The Last Action Heroes
The Last Action Heroes
- Author/Seller
- Nick De Semlyen
- SKU:
- 9781529058505
$37.00
The behind-the-scenes story of the action heroes who
ruled 1980s and 90s Hollywood and the beloved films –
from Die Hard to The Terminator – that made them stars.
This wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie charts
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from
enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War.
Revealing fascinating untold stories of the colourful characters who ascended in
their wake – high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys
Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van
Damme and Bruce Willis – it tells the story of how the era of the invincible action
hero who used muscle, martial arts or the perfect weapon to save the day began to
fade. And how, when Jurassic Park trounced Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero in
1993, the glory days of these macho men – and the vision of masculinity they
celebrated – were officially over.
Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their
collaborators, friends and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred
account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights
of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.
Nick de Semlyen is the editor of Empire, the world's biggest movie magazine, and the author of Wild and Crazy Guys. As a film journalist, he has also written for Rolling Stone, Stuff, and Time Out. He lives in London.
ruled 1980s and 90s Hollywood and the beloved films –
from Die Hard to The Terminator – that made them stars.
This wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie charts
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from
enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War.
Revealing fascinating untold stories of the colourful characters who ascended in
their wake – high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys
Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van
Damme and Bruce Willis – it tells the story of how the era of the invincible action
hero who used muscle, martial arts or the perfect weapon to save the day began to
fade. And how, when Jurassic Park trounced Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero in
1993, the glory days of these macho men – and the vision of masculinity they
celebrated – were officially over.
Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their
collaborators, friends and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred
account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights
of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.
Nick de Semlyen is the editor of Empire, the world's biggest movie magazine, and the author of Wild and Crazy Guys. As a film journalist, he has also written for Rolling Stone, Stuff, and Time Out. He lives in London.
