Who is on your list of top-tier action stars? For the Gen X crowd, the actors generally associated with high-energy, high-budget action spectacles include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, and Tom Cruise. If my father was still around, he would produce a very different list, no doubt topped by his favorite silent movie cowboy star, Tom Mix. His generation also had Buster Keaton, Richard Arlen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. In between those two bookends, during Hollywood’s Golden Age, there were plenty of actors who took on the mantle of action hero, including John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and Charlton Heston.
More recent iterations of the action star archetype include Wesley Snipes, Jet Li, Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham, Will Smith, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Chris Hemsworth.
OK: You’ve probably noticed something missing from my list — and it’s intentional. I’m making a point. Where are the women? You can blame some of the discrepancy on industry sexualization and stereotyping. There is also an unfair expectation of lower box-office performance for films helmed by a female action hero. And then there is that segment of the audience who simply can’t handle strong female characters.
Over at Consequence, an independent digital publication covering the entertainment industry, the staff curated a list of the “30 best action movie stars of all time.” Out of the 30, eight women were named. The content providers on the website Screenage Wasteland took a different approach, ranking the 50 greatest action movie heroes — the characters, not the actors — of all time. They only managed to come up with seven female heroes. Movie critic Brian Truitt, writing for USA Today, compiled a similar list of the top 50 action movie heroes, which included 11 women.
Surprise: There are more female action leads than those lists reveal. Starring as Ripley in “Alien” (1979), Sigourney Weaver is sometimes considered the first female action star. Even before her, there was Pam Grier in “Foxy Brown” (1974). Before Grier, there was Barbara Stanwyck, who led several action-oriented films, including “Forty Guns” (1957). Before Stanwyck, there was Maureen O’Hara, said to have performed her own stunts in films such as “The Black Swan” (1942) and “Sinbad the Sailor” (1947). Following in their footsteps are contemporary female action leads such as Michelle Yeoh, Linda Hamilton, Milla Jovovich, Zoe Saldana, Emily Blunt, Kate Beckinsale, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Uma Thurman, Ming-Na Wen, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Charlize Theron.
Theron stars in “Apex,” a new survival action thriller directed by Baltasar Kormákur. The film was released on Netflix on April 24. Even though it follows a familiar formula, “Apex” is an unpretentious, bare-bones affair that wisely focuses on Theron’s physical performance and the mercilessness of the beautiful but unforgiving landscape.
The film opens with Sasha (Theron) and Tommy (Eric Bana), who are clearly romantically involved, climbing the Troll Wall in Norway. After several attempts, Sasha fails to reach the summit before a storm forces them to hunker down. Predictably, something goes wrong: The two begin their descent as the weather further deteriorates. As they are rappelling down, an avalanche occurs, and Tommy is injured and left unconscious. Not knowing if he is dead or alive, Sasha is forced to release her grip on the cable, and he plummets down the mountainside.
Less than a year later, Sasha — still grieving — arrives in Wandarra National Park, Australia. Though she has given up mountain climbing, she continues her thrill-seeking adventures in the outdoors, this time planning a whitewater kayaking trek. Before heading out into the wilderness, a park ranger warns her about a string of disappearances in the area. She also encounters two hunters at a petrol station — the kind of sexist male chauvinists that cause women to wisely choose the bear. Another stranger, Ben (Taron Egerton), intervenes, terminating the confrontation. Shortly after, Sasha asks Ben for directions. He provides her with two routes to reach the Grand Isle Narrows. Sasha chooses the one he recommends — the more difficult of the two.
At her campsite that evening, she must again contend with the two hunters, though they prove nothing more than an annoyance. The following morning, she begins her journey downriver, kayaking through several series of rapids and leaving her vehicle behind.
By the following morning, she is deep in the Australian wilderness. She awakes to find some of her gear and supplies missing. Without giving away too many details, it quickly becomes evident that she is being hunted. The film’s antagonist is a mashup of the sadistic mountain men from 1972’s “Deliverance,” and Hannibal Lector. “Apex” also shares some common plot elements with “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” “Cliffhanger,” and “Wolf Creek,” among others.
“Apex” has its share of weaknesses. It sometimes feels rushed. There are instances of contrived geographical coincidences. Theron’s character occasionally makes choices that don’t seem logical.
It is at times predictable. From the first minute, the viewer can guess that poor Tommy is going to die on that mountain. That opening act only serves to showcase Sasha’s persistence and determination, while setting up some aspect of vulnerability. Her grief and her guilt are initially a liability, but the character’s arc forces her to recognize and resolve those lingering issues. Knowing this is a tense cat-and-mouse thriller, it isn’t difficult to quickly predict who will be doing the stalking. The real revelation is just how messed up this killer is.
Theron carries this film through the character’s acts of amazing physical might and endurance. Her compelling performance speaks to the character’s resilience. Already a legend in terms of action heroes, here Theron is a force of nature.
Hollywood: More of this, please.
Lee Clark Zumpe is entertainment editor at Tampa Bay Newspapers, a Tomatometer-Approved Critic, and an author of short fiction. He can be reached by email at lzumpe@TBNweekly.com.