Think of an action movie and our minds immediately resort to the prospect of a protagonist who looks like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson driving a souped-up off-road vehicle with a loaded gun on the passenger seat and a Glock strapped to his thigh. The older readers among us might go a slightly different route and reminisce about the good old days of classic action thrillers like the “Indian Jones” franchise, and frankly speaking, that is a pretty cool choice too.

pixabay/Viki_B. With the dawn of the 21st century, we have also seen the rise of women-led action blockbusters

With the dawn of the 21st century, we have also seen the rise of women-led action blockbusters. While some will credit actresses like Pam Grier as the trailblazer for the female-led action genre, it can’t be denied that it was films like “Kill Bill’ that spawned future hits like “Wonder Woman” “Black Widow” and “Captain Marvel.” If you’re a fan of non-stop action, you will not want to miss our list of some of the coolest secret details from some of our favorite action movies.

For “John Wick,” Keanu Reeves Had to Lean Jiu-Jitsu and Judo

By now, “John Wick” fans are acutely aware of Keanu Reeves’ ability as a sharp marksman, thanks to the now-viral online videos of him practicing gun battle sequences in a shooting range. But did you know that the “Speed” actor also had to undergo extensive hand-to-hand combat training for his role?

When Neo famously said “I Know Kung Fu” in “The Matrix,” he might have been bluffing somewhat, but that line certainly holds true today. That’s because for his role in “John Wick,” Reeves had to train judo and jiu-jitsu for at least four months before getting an honorary black belt from three-time Olympic champion Nomura Tadahiro.

Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection. It can’t be denied that it was films like “Kill Bill’ that spawned future hits like “Wonder Woman” “Black Widow” and “Captain Marvel”

In “Tokyo Drift” Legendary Drift Driver Keiichi Tsuchiya Frustrated Filmmakers for Being Too Good Behind the Wheel

“Tokyo Drift” has quickly become one of our favorite films of the “The Fast and the Furious” franchise due to its iconic drifting battles. To make the actors look like experts behind the wheel for those cinematic shots, filmmakers employed the services of legendary drift champion Keiichi Tsuchiya.

The only problem was, to get those over-the-limit shots of a driver learning to drift and subsequently crashing, Tsuchiya was instructed to drive in a sloppy and messy manner. Filmmakers were reportedly frustrated when Tsuchiya, who was too skilled behind the wheel, had a hard time pretending to drift like a novice and was subsequently scolded—for being too good!

Photo: Universal Pictures via AP. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” has quickly become one of our favorite films of the franchise due to its iconic drifting battles

“Jurassic Park” Paved the Way for Special Effects and CGI in Cinema

It might be a common sight to see impressive, computer-generated special effects in films and television series today but back in 1993, such a production technique was virtually unheard of. “Jurassic Park” really opened filmmakers up to the prospect of using special effects to make the scenes more realistic after the technology was used to create realistic dinosaurs in the film that would otherwise have looked fake, animated, or touched-up.

Subsequently, “Jurassic Park” directly paved the way for future action classics like George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels and Steven Spielberg’s “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.”

Ami Ciccone

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