The romantic subplots in action movies tend to feel tacked-on and perfunctory. Audiences go to action films to watch the heroes dive away from explosions and get into high-speed car chases, not fall in love. But some action movies have great romances running alongside the explosive set-pieces.
From Neo and Trinity in The Matrix to James Bond and Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale to Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, some action movies’ love stories are as compelling as the shootouts and fist fights.
Baby Driver Adds Romance To Its Genre Cocktail
The biggest box office hit of Edgar Wright’s career, Baby Driver, is many things. It’s a crime caper, a jukebox musical, and an action-packed car chase movie rolled into one. As if that wasn’t an ambitious enough genre cocktail, there’s also a love story thrown in there.
At first, Baby’s only motivation is to pay off his debt to a crime boss by working as a getaway driver. But that all changes when he falls for a waitress named Debora.
Tony And Pepper’s Banter In Iron Man Is Ripped Straight From A Screwball Comedy
The romantic subplots in formulaic Marvel movies usually feel especially tacked-on and unnecessary, like Stephen Strange’s passionless relationship with Christine Palmer and Steve Rogers’ controversial romance with Sharon Carter. But the first MCU movie, Iron Man, has a love story that’s just as compelling as the action.
Tony Stark’s snappy repartee with Pepper Potts is ripped straight from a classic screwball comedy. Gwyneth Paltrow does a great job of keeping up with Robert Downey, Jr.’s ad-libs.
Top Gun: Maverick Has A Stronger Romantic Arc Than The Original
The first Top Gun movie had a great love story between Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Kelly McGillis’ Charlie Blackwood, but it was overshadowed by the love between Maverick and his wingman Goose. The recently released sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, has a much stronger romantic arc.
Cruise shares great chemistry with Jennifer Connelly in the role of Maverick’s old flame Penny Benjamin, a single mother and bar owner. Her daughter perfectly sums up the conflict of their relationship: “Please don’t break her heart again.”
John McClane Reconnects With His Estranged Wife In Die Hard
When John McClane arrives at Nakatomi Plaza at the beginning of Die Hard, the biggest problem on his mind is his strained relationship with his wife Holly. In the lobby of her office, he learns that she’s gone back to using her maiden name. He plans to use her office Christmas party to make amends for staying in New York while she moved to L.A. to advance her career.
And then, of course, the party is interrupted by Hans Gruber and his terrorist cohorts. McClane’s quest to liberate the building from an armed takeover is secondary to his quest to win back his wife.
Neo Is Motivated By His Love Of Trinity In The Matrix
When office drone Thomas Anderson is unplugged from the simulation, given the name “Neo,” and introduced to the real world in The Matrix, he’s told that he’s “The One” who will save the world. But he’s not motivated by his messianic destiny to become the Christ figure who will liberate humanity from the machines; he’s motivated by the love he feels for Trinity.
The thought-provoking mythology in The Matrix intrigued audiences and forced them to question the nature of their own reality. But Neo and Trinity’s romance is the heart of the movie.
The Batman’s Catwoman Storyline Is A Riff On Klute
Matt Reeves reinvented the Caped Crusader’s on-screen adventures with the gloomy visuals, voiceover narration, and mystery plotting of The Batman. The movie features two of the Bat’s most iconic villains, the Riddler and the Penguin, with a third in an uncharacteristically non-villainous role.
In The Batman, Catwoman acts as an ally pursuing the same goal as the Dark Knight: bringing Carmine Falcone to justice. During the investigation, in a riff on the neo-noir classic Klute, the Bat falls in love with the Cat.
Neil McCauley Breaks His Own Rules For Love In Heat
In Michael Mann’s action-packed crime thriller Heat, Neil McCauley lives by one hard-and-fast rule that has allowed him to enjoy a long career as a successful bank robber without getting caught: “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
Neil breaks that rule when he falls in love with a graphic design artist named Eady, and it ends up costing him his life in the movie’s breathtaking finale.
James Bond Gets His Heart Broken By Vesper Lynd In Casino Royale
Martin Campbell’s gritty reboot Casino Royale acts as an origin story for James Bond. But it doesn’t just explain the origins of his 00 status and his license to kill and his reckless approach to espionage; it also explains why he avoids getting too attached to his romantic partners.
Bond falls heads over heels in love with fellow operative Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. He quits his job at MI6 just to spend more time with her. His heart is broken when she betrays him to save his life, and matters only get worse when he fails to save her from drowning. After that, 007 became a lot pickier with his feelings.
Sarah Connor And Kyle Reese Fall In Love While They Try To Outrun The Terminator
James Cameron’s original Terminator movie is both a neo-noir and a slasher, but its emotional throughline is a love story. Resistance leader John Connor sends his trusted ally Kyle Reese back in time to protect his mother Sarah from the T-800 that the machines have sent back to prevent John from being born.
As Sarah and Kyle try to outrun the Terminator, they end up falling in love. In a twist that creates a time travel paradox, it turns out that Kyle himself was the father that John never met.
Han Solo And Princess Leia Face Their Feelings In The Empire Strikes Back
Han Solo and Princess Leia do nothing but argue in the opening act of The Empire Strikes Back. As Darth Vader and his Imperial forces invade the Rebel base on Hoth, Han and Leia just bicker. But when they’re trapped aboard the Falcon, on the lam from the Empire, they’re forced to face the romantic tension they’ve been masking with hostility.
By the time they get to Cloud City, Han and Leia are in love. But that romance ends in tragedy as Han is frozen in carbonite and sold to Jabba the Hutt. Before he’s frozen, Leia confesses, “I love you,” and Han, cool as ever, replies, “I know.”