Gender and Action Films

Steven Gerrard is Reader of Film at the Northern Film School, Leeds Beckett University.Renée Middlemost is Lecturer in Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She is the co-founder of FSN Australasia, and a co-editor of Participations.

• Introduction; Renée Middlemost and Steven GerrardPart 1. Star BodiesChapter 1. Road Warriors, Bombshells and Atomic Blondes: The Action Cinema of Charlize Theron; Thomas SweetChapter 2. Let Rain Shine: Michelle Rodriguez – Action Star; Steven GerrardChapter 3. ‘Musculinity’ and the Empowered Female Body in Haywire (2011); Douglas RasmussenPart 2. Transmedia ActionChapter 4. Gender, Violence and Empowerment: Reworking the Female Action Hero in Dollhouse; Jessica FordChapter 5. All Access Action Heroes – Between Cyberpathy and New Media; Anne GanzertChapter 6. Hard Bodies in Virtual Worlds: Assessing the Reception of Abby’s Spectacular Body in The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, 2020); Dean BowmanPart 3. Intergenerational ActionChapter 7. Dark Fathers and Damaged Sons: The Paternal Betrayal of Jason Bourne; Toby ReynoldsChapter 8. Beyond Actions: Remodelling Heroine-hood in The Grandmaster; Jasmine Yu-Hsing ChenPart 4. Politics and RaceChapter 9. ‘Always Bet on Black’: Wesley Snipes – Action Star; Shelley O’BrienChapter 10. Dismal Setbacks and Stunning Breakthroughs: A Look at Pam Grier’s Career and How It Changed Hollywood; Dahlia SchweitzerChapter 11. Playing With Type? Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Rivalry, and Race in Hobbs and Shaw; Renée MiddlemostConclusion; Renée Middlemost and Steven Gerrard