Action U.S.A.

How the hell is it possible that this magnificent action flick has so drastically sunk into oblivion while every possible piece of dreck from the VHS era, where some desperate people chaotically wave their arms and someone occasional fires a gun, are seen as the heartbeat of a generation. Well, the answer is relatively easy. The reason consists in the fact that the film’s creators put together the best action sequences for their grandiose stunt showreel, but somehow didn’t bother with distribution. The directorial debut of the self-proclaimed stunt legend John Stewart is lightly based on the buddy movies of the day featuring black and white lead actors, but unlike the classics of the genre, such as 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon, it doesn’t bother with developing the characters and their dynamics, because the screenplay is appropriately makeshift and serves only to very vaguely lay the groundwork for the next breakneck action sequence. Fortunately, the movie does not take itself seriously at all, so the characters and individual scenes rather come across as caricatures of genre clichés. Whereas the more recent trend is to incorporate action into drama and to connect it to the characters so that it is not merely an attraction, but also something that draws viewers in, Action U.S.A. glorifies the tradition of spectacular stunts that put the plot on hold and make viewers marvel at what the obviously suicidal stuntmen are going through to get the wow effect. Today, this style is completely out of fashion, but in the 1980s, whole movies such as the showreel Fire, Ice and Dynamite and series like the iconic The Fall Guy were built on it. Stewart and his sidekicks can’t compete with genre legend Hal Needham and his Hooper in terms of either budget or spectacle, but they definitely offset that deficit with the dangers that they face, as well as with the guilelessness with which they make their own self-realisation the priority in the film’s logic. Viewers should not shake their heads at the fact that whatever the car crashes into will explode, but instead should simply accept this fact and admire the outsized explosions and the ambition to risk one’s health and the equipment in the interest of the most effective shots. In this respect, Action U.S.A. offers amazement and rambunctious entertainment like few other films. (13.01.2021)