More than just glorious set pieces and amazing stunts, action movies should take advantage of its setup and engage the viewers with thoughtful discussions of its underlying themes. The characters and the storyline should compel the audiences to justify the grandiose of every action scene, or at least produce a meaningful discussion.
For moviegoers under the MBTI® classification INTP (introverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving), they would typically choose those with a balance of brains and brawns. For that, here are five action movies that they will surely love for providing that effect, and five others that they will likely hate.
Love: Oldboy (2003)
Before the rise of neo-noir action movies, there was Oldboy that burst from the South Korean cinema scene and influenced other movies in the genre. It is thanks to Park Chan-wook’s brilliant direction, the tense storytelling, and the polished action sequences.
As the second installment of the Park’s Vengeance Trilogy, this film centers on Oh Dae-su, a man imprisoned for 15 years, then released to find himself entangled on a network of corrupt figures and sinister assailants. The result is a wild, bloody goose chase that INTPs will surely indulge in.
Hate: Smokin’ Aces (2007)
Excessive Quentin Tarantino clones may have popped out during the 1990s when the successes of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were still fresh. But they were still around in the 2000s. One of the most famous is Joe Carnahan’s actioner Smokin’ Aces.
Boasting an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Andy García, Taraji P. Henson, Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Common, Chris Pine, and Ryan Reynolds, the story is about a manhunt for mafia-turned-informant. Expect colorful carnage and crass comedy that may be numbing for INTPs, rather than exciting.
Love: Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan is a reliable filmmaker when it comes to thinking man’s cinema. The majority of his films will incorporate themes of time, ingenuity, morality, and epistemology under simple premises of a mind heist, a magician’s secret, and a trilogy of Batman movies.
For his World War II film Dunkirk, he focused on three perspectives (the mole, on water, and over the air) to depict the intensity of Operation Dynamo. While the difference in time length for each perspective may seem like a gimmick, INTPs will find it truly fresh and engaging.
Hate: xXx (2002)
Vin Diesel has his share of memorable characters. One of his most bankable roles is extremist-turned-spy Xander Cage in xXx and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. The character may be charismatic and entertaining, but just like Dominic Toretto, his magnificent feat and outrageous stunts border on leaps of logic.
It is on his first film outing where that came to full circle. The story is focused on him being hired by the NSA to take down likely Russian terrorists. Aside from the clichés, INTPs will scoff on the action.
Love: The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix is considered a standard for contemporary science-fiction films. For those who have and have not seen the film, it is easy to see why that is the case. The bullet-time sequences. The blue pill and red pill themes. The cyberpunk setting is never far away from today. And the Hong Kong cinema-inspired action sequences are all iconic.
Despite the starting of a problematic trilogy, the first film solidified the standalone arc of Neo (Keanu Reeves), the Chosen One, helping a rebellious force against the machines.
Hate: Fast & Furious (2009)
The Fast and the Furious franchise has escalated from drift racing to blockbuster. It depends on whether or not any of the films will be ingestible to anyone’s tastes. But on the case from INTP moviegoers, they will have a hard time tolerating the fourth film of the franchise, the ineptly titled Fast & Furious.
The film reunited Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto and Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner eight years after the first film to avenge the suspected murder of Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). While the action is cool, the script is lackluster.
Love: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The Bourne Ultimatum is a timeless spy actioner that solidified the Bourne movies as the standard for sleek action thrillers. This third entry continues on Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and his desperate search for answers of his past under Operation Treadstone.
Ultimatum excels on its tense plot, intelligent characters, and real-life backdrops of international espionage. But more than that, it made the best use of Paul Greengrass’ signature shaky-cam cinematography to craft hefty action sequences. That is most proven in a gripping fistfight between Bourne and Desh in Tangier.
Hate: Jason Bourne (2016)
On the opposite side of the Bourne franchise, there is the fifth film, aptly titled Jason Bourne. The film finds an elusive Bourne on the run from a CIA operation, headed by cyber-security officer Heather Lee, and at desperation to uncover data about his father and his involvement in Treadstone.
Even with the return of Damon and Greengrass in the franchise, the film delivers the same manic thrills but none of the clever storytelling and the compelling intrigue that justified its action scenes. Speaking of which, they look oddly generic.
Love: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day raised the stakes of the first film and pulled off a great twist by turning an enemy into an ally. The story still centers on Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), tagging along with her son John (Edward Furlong) and his protector T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), to prevent a global threat and an opposing force, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
INFPs will surely find the ingredients they are looking for an action film: splendidly executed action sequences (from the mall chase to the Skynet ambush) and the cerebral themes of artificial intelligence, technological abuse, and human compassion. Just a great sequel.
Hate: Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise has been notorious for its negative reception among critics, yet it was well-received by audiences, box office-wise. But both parties can agree that its fifth entry, The Last Knight, is where the franchise had run its course.
The film follows up from Age of Extinction, wherein Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) traces down the ancient history of the Cybertronians on Earth before a possessed Optimus Prime attempts to bring Cybertron to Earth. Expect the usual Michael Bay tropes to their fullest degree, but with the most incompetent filmmaking in the franchise. So surely INTPs must skip this.