The study of films as categorized either by industry-identified genres (westerns, horror films, musicals, film noir, etc.) or broader interpretive modes (melodrama, realism, fantasy, etc.).

While the label “action film” did not become common until the 1970s, movies that emphasize bodies in motion, dangerous stunts, and spectacular violence and destruction have enjoyed consistent popularity—and derision—since the medium's invention. The action genre continues to hold a dominant place in contemporary cinema of blockbusters, CGI, and media franchising. It has also proven to be one of the genres most exportable and translatable across national borders, encouraging cross-pollination among film industries and cultural traditions through mobile film performers and artists. This course traces the longevity and diversity of action cinema and its many generic antecedents across historical periods and national contexts, with a particular focus on American and East Asian cinema. It explores its basic promise and appeal to viewers: action! What is cinematic action, how is it conveyed in cinematic form, and how does it relate to modes of spectatorship? How have action films managed the conflicting objectives of spectacle and storytelling? To what extent have contemporary action films become like rollercoasters: all action, no plot? The course also explores the genre's significance as a form of culture and its ideological and ethical implications, including the fluctuating ways it has represented violence on screen and different images of masculinity, femininity, and "musculinity."

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