The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage

by Nick de Semlyen

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 chronicles the rise of the invincible action hero who used muscle, martial arts or the perfect weapon to save the day. And how, as the 1990s rolled on, the glory days of these macho men – and the vision of masculinity they celebrated – began to fade.

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.
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Praise for Nick de Semlyen's Wild and Crazy

'Pithy and propulsive' - The Times

'I loved it so much!' - Stuart Heritage

'A fabulous romp of a book . . . stuffed full of juicy tid-bits' - The i

'A terrific contribution to the genre' - Hadley Freeman

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, History, Biography, Audiobook, Pop Culture

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

"Introducing [Steven] Seagal's iconic ponytail to audiences around the world, 'Hard to Kill' cemented his image as a yin-yang badass: both serenely mystical and grimly unstoppable (even on a [hospital] stretcher). At one point he sits atop a mountain peak as an eagle shrieks; at another he mocks the size of a villain's penis. In one scene he says, 'First learn how to heal people to be great.' Later he intones, 'F*** you and die!' That dichotomy applied off-screen, too." -- on page 144

Bringing along the same sort of breeziness yet insider detail that was a hallmark of his earlier and excellent Wild and Crazy Guys, with its center of attention being the newly-minted A-list stars of the 80's comedy films, journalist de Semlyen again delivers another winner in print with The Last Action Heroes. Covering approximately a quarter century in film - roughly from the original Rocky in 1976 (Sylvester Stallone's inaugural hit that established his stardom) to Exit Wounds in 2001 (Steven Seagal's final big-screen offering through his multi-picture contact with Warner Brothers) - he focuses on the eight disparate he-men personalities - Stallone, Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Bruce Willis - who headlined the increasingly more violent or expensive action flicks throughout its glory years era of the 80's and 90's (though relegated to straight-to-DVD release status by the start of the 21st century), and earned box-office plenty but rarely critical raves. Again like his earlier book this is not so much about the actual movies themselves - such as the initial Rambo trilogy, The Terminator series, the surprise blockbuster Die Hard (which unexpectedly generated its own sub-genre within the species), the generic three-word combinations that often titled Seagal's offerings, etc. - but more about the men who starred in them. It was often a lot of fun - I was unaware that both Stallone / Schwarzenegger and Seagal / Van Damme had such long-running feuds; humorous with the former but actually threatening to spill over into off-screen violence with the latter - in a wonderfully pop-cultural nostalgic way, recalling that time when Friday nights in the summer or winter seasons promised that a new movie - peppered with fistfights, shoot-outs, and our heroes uttering deadpan one-liners - would usually be premiering at the theater. I'll get the tickets, you buy the popcorn. 😉

[Peter Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick De Semlyen's last book was Wild and Crazy Guys, a highly entertaining look at the comedy stars that took over Hollywood in the 1980s and early 90s. His latest effort follows a similar formula, but focuses on a very different bunch - the macho, testosterone-fuelled action heroes that ruled the box office during the same time period.

We get a fascinating glimpse into each of their personalities and a behind the scenes look at the movies that made their name. Schwarzenegger comes across better than most - a driven, hard-working fellow who seemed to have the golden touch when it came to choosing scripts. His great rival Stallone fares worse - undeniably talented, but insecure and in possession of a colossal ego. A good-natured Chuck Norris flew the flag for Team America in all of his films, even if their artistic quality was questionable. Jackie Chan is bestowed with saintly status, a humble individual who broke new ground with his outrageous stunts. Steven Seagal is the biggest joke of all, a narcissist who invented complex backstories for himself in the hopes of appearing mysterious and as it later emerged, treated his co-stars very badly.

The book is full of entertaining anecdotes that I had not heard before. For example, Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago himself) has an IQ of 160 and had received an MIT scholarship before embarking on his film career. I was intrigued to hear how Die Hard was only Bruce Willis's third movie, and Fox bet the farm on him after a host of other stars had turned down the role of John McClane. And I found out that Stallone was so poor before writing Rocky, he sold his beloved dog Butkus to make some money (and bought him back when he sold the script).

I grew up watching these movies, and while not all of them stand up as well today, I will always have a particular fondness for them. De Semlyen's research is meticulous and each chapter is an enjoyable, nostalgic dive back into a simpler time. I did think the book ended rather abruptly, and I would have enjoyed a deeper examination into why the appeal of these actors faded. But that's just a small complaint - The Last Action Heroes is a fun-filled, insightful chronicle of an era when sweat, muscles and masculinity dominated the silver screen.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick de Semlyen has spent many years working for Empire film magazine & has met almost every one of the actors in this supremely entertaining book.
Here he charts the early days & humble beginnings of actors from Sylvester Stallone & Arnold Schwarzenegger to to Jackie Chan & Chuck Norris & many more besides. He writes about their huge success in blockbuster films of the 1980s & 90s to their downfall in lesser films and, for some, a rise back to the height of fame once again.
There are times when the egos of certain actors became as huge as the budgets of their films & sometimes they come across as real assholes. Like the films discussed this book is fast paced & highly amusing. It's a blast from start to finish.

[Mike Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empty carbs but very satisfying! Likely requires that reader grew up during 80/90s for full effect!

[David Sodergren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, this book made me wanna watch a bunch of classic action movies. There’s not a ton of info aficionados won’t already know, but it’s presented in such a fun, fast moving way, that you won’t care.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I've seen 90% of the movies mentioned here, which is probably a sad statistic. Could have done more with the political connections/disconnections that account for the fall part of the rise-and-fall narrative of these movies (surely it's more than the rise of CGI, with the dinosaurs killing humans--the culture shifted, in ways that books like Susan Jeffords's Hard Bodies trace well), but hilarious anecdotes aplenty, along with an unexpected and welcome (though thinner than I'd like) discussion of Jackie Chan alongside the white musclemen who dominated 80s US action cinema.

Best bits of trivia: Arnold took a whole bunch of acting lessons early on--like, really a lot of serious ones, and he devoted himself to reaching a certain level of craft, at least, with the same fanatical devotion that he spent on building his body; Bruce Willis read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy 15 times; Stallone was and is a Poe fanatic who spent years daydreaming of making a movie about him; Chuck Norris is, according to this telling, a really nice guy who turned down all kinds of opportunities to act out in real life (he also taught Jessica Simpson to underact by instructing her to study Denzel's restrained deployment of his eyebrows); Steven Seagal, about whose real background we don't discover much (maybe nobody knows), was a power-mad scuzz with a mobbed-up entourage who "helped" him make movies (his legendarily nutso stint on SNL earns a brief recounting); Dolph Lundgren speaks five languages. Demolition Man, which I saw in the theater and loved, for some unaccountable reason, and which did not hold up on subsequent re-watch, apparently became a big meme during the pandemic, which I somehow missed. Most of these guys seem to have spent significant time inflating their egos, mistreating women, and/or indulging in substances way too much, with (it sounds like) Chuck Norris being the only exception, though Jackie Chan seems primarily to have bought himself a lot of stuff before one of his early near-death experiences on set sobered him up.

Also to cherish: the never-made concepts, ranging from horrific to missed opportunities. John Milius doing an Alexander the Great biopic, starring JCVD (maybe, though was he going to split-kick enemies in battle?); Seagal doing Genghis Khan (sure to rival John Wayne's The Conqueror in the annals of racist Hollywood caricature); Arnold in Sgt. Rock, opposite...John Cleese, which I think could have been kind of great. Is a rewatch of Commando in my future? Possibly. And maybe the Lundgren-directed Command Performance, which seems to be "Die Hard at a Russian rock concert." (Though the reviews are quite negative, so perhaps not.) Still, you can never stage Die Hard in too many different locales for my taste.

Update: I went back and watched Commando. God, somehow I'd repressed/forgotten/chosen to ignore how bonkers these movies were. Arnold, playing "John Matrix," from East Chermany, is introduced through 30 seconds visually caressing his arms (let's just say that we have ample time to evaluate the pumps in his delts, triceps, and biceps separately), and he lifts at various times: what seems to be an entire tree, a Porsche, a phone booth, and various bad guys. Also, whenever anyone gets shot, no matter where they are, they go flying backward, generally off a roof or through a window. The #2 bad guy looks like South African Freddie Mercury. Alyssa Milano plays Arnold's daughter, who's pretty capable, a regular chip off the ol' Matterhorn. Dan Hedaya, unfortunately, does not play Arnold's commanding officer or his buddy; instead, he is essentially in brownface yet does not pronounce the name "Velazquez" correctly. Maybe the best moment is when Rae Dawn Chong, along as the usual shrieking female sidekick (though she does also fly a plane), decides to free Arnold from a police van by firing a rocket launcher at it. Which of course works. I remembered at least four of the major kiss-off lines--and not just the canonical "I lied."

[Rob Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Action Heroes is a wildly entertaining and insightful look behind the scenes of some of the biggest action movies and stars of the 1980s and 1990s. Author Nick de Semlyen has done an incredible amount of research, conducting new interviews and digging up fascinating anecdotes and details about the making of famous action flicks and the real-life dramas surrounding their muscle-bound leading men.

The book is structured around profiles of the reigning "Kings of Carnage" from that era - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Dolph Lundgren among others. De Semlyen pulls back the curtain on the excesses, ego clashes, and crazy stunts that went into blockbusters like Rambo, Die Hard, The Terminator, Universal Soldier, and more.

The stories are jaw-dropping and hilarious, like Stallone trying to fire Dolph Lundgren as his opponent in Rocky IV because he was too gigantic and intimidating, or the battles between Stallone and Schwarzenegger over who got to star in certain roles first. There are also poignant moments examining the toll the action hero life took on things like their personal relationships and long-term health.

What makes the book so gripping is de Semlyen's eye for little known details and his ability to capture the big personalities and competitive streaks of these iconic badasses of the big screen. He clearly has a deep affection for the action genre and its stars, celebrating their most legendary achievements while also cheekily calling out their most laughable misfires.

Overall, The Last Action Heroes is an absolute must-read for any fan of 1980s and 90s Hollywood and action movies. It's insightful, funny, wildly entertaining, and gives a whole new appreciation for the punishing work and outrageous real-life dramas that went into making these classic films. An fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the Kings of Carnage.

Rating: 5/5 stars

[Clint Bungles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing here that Action junkies likely don't already know. Schwarzenegger has always been self-assured and driven while Seagal is an egotistical asshole who bullshitted and bullied his way into Hollywood. The level of detail and insight into the era, however, is where Last Action Heroes shines. Above all else, it's Sly that takes the biggest drubbing. Portrayed as petulant and controlling, his failures are apparently his alone in so many ways. I certainly don't see him sitting down with de Semlyen for an interview after this. Excellent, informative read!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book and one that brought back some nostalgia when reading about some of the movies. I grew up on Rocky, Bloodsport, Predator and Terminator as well as some Jackie Chan thrown in for good measure.

Chuck Norris surprised me, I know him from his tv series Walker Texas Ranger and his Bruce Lee cameo but I never realised he was a big deal as an Action Hero. Similarly Steven Seagal I didn't realise he was as big as he was, always struck me as a joke and charlatan - especially recently. Two actors who's movies I haven't seen at all. Under Siege sounds a good film but I'd be turned off after reading how uncomfortable the actress playing the female part was during filming and how SS has plenty of accusations against him. Dolph Lundgren I was surprised is considered an Action Hero I had no idea he was a big deal aside from playing Ivan Drago and being in The Expendables.

Of all the heroes the trio of Arnie, Sly and Bruce seemed to be the main men. Of those I think Arnie is the true action hero and has the best filmography of the three (Rocky 1-4 aside).

Time to fire up some movies!

It's a fun read, although the kindle edition to the end of the Epilogue is only 70% the rest notes, photos etc.

[Alex Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fond look at the golden age of peck-tacular action movies, told with the exact amount of light-hearted seriousness the subject deserves.
I have never seen Die Hard

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of ‘80s and early-’90s cinema, it’s impossible not to think of the (mostly) huge, muscle-bound brutes fronting them in such fare as Commando, the Terminator movies, Predator, Cliffhanger, Hard to Kill, or, my perennial favorite and all-time Christmas classic, Die Hard. Nick de Semlyen takes us behind the scenes of each of these, and plenty more, in The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage.

London film journalist de Semlyen, editor of Empire, the world’s biggest movie magazine, recounts a very particular — and for many of us, a very special and particularly defining — era of Hollywood when the box office receipts were as large and imposing as the men headlining the movies. Impeccably researched, de Semlyen recounts a number of anecdotes and interviews that inspired and gave shape to these films and the titans starring in them. Of course, de Semlyen’s work for Empire, as well as the magazine’s podcast, gives him plenty of insider-access, which he shores up with various other materials in the public sphere. In addition to his own interviews with the stars, screenwriters, producers, and directors, he cites a number of other media journalists, film reviewers, and talk shows along the way. The end result is a well-rounded account that looks a these bigger-than-life movie stars and captains of action, presenting them as people first, rather than the inhuman, unstoppable forces of sheer power they so often portrayed on the silver screen.


My full review of The Last Action Heroes can be read on my site, High Fever Books. Go check it out!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the author's previous book about the rise of comedians, this is crisp, concise, straightforward revisit to a time I remember very well -- my movie childhood, in full nostalgic glory. Full of information, but it never outstays its welcome, and manages to cover an enormous amount of ground in a short span of pages. Entertaining and illuminating.

[Isobel McCreavy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read but maybe could have paid more attention to a couple of those sexual assault allegations against the actors 😒

[Books Over People · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for a very specific audience. I am in that audience. I will forever say that Last Action Hero is Arnie’s finest hour.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one I just instantly wanted when I saw it, browsing in a charming little bookstore in my local town. Which is kind of strange, since I never have been much of a fan of action movies, or the actors associated with them. Of course, there are many movies you could class as "action" that I do love, or at least enjoy. But as for the broader genre as a general thing - whether ultra-violent shoot 'em ups or quirky fighting flicks - I have little fondness for the violence (former) or just not been interested (latter). So maybe it's just that I like the Hollywood drama, like any braindead idiot who devours TMZ - a sad realisation.

For the record, having just stated my dislike of action films, I should state that I do love the Bond films (most of them, anyway). I adore the original three Indiana Jones films. And there are many others that at least involve action, primarily gun violence, which I also love: Martin Scorsese's The Departed is one of my favourite films; the first Bourne Identity is one of the films my wife and I love in common - otherwise our tastes would tend not to match, as she hates horror movies and emotional dramas. Looking more specifically at the actors focussed on in these movies, while I never cared for Rambo, Rocky is a beautiful and brilliant movie (and is also not an action, but rather a deeply human drama with an amazing, urban atmosphere. Arnie has never done much for me. I remember watching Commando as a kid and being horrified by the violence. The garden shed scene is brutal. But who doesn't love The Terminator? I love all the first three - indeed, I consciously do not exclude the third one, as I've always found it a very funny and entertaining movie, however unpopular that opinion might be.

Die Hard? Eh ... they're okay. I think With a Vengeance would have to be my favourite. And as for the other actors this book shined a spotlight one - Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Jackie Chan, John Claude van Damme ...

Well, I did enjoy some of Chan's comedies as a kid. But after reading this, I have a hell of a lot more respect for him. Norris? Well, I never really got the joke, as I've never seen a single thing with him in it - except, it turns out, for Dodgeball, which I didn't like. But, I have to say, he sounds like a wonderful human being, even though unlike many of the stars in this book, he actually might have been a killer in real life, as he shot a tank shell at some Middle Eastern insurgents. Van Damme didn't really appeal to me that much. And Steven Segal sounds like a fucking nutcase, and not a very nice one.

However, it is time to bring this review back to the main subject. As far as providing an entertaining glimpse into the culture of Hollywood during the 1980s, with a focus on the juicy dramas and outright feuds between legends such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, this book is brilliant, hilarious, and absolutely compulsive. I expected I would like it, and I was not wrong.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts with Stallone surprised both of us (for better and sometimes worse). The parts with Chuck Norris sometimes made me forget what a piece of shit he is (we contain multitudes). The Jean Claude van Damme lore was neat. Jeff, who largely read this to me, says: "No, four stars! Because it had a good through line." But I'm writing the review so 3/5 for keeping my attention before snooze-town!

[Buddy Scalera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fizzy pop culture history of the age of action heroes in movies. Trivia and behind-the-scenes details about the big personalities behind the blockbusters and flops. It gives a human perspective to the successes and failures of these very public celebrities. The prose writing is a delight.

[Chris A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a lifelong fan from a [far too] young age of most of the actors featured in this book there was a lot of details, stories and controveries that I was already very familiar with, but that didn't matter. It's a fantastically put together and well written account of a group of fellas and a collection of movies that we'll likely never see the likes of again [whether that is a good thing or not is a matter of personal taste I suppose.]

Highly reccomended. Looking forward to seeing what topic Mr de Semlyen tackles next.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read with 90% of it being material and stories I was already familiar with. That's not really my problem with the book, as I love these guys and their movies and enjoy the reminders. My problem is the range covered and abrupt ending.

There's really no mention of the earlier action stars like Eastwood, Wayne, Bronson, Marvin, McQueen, etc. Some historical perspective would have been nice. (Bruce Lee was the only exception.) The author at least mentions some other stars of the era, like Rothrock and Bosworth, and I would have loved a full chapter on the ones that didn't catch on. All of that can be forgiven, but this book literally ends in the middle of a True Lies anecdote. Come on, you can't skip over the later career of these guys and we needed a whole chapter on the Expendables bringing these guys together

Anyways, here's how I'd rank these guys, which is a combination of how much I like their movies and them as people.

1. Arnold - T2, True Lies, and Predator are the best 3 movies by anybody on this list, and Twins, Commando and Terminator are right below them.
2. Jackie Chan - First Strike and Operation Condor are regular rewatchables in our house, with Police Story 1 and 2 on deck for when my boys are quicker readers.
3. JCVD - Timecop, Bloodsport, Lionheart, Hard Target and Death Warrant still hold up.
4. Stallone - Love Demolition Man, Cliffhanger and the Rocky Movies, a handful of other solid ones but plenty of flops.
5. Bruce Willis - Die Hard 1 and 3 keep him high, also like Last Man Standing and The Whole 9 Yards. Did more bad sequels than anybody else on this list.
6. Chuck - love Lone Wolf McQuade, Sidekicks and Silent Rage, also seems like a good guy who would have beat up anybody else on this list in a real fight.
7. Dolph - love Universal Soldier and the sequels he appears in. Nice guy in person but gets docked for not having his own stand-alone classic.
8. Seagal - Under Siege is great, and he's got 3 or 4 bad but fun movies. Seems like the biggest a-hole out of the group and his late career is as bad as anybody (even Bruce Willis)

[J.r. Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Loses some steam by the end, but was never bored

[Lana Revok · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun read that made me even more grateful for growing up during this balls to the wall era of filmmaking! I also have a whole new appreciation of Jean-Claude Van Damme and want to hangout with him!

[Mark K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved every chapter of this book, but loses a star for the half-baked photo insert. You can't mention a 70 foot Arnold inflatable in Times Square or Kelsey Grammer rolling through Cannes in a tank without including the goods.

[David Agranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a short review as this is not the kind of book you come here to commentary on. Well I consider myself a pretty high-brow fan of all things speculative and dark literature I also love 80s action movies. I consider Commando the citizen cane of bad action movies. I have read Outlaw Vern's book on Steven Segal, and I have followed the behind-the-scenes articles, and commentaries about all these action stars so I didn't read this book.

Don't get me wrong Nick de Semlyen (whom I know from the Empire podcast) did his job. Most of the details were things I already knew. I knew that Chuck Norris's real name was Carlos but his friends stories of the early days were pretty cool, Van Damme's first stage name was Frank Cujo and the scope of Segal's derangement on the set of On Deadly Ground were the things I felt I learned for the first time. Seriously a biopic TV series about the making of On Deadly ground would be hilarious.

It is great to have all this history between the covers of one book, for that, I give this book five stars.

In the spirit of this book:
Ahhhnold- Commando
Sly - Rambo (IV)
Chuck - Invasion USA (just beat the Octagon)
Van Damme - Sudden Death
Segal - Marked for Death
Bruce Willis - Last Boy Scout
Jackie Chan- Supercop 3

[Emily Winter]

Ask Steven Seagal about his SNL skit ideas next time you run into him!

[Brian Ackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my holiday splurge. Picked it up mid-month, little more than halfway through. Considering I loved the author's debut book about 80's comedy, I'm diggin' this almost as much.

[spiderboox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and I'm not even a fan of the stars and movies that are written about. 🤣 Sure, I can appreciate, but they really don't do it for me.

Nearly all the movies mentioned have been brought to my attention by my partner though and I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book (I borrowed the ebook from the library) in the hope that I can convince him to read it.

Also, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining stories from the world of 80's and 90's action films. While each of these stars could have their own published life story - and some do: I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, Against All Odds: My Story - this book breezily shifts back and forth among them, tracing career trajectories and delivering fantastic anecdotes and trivia (Poe is Stallone's literary hero? Lundgren has a master's degree in chemical engineering?!). A totally fun look at a specific time in American filmmaking.

[Chris Giles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between this and 'Wild and Crazy Guys,' de Semlyen clearly has a knack for evocative, breezy distillations of significant eras of popcorn entertainment. Breezy to a fault, though. Any one of the icons* profiled here could and should have an entire book at twice the length devoted to their work and evocation of hyper-violent masculinity during the Reagan years. And that's not even considering Jackie Chan, a formidable artist and genre all his own; that he's afforded all of a whopping 20-30 pages here is such a farce that leaving him out of the book entirely would have been less of an insult.

Look, this is a fun read, and de Semlyen is good at what he does. I'd happily recommend this book, especially for any curious whippersnappers eager to get away from the current era of CGI superhero sludge and take a dive into films with something more visceral and tangible to offer in the way of charisma, stunts, practical effects. All told, though, this feels like a missed opportunity, an extended Entertainment Weekly profile when it could have been so much more.



* Okay, maybe not Steven Seagal.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun subject with truly larger-than-life characters, that naturally brings with it some incredible stories, and some odd insights, but this feels weirdly rushed, and like there was a ton of meat left on the bone. Research seems to be entirely from periodicals, not interviews or other primary sources, other than the odd one here or there. So it comes across as fluffy at points. Still a lot of fun! And i know most people in for some norris or JCVD like to keep those scripts under 100 pages, but there are so many times when you go “wait what?!” …and the book moves on. Still a fun light summer read!

[Veeral · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining ride from start to finish. One of my favorites from this year.

I have read numerous books on movies, most average, some really good, but this was perhaps the best amongst the lot. I have found that most movie history books flounder somewhere by the middle, never to regain the pace and interest they garnered in the first third of the book. But Semlyen has done a commendable job of keeping this even paced and interesting throughout.

Fans of 80's and 90's action movies should not miss this one.