The Action Hero's Handbook: How to Catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills

by David Borgenicht, Joe Borgenicht

Everyone wants to be an action hero--as smooth as James Bond, as clever as Captain Kirk, as tough as Charlie's Angels. And now you The Action Hero's Handbook is the ultimate guide to an action-packed lifestyle, with genuine step-by-step instructions on interrogating a suspect, catching a great white shark, performing the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, stopping a wedding, navigating a ventilation shaft, and much more. All information is reality-based and comes from a host of experts (including FBI agents, marine biologists, karate champions, wedding planners, and air duct cleaners). With more than 35 illustrations throughout, this dynamic little handbook will teach us all how to keep up with the Indiana Joneses.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Reference, How To, Comedy, Adventure, Film

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

David Borgenicht is the creator and co-author of the best-selling WORST CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK series. He is also the author of dozens of other books, including THE STAR TREK BOOK OF OPPOSITES and HOW TO CON YOUR KID. He is the president and publisher of Quirk Books (www.quirkbooks.com), Philadelphia-based publishers of entertaining, informative, and amusing fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need tips on disarming an attacker? Investigating a crime? Trying to land a plane? Then this is the book for you!

The Action Hero's Handbook is an invaluable tool for action heroes everywhere. In its wisdom packed pages can be found the tactics to use in any situation, from winning a gunfight to fighting a large group of people, from using the Vulcan neck pinch to confusing someone's mind with the force, and from catching a great white shark to turning sexual tension into passionate sex. Who doesn't need advice on that last one?

So if you're any man of action, be it organ smuggler, cat burglar, or forensic investigator, this is the book for you. At only $14.95, it's a steal!

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so silly that it's a great amount of fun for the reader.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a light, fun and easy read for anyone in the mood for something different. Its the perfect kind of quirky book to get someone out of a reading slump. There is no complicated plot line or anything of that nature, just some fun creative ideas of what action hero's need to be successful. Many of the things in this book aren't something you should probably actually attempt, but they are explained in a some what comical manner. Definitely a book for someone who enjoys those random and comedic reads.

[Mouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those fun quirky books that belongs on your desk at work, on a coffee table for guests to see, or in my case...on top of the tank of my toilet. Yes, it's one of those kind of books that you keep handy for those more vulnerable of times or to make a slight impact on others. It also makes for a fun sort of gag gift as I've actually given one out as a gift to which I received a few chuckles.
I've been reading this book on and off for quite a while and I'm not sure I feel any smarter after having read it but I think I'm going to pretend I am.

[Christian Colegrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure all of us have seen or at least heard of the James Bond movie series at least once in our lives and have thought "WOW! This guy is awesome! I wish I could be just like him!!!!" Well now you can with "The Action Hero's Handbook" Written by brothers David Borgenicht and Joe Borgenicht. This book gives one the necessary steps to be on their way to becoming the next "007" and then some. I knew from the second I looked at the interesting cover with the title and side title which said "How to catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of other TV and Movie Skills," that this was my kind of book.
Wanting to know more about what I was getting my self into, I decided to read the table of contents. Topics discussed in this book had quite a big range: Spy proofing a hotel room, taking a bullet, pick up methods, taking a hit with a chair, winning a high speed chase on foot and last but not least, climbing down Mount Rushmore. "Chapter One: Good Guy Skills... How to Secure/Spy proof a Hotel Room" was the first thing that caught my eye and the first passage I read from this book of extremely useful information. It gave me a walk through on how to not be spotted by anyone. There was a blue box with steps listed on how to do this task(the blue box appears once or twice on every topic and is basically the "tip" box).
When I read the title of "How to Catch a Great White Shark," I had to see how this book managed to give the steps to that one. It started off with the infamous quote, "We're gonna need a bigger boat" from the movie "Jaws." As one can imagine, the first step was to "Obtain a large boat - at least 25 feet long - and a small crew. Step 2 was to "Learn the tides and time your trip accordingly" which seems quite logical to me. Steps 3 through 5 are setting up the trap and waiting for the shark to bite the hook. Once the shark takes the bait, set the hook and use the "pump and wind" technique to reel that bad boy in. The last step seems logical, but please kill the shark before you let it on board because it will be flopping around and will either bite your legs off or hi you off of the boat for it's shark friends to eat you.
"Wow they really do have everything in this book" I said to my self silently while reading the title "How to Take a Hit with a Chair." I could imagine that it will still hurt a lot by getting hit by a chair even if I do follow these steps just maybe not as bad. Basically in the picture diagram, it said to "Cover your head, turn to the side, and go with the flow of the blow...Unless the chair is metal, then you should do everything you can to avoid getting hit with a metal chair." In my personal opinion, I would rather not get hit by any sort of chair coming towards me, but that's just me.
Well, I know this book isn't necessarily a great book to go by, but without a doubt, it is a great read. The reason I gave it four stars is because I felt it was just repetitive after a while and was the same format for everything. The topics were great and quite entertaining.The Zombie Survival Guide had not only interesting subjects and different scenarios, but wasn't as repetitive as this book. Now don't get me wrong, the book is good, and I don't know how to make it better so I give the authors two thumbs up for writing this book. The Action Hero's Handbook is a must read for all of you movie/comic fans!

[Georgette]

The Action Hero s Handbook is a wonderful guide for anyone who s ever wanted to be an action hero. It includes step-by-step instructions in Fighting Skills, Paranormal Skills, Love Skills and general Good Guy Skills. Yes, there are diagrams.[return:][return:]Although most of us will be lucky enough never to have the opportunity to employ most of these skills ( How to climb down Mount Rushmore National Monument anyone?), there are a handful of things that may prove useful at some point of your life& whether you are a guy or girl.[return:][return:]For example, you should discover that public bus you are on has a bomb that will detonate if it slows below 50mph. The book tells you what you should do, who you should report this to, and if necessary, how to drive the bus.[return:][return:]The section on How to save someone from being hit by a speeding car should make you popular. It also explains how you should save yourself if you are still in the path of the vehicle.[return:][return:]As an action hero, you have to be ready for anything, anywhere, anytime. A confrontation consultant advices that we should be suspicious of everyone and everything without letting it show. Be aware of what is going on around you. Use your fear instead of letting it control you.[return:][return:]Make a mental note of all entrances and exits. Keep moving. Pick up useful items after you disarm your opponent. Anyone who play computer games should know the last bit.[return:][return:]The warning in the beginning of the book states two important things: this book is to be used by true action heroes only. Evil geniuses, criminal masterminds and any other variety of Bad Guys are asked to put the book down immediately.[return:][return:]The second thing is that the information in this book comes directly from highly trained professionals. This doesn t mean you should try any of it at home (unless your life depends on it). If you maim yourself trying to be clever, don t come crying to me. [return:][return:](2005)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the height of the "Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide" times, this book was gifted to me and it was a gift well received and well read. While I make no claim to be an action hero or a super human, it is a fun, quick read examining the general ups and downs of all the scenes we see in films that we think no one could, should, or would do. While much of the knowledge in the book is things I will probably (or hopefully) will never need such as how to "take" a bullet and other sections drift into the more paranormal, the book still functions as a way for us to think that there is always a way we can try to survive and even help a few people on the way. Of all the books that I have read that fell into this "How To..." subgenre that proved to be so popular, this is the book that I have picked up and reviewed, showed to friends, and chuckled at on occassion. If you are looking for a gift with a good mix of humor, reality, and fantasy that is for the "How To.." friend, I'd say give this book some attention.

[Rachel Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, even informative, book to read. No, I don't think I'll ever need to know the proper procedure to make sure my hotel room isn't booby trapped, but I do think it helpful to know a couple self-defense basics. I also enjoyed the diversity of information in this book. I never thought about it, but action heroes really do need to know a lot of different things. This book even covers some basic dance moves!

All of the information is provided by experts with years of experience. I greatly appreciated the authors including an "about" section at the end giving each contributor's credentials. The authors, themselves, take the information and make it applicable to the everyday life of an action hero. It makes for a fun and educational read. I know that I certainly learned some good techniques for getting away from potentially dangerous people and situations.

If you're looking for a light, yet informative read, I do recommend this book.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

While probably not the most exciting guide book in the world, I can't think of anything else I would have added to this book to make it more interesting or exciting. I went into this expecting humorous things, but it was actually pretty practical in the more realistic topics. I mean, sure, how to contact Aliens is a little different, seeing as you pretty much need to be ET to start with, but it lays out logical ways to process crime scenes, how to tell if someone's dead, how to avoid being killed by a car that's speeding toward you, and a number of other fairly practical things that can come in handy even for someone normal and not a hero. I even remarked to someone, as I was reading, that it would make a good writing guide for someone who's writing from the perspective of a hero, whether your hero is a spy or a cop or a superhuman being.

If guide books are your thing, this one is definitely a fun and quick read.

[Willow Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is some solid information in this book; tips on fighting, evading, surviving, and making sweet, sweet love to your love interest. This is a guide on how to be the seemingly perfect action hero, knowing how to make it through any given situation that might come up in your duties as the good guy.

A handy reference book using advice from experts in their field. If you ever find yourself in these strange situations, this would be a good book to have by your side.

[Ronel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t quite know what to expect, since I don’t make a habit of reading handbooks while combatting my archenemy and rescuing that gentleman in distress. But this was so corny it was it was actually fabulous! This handbook comprehensively explains every skill an action heroine and hero may need to thwart those no good villains. It could have done with a bit more corny dust, but then I suppose it won’t be such a nifty pocket book for that heroine on the go.

[Rochelle Benoit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite my initial assumptions that this book was going to be fabulous, I was very wrong. The content is very basic - especially for someone who already knows the ropes of being an action hero. I would not recommend this as a cover to cover read, but would suggest it be used as a reference book for noobs.

[Artie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is better than the execution but there are a couple useful tidbits in here, such as the fact that I will need to lose a lot of weight if I ever need to escape from a building via duct work.

[Hank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to pick up how to do the most random stuff I rarely would do normally ;D

[Du4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty goddamn important book for all you fellas to read. It taught me how to survive a car crash in which a surfboard goes through the window aimed at your neck.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh...yeaah. Interesting book. It was short, simple, and actually had a few useful entries. Still, it's little more than a pricey gag gift.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, but nothing that I will really use or remember how to do.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep any flight entertaining. Short, sweet, and to the point. New dancing around. only when someone is firing bullets at your feet of course but other than that......no.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to go back and read the "How to make a Love Potion" entry more closely.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of helpful tips on how to be a man of action by one of the authors of *Worst Case Scenario*.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was humorous as intended. It was a very quick read. It is not a book that I would probably want to read more than once.

[Tom Ellett · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda silly

[John Gentry · Rating 3 out of 5]

good half the time.

[Jason Landsborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to just be an entertaining read. Surprisingly, there's some useful advice.

[Simon De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comment

[Nathan Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing read with no real value outside of novelty.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and entertaining. From the same folks who did the "Worst Case Scenario Handbook" series.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty funny. I learned a few things that will hopefully never be helpful. :)

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just OK. It is well narrated by Gerard Doyle.

Drawing on various "experts" ("confrontation consultant"?), scenarios are given step by step instructions including those in the subtitle: "How to Catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch". Of the rest, much is focused on general crime fighter-like (crime drama-like) skills of fighting, interrogating, and even navigating a building's air ducts.

There is even paranormal topics from potions, spirit summoning, and foreseeing the future.

There's dancing and seduction (bar pickup) advice, as well as more general manipulation.

Topics are introduced with cited snippets of audio from films like Speed, Cliffhanger, Rush Hour, etc.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny!