staged scene undoubtedly added points to the film.
In our humble opinion, Atomic Blonde deserves second place, but the fact that the film was included in the short list of winners is already good, because this work is worthy of it!
Sports drama 2017
The genre of sports drama is traditionally not popular among users of our site. This shows the number of votes well. However, keeping in mind that without sports dramas an action movie would not be “complete,” people suggested extremely interesting films in this category. It’s nice that these films are produced in different countries: the USA, Great Britain, Japan, France, India and even Russia. Each of the films presented is worthy of watching, but it seems we knew the winner in advance...
The Real Rocky (dir. Philippe Falardeau, 2017) 32%
In nomination "Sports Drama 2016" another film about the legendary Rocky Bolboa. Well, not about him, of course, but about his student Creede, but it still made us think that the best sports drama of 2017 would be a film about the boxer who was the inspiration for Rocky.
Film "The Real Rocky" (in original - "Bleeder") is a classic drama about the rise to the pinnacle of fame and how a man falls from that pinnacle. The title boxing fight with Muhammad Ali takes place in the middle of the film and is not the central event; the narrative continues and the viewer continues to follow the fate of Chuck Wepner.
The rustic plot and the sagging beginning of the picture are more than compensated for by the brilliant acting Liev Schreiber in a central role. He masterfully conveys every emotion during the different stages of the famous boxer's life. The secondary caste is not far behind. In this film, in general, everything and everyone is in its place. Apparently, that’s why “The Real Rocky” took first place.
Dangal (dir. Nitesh Tiwari, 2017) 20%
Coming well behind The Real Rocky, in second place is another film based on real events, but this time from India. "Dangal" - this is a movie that you don’t expect from Bollywood, because the film is tailored and shot quite in a European style. Of course, this does not mean that there are no songs and dances in Dangal, but it is about something else.
Great Amir Khan plays a real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who, being a poor man, trained his daughters to become Olympic champions. This is what the film is dedicated to, balancing between family and sports drama, switching to comedic moments and typical “Bollywood”. But all this is done and acted out so well that almost three hours fly by unnoticed - the story and the picture are so captivating.
Sports dramas are not uncommon in India. There were also "Brothers"and "Sultan". We are definitely pleased that “Dangal” stood next to these films on a par, and maybe even came out a little ahead. In any case, “Dangal” received second place in our voting and deservedly received it.
The Village (dir. Pavel Mednikov, 2017) / The Fencer (dir. Klaus Härö, 2016) / Jaw (dir. Thomas K. Napper, 2017) 10%
Bronze pedestal, as in the case of the nomination "Most Anticipated Film", divide three paintings at once. It is interesting that these are completely different films in terms of content and country of origin, which, however, deserve attention.
Russian film "Village" was not widely released and is a very “local” project, which did not stop its creators from adequately telling the story about a Greco-Roman wrestling coach and his students in the setting of the provincial town of Berdsk. Already on our website review to “The Village” and it says enough. It only remains to add that the 7 votes that Berd’s film received indicate that the film is gradually finding its audience and such independent projects are becoming more noticeable. This means that these same people will not stop and will continue to film. This is the main thing.
Finnish sports drama "Swordsman" interesting not only for the chosen topic (there are few films about fencing) and the story of a real-life Estonian coach Endel Nelis, but also with a pleasant picture and mesmerizing musical accompaniment. By the way, the fencing itself is presented through music, which undoubtedly adds beauty to the film.
As in the case of “The Village,” this film focuses on teaching children in a small post-war town, but the main character has a terrible past that overtakes Endel not only in his own nightmares, but also, as they say, in reality. “The Fencer” is an auteur film, and, despite the obvious political overtones that cast the Soviet Union in an unflattering light, it is good. What both critics and film academics noted was that the film was included in the preliminary list of foreign films competing for an Oscar. It also shares third place in the Sports Drama category.
Film "Jaw" comes from the UK and tells a fairly typical story of a former boxer suffering from alcoholism, and out of desperation decided to take part in fights without rules. And it’s hard for us to say what made the film so captivating to our voting participants. We understand that seven voices is not such an indicator, but “Jaws” has a certain charm. Of course, this film does not live up to the best representatives of the genre, but it is carried upward by excellent actors. Johnny Harris sits in the role of a broken man like a glove, and in the background they give wonderful performances Ian McShane и Michael Smiley. Apparently, that's why people voted for "Jaw."
Action series 2017
Series with an action component are still popular due to the fashion for comic book adaptations. Now that television screens are flooded with comic book films from Marvel и DCWhen large television studios film famous literary works in the science fiction genre, interesting directors and stuntmen are attracted to the projects. But strong stories are still valued first and foremost, which is why we didn’t even doubt the winner.
The Punisher (2017) 33%
The story of one of the darkest heroes of the comic universe Marvel, created by the most famous cable channel Netflix the majority immediately liked it thanks to the strong production, interesting plot and the main character performed by Jon Bernthal. His Frank Castle is considered to be the best incarnation of this character to date (by the way, what do you think?), and the atmosphere of the series is compared to the atmosphere of the game franchise "Max Payne".
Unfortunately, there is not much action in the series, but what there is is bright and memorable. And the final fight between Castle and the main antagonist turned out to be so furious and, as they say, “on nerves” that it was included in the list of proposed fights for the nomination "Best Screen Fight". In total, 29 votes and an unconditional victory.
Game of Thrones. Season 7 (2017) 16%
As in let down results for 2016, the main fantasy series of our time "Game of Thrones", again found itself in second place among the best TV series of the past year. And, frankly, the seventh season deserves this place much more than the sixth. Mainly due to the increased number of battle scenes not only with the undead, but also with living people. This season the epic level has also increased. The creators of the series mix all this and present it in the form of well-constructed scenes that can give even major historical projects for a big movie a run for their money. Among such battle scenes, there were even a couple filmed with the effect of one take.
Overall, the fan base for the series is still strong, which means that Game of Thrones is firmly entrenched among action series. At least on our website. It’s even a little pity that the creators of the series took a break and the next season awaits us only in 2019.
In the desert of death. Season 2 (2017) 14%
This is the kind of series that is “profile” for our brother, it’s post-apocalyptic "In the Desert of Death" с Daniel Wu, who is familiar with martial arts firsthand. In addition, famous stunt teams are working on the series.
The second season of the series went somewhere in the plot, but it still had beautifully filmed fights. In addition, a one-on-one fight between Daniel Wu и Cung Le, which everyone was waiting for in the first season, still took place in the second.
The characters are still cool, the plot (albeit smaller) is still gripping, and the directors and stuntmen still know their stuff. It's nice that the series has been renewed for a third season and soon we will continue to watch the adventures of the swordsman Sunny. The bronze medal goes to “In the Desert of Death” and is completely deserved!
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Tags: 87eleven, Atomic Blonde, Boyka: Undisputed, Game of Thrones, Into the badlands, Jawbone, John Wick: Chapter Two, Netflix, The Bleeder, The fencer, The Foreigner, The Punisher, Amir Khan, Bollywood, Village, Jackie Chan, Jon Bernthal, Johnny Harris, David Leitch, Daniel Bernhard, Daniel Wu, results of action cinema 2017, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Klaus Härö, Kung Le, Liv Schreiber, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Smiley, Martin Campbell, Nitesh Tiwari, Pavel Mednikov, Pierce Brosnan, Ruby Rose, Scott Adkins, Todor Chapkanov, Thomas K. Napper, Philip Falardo, Charlize Theron
Tags: 87eleven, Atomic Blonde, Boyka: Undisputed, Game of Thrones, Into the badlands, Jawbone, John Wick: Chapter Two, Netflix, The Bleeder, The fencer, The Foreigner, The Punisher, Amir Khan, Bollywood, Village, Jackie Chan, Jon Bernthal, Johnny Harris, David Leitch, Daniel Bernhard, Daniel Wu, results of action cinema 2017, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Klaus Härö, Kung Le, Liv Schreiber, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Smiley, Martin Campbell, Nitesh Tiwari, Pavel Mednikov, Pierce Brosnan, Ruby Rose, Scott Adkins, Todor Chapkanov, Thomas K. Napper, Philip Falardo, Charlize Theron
Thanks for the review. Very informative. Unfortunately, I haven't seen many of the films yet. But thanks to the nominations, I know what to expect. :)
I’ll probably watch both Wicks too, and at the same time I’ll trace the plot parallels between the two films, otherwise I went to the second one and remembered almost nothing from the first. Thanks for your hard work!
I join in thanking you for the publication. Moreover, I enjoyed watching all the mentioned films and TV series.
As an addition, yesterday I watched Adkins’ work as a producer - “The Debt Collector” by Jesse Johnson, unexpectedly for Adkins, from my point of view, interesting in terms of dialogue and plot. The combat is quite “applied” and not boring. Scott honestly tries to play not only action, but also drama, and... loses to his co-star))). And yet, still - I recommend, as already mentioned somewhere here, an attempt to go BEYOND the image of Boyko.
Alex Permin,
I agree, the film turned out decent. More of these conversational roles for Scott. Louis Mandylor, of course, was more charismatic, but Scott is also good, playing in contrast. I think who will be the best action actor of this year is already clear)) And yes, this is the second film in a row with Scott, where first of all there is a plot, dialogues and characters, and fights with shootouts as necessary, and this is the right approach.
Thank you for another voluminous publication. I always read the results with interest. And, yes, I’m glad for the victory of the second “John Wick”. Just yesterday I even had the desire to review both parts. I'm looking forward to the third part and the series "Hotel Continental". I think it will be interesting and spectacular!