166 Fun Facts About Action Movie

Which 1979 Roderick Thorp novel was adapted into Die Hard (1988)?

Nothing Lasts Forever is Thorp's 1979 sequel to The Detective, which had been filmed with Frank Sinatra; Die Hard 2 was adapted from Walter Wager's novel 58 Minutes.

Which stage actor made his feature-film debut as Die Hard's villain Hans Gruber?

Alan Rickman, then 41 and known for the RSC's Les Liaisons Dangereuses, made his first feature film as Hans Gruber; he later played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series.

In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), who plays the shape-shifting, liquid-metal T-1000?

Robert Patrick plays the T-1000; at roughly $100 million, Terminator 2 was the most expensive film made to that point and won four Oscars, including visual effects and makeup.

Which martial-arts star was originally cast as the creature in Predator (1987)?

Jean-Claude Van Damme was first cast as an agile, ninja-like creature; that suit proved unworkable, and Kevin Peter Hall, fresh from Harry and the Hendersons, took over.

In First Blood (1982), how does Deputy Galt, the film's only fatality, die?

Galt falls from a helicopter after Rambo throws a rock that cracks its windshield; it is the only death in First Blood, unlike David Morrell's far bloodier novel.

In Speed (1994), the bus is rigged to explode if its speed drops below what?

The bomb arms above 50 mph and detonates if the bus drops below 50 mph; Dennis Hopper plays the bomber, and the film won two Oscars, for sound and sound effects editing.

In Point Break (1991), the bank-robbing surfers wear rubber masks of what?

The ex-presidents masks are Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ; Patrick Swayze's Bodhi leads the gang and Keanu Reeves plays FBI agent Johnny Utah.

In The Rock (1996), Connery and Cage break into which former prison to stop rogue Marines with VX gas?

The prison is Alcatraz; Connery's John Mason is the only man to have escaped the island, which is why the FBI needs him, and Ed Harris's General Hummel leads the rogue Marines.

Who directed Face/Off (1997), in which an FBI agent and a terrorist swap faces?

John Woo directed Face/Off, his biggest Hollywood hit, bringing his Hong Kong trademarks of doves and two-gun shootouts to a $245 million worldwide gross.

In Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Tom Cruise scales the outside of which building?

The building is Dubai's Burj Khalifa; Cruise did the climb himself, attached by cables that ILM erased digitally, and the sequence was shot with IMAX cameras.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) was shot mainly in which country's desert?

Namibia's Namib desert stood in for the wasteland after unusual rain had greened the Australian outback, so George Miller moved the production; Charlize Theron played Furiosa.

How many Academy Awards did Mad Max: Fury Road win?

Editing, production design, costume, makeup, sound editing and sound mixing; Charlize Theron's Furiosa was the breakout.

What is the name of the beagle puppy whose killing brings John Wick out of retirement in the 2014 film?

Daisy was a final gift from Wick's late wife Helen; her killing by the mobster's son Iosef sets off the 2014 film's rampage.

The Matrix (1999) popularised which slow-motion visual effect?

Bullet time makes the camera appear to sweep at normal speed through a frozen scene; The Matrix won four Oscars, including visual effects and editing.

Which colour of pill does Neo take from Morpheus in The Matrix (1999)?

Red uncovers the truth, blue returns him to his ordinary life; the Wachowskis wrote and directed.

George Lucas named Indiana Jones after what?

The character was originally 'Indiana Smith'; Tom Selleck was the first choice but CBS would not release him from Magnum, P.I.

Which TV star was first choice for Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark but was tied to his series contract?

Tom Selleck lost the part when CBS refused to release him from Magnum, P.I.; the 1981 writers' strike then delayed the show, so he could have done both after all.

The Bourne Identity (2002) opens with Jason Bourne being pulled from which sea by fishermen?

Fishermen haul him from the Mediterranean with two bullets in his back and no memory; Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel and Doug Liman's film introduced the CIA's Treadstone programme.

RoboCop (1987) is set in a crime-ridden near-future version of which city?

Paul Verhoeven's satire is set in a near-future Detroit, where Peter Weller's cyborg cop battles the megacorporation OCP and its malfunctioning ED-209 robot.

In Aliens (1986), how long has Ripley been drifting in stasis when she is found?

Ripley has drifted for 57 years when a salvage crew finds her; James Cameron wrote and directed, and Sigourney Weaver earned a rare science-fiction Best Actress nomination.

Heat (1995) was promoted around the first on-screen scenes together of which two actors?

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were both in The Godfather Part II but never shared a frame; Michael Mann shot their diner scene with minimal rehearsal.

Enter the Dragon premiered in Hong Kong on 26 July 1973, how long after Bruce Lee's death?

Lee died on 20 July 1973, aged 32, six days before the Hong Kong premiere; the film was added to the US National Film Registry in 2004.

In Taken (2008), Liam Neeson's ex-CIA officer Bryan Mills hunts kidnappers in which city?

Luc Besson co-wrote it and Pierre Morel directed; the phone speech to the kidnappers became an internet meme.

In Casino Royale (2006), what game does Bond play against Le Chiffre?

The film switched Fleming's baccarat to Texas hold 'em to ride the 2000s poker boom; the game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro carries a $10 million buy-in.

Which actor died of a heart attack during the making of Gladiator (2000)?

Oliver Reed, playing the trainer Proximo, died in Malta during the shoot; his remaining scenes used a body double and digital effects. The film won Best Picture and Best Actor.

Who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing US Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive (1993)?

Tommy Lee Jones's marshal chases Ford's Dr. Kimble, who jumps from a dam spillway to escape him; the film, based on the 1960s TV series, was nominated for Best Picture.

Top Gun (1986), the year's highest-grossing film worldwide, won an Academy Award for which song?

Take My Breath Away, Berlin's ballad written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Who wrote Lethal Weapon (1987)?

Shane Black wrote Lethal Weapon in his early twenties, launching a career that later made him Hollywood's highest-paid screenwriter; Mel Gibson and Danny Glover starred as Riggs and Murtaugh.

In Independence Day (1996), how do the humans finally defeat the alien mothership?

Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson uploads a computer virus from a refurbished alien fighter to drop the shields; the film was 1996's highest grosser and won the visual-effects Oscar.

In John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981), Manhattan has become what?

Set in the far-off year of 1997, it gives Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken 24 hours to rescue the President.

What injury did Jackie Chan suffer sliding down a light-covered pole in Police Story (1985)?

Second-degree burns to his hands: the bulbs had heated the pole, and the fall also hurt his back; the film opens with a car chase straight through a hillside shantytown.

The Raid (2011), in which police fight up a drug lord's tower block, showcases which martial art?

The fights are pencak silat, Indonesia's native martial art; Gareth Evans made it in Jakarta with Iko Uwais, and the US title was The Raid: Redemption.

At the climax of Con Air (1997), the hijacked prison plane crash-lands where?

The plane comes down on the Las Vegas Strip, its wing clipping the Hard Rock Hotel's giant Stratocaster; John Malkovich's Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom leads the convicts.

In Commando (1985), which future TV star plays John Matrix's kidnapped daughter?

Milano was 12 and about to become famous on Who's the Boss?; Vernon Wells's Bennett is the chain-mail-clad villain.

Total Recall (1990) is based on a short story by which author?

Philip K. Dick's 1966 story 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale' became Paul Verhoeven's Mars-set film, which won a special Oscar for visual effects.

In Bloodsport (1988), Frank Dux competes in which underground Hong Kong tournament?

The Kumite is a secret full-contact tournament held in Hong Kong; Jean-Claude Van Damme's Frank Dux is based on a real martial artist whose claimed record has been widely disputed.

In Rush Hour (1998), Chris Tucker's detective, partnered with Jackie Chan's Lee, is from which police force?

Tucker's James Carter is an LAPD detective saddled with Hong Kong inspector Lee; Brett Ratner directed, and the film grossed about $245 million and spawned two sequels.

The Bride's yellow tracksuit in Kill Bill: Volume 1 pays homage to Bruce Lee in which film?

Game of Death (1978), left unfinished at Lee's death in 1973, shows him in the yellow-and-black jumpsuit Tarantino copied for the Bride's House of Blue Leaves fight against the Crazy 88.

Which magazine's 1998 article about New York street racing inspired The Fast and the Furious (2001)?

Ken Li's 'Racer X' ran in Vibe in 1998 and became a franchise worth billions; Rob Cohen directed the first film with Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.

Bad Boys (1995) was originally envisioned as a vehicle for which comedy duo?

Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz were the intended leads; producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer switched to Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, and the film grossed over $140 million worldwide.

Léon: The Professional (1994) marked the feature film debut of which actress, as 12-year-old Mathilda?

Natalie Portman, then 12, made her first film as Mathilda; Luc Besson wrote and directed, and Jean Reno's hitman tends a houseplant she finally plants to 'give it roots'.

Skyfall (2012), released for the Bond series' 50th anniversary, was the first Bond film to do what?

Skyfall was the first Bond film to gross over $1 billion worldwide; Sam Mendes directed, Adele's theme won the Oscar, and Judi Dench's M dies in Bond's arms.

Zack Snyder's 300 (2006) was filmed mostly using what technique?

The aim was to replicate the look of Frank Miller's comic panels; Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas.

In Air Force One (1997), which actor plays the Russian terrorist leader fighting Harrison Ford's president?

Gary Oldman plays Ivan Korshunov, the hijacker who seizes the president's plane; Glenn Close plays the vice president, and 'Get off my plane!' became the film's catchphrase.

How much was stuntman Simon Crane paid for Cliffhanger's record aerial plane-to-plane transfer at 15,000 feet?

Simon Crane was paid $1 million, then a record fee for a single stunt; Renny Harlin shot most of the film in the Italian Dolomites standing in for the Rockies.

Which actor made his film debut in Zack Snyder's 300?

Michael Fassbender, previously seen on TV in Band of Brothers, made his feature debut as the Spartan Stelios; Butler played Leonidas and Santoro played Xerxes.

Which Spartan narrates 300 as an unreliable voice-over?

Dilios, played by David Wenham, is the one-eyed survivor Leonidas sends home; his storytelling frames the film's monsters and exaggerations.

Which director made Air Force One?

Wolfgang Petersen directed Air Force One after Das Boot and In the Line of Fire; it grossed over $300 million worldwide in 1997.

At which British studio was Aliens shot amid conflicts between Cameron and the local crew?

Pinewood Studios hosted the 1985 shoot; the British crew resented the untested Cameron, who fired cinematographer Dick Bush, and James Horner was left only weeks to record the score.

Which 2001 role established Angelina Jolie as an action leading lady?

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) was Jolie's first action lead and grossed over $270 million worldwide; Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted and Salt all came later.

What was Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding nickname?

The Austrian Oak, for his size and his birthplace near Graz; he won Mr. Olympia seven times between 1970 and 1980.

Which 1982 film was Schwarzenegger's Hollywood breakthrough?

Conan the Barbarian, directed by John Milius, made Schwarzenegger a star in 1982; its sequel Conan the Destroyer followed in 1984.

Bad Boys (1995) was the feature directorial debut of which director?

Michael Bay, then a music-video and commercials director, made Bad Boys his first feature; he went on to make The Rock and Armageddon.

Which actor planned a Black Panther film as early as 1992?

Wesley Snipes announced plans for a Black Panther film in 1992 and pursued it for years; Chadwick Boseman eventually debuted the role in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Which Bloodsport co-screenwriter said Frank Dux fabricated his fight record and the Kumite?

Sheldon Lettich, who co-wrote the script, later said Dux invented both his record and the Kumite; Newt Arnold directed the 1988 Cannon Films release.

Which hybrid martial arts philosophy did Bruce Lee found?

Jeet Kune Do, 'the way of the intercepting fist', was Lee's 1967 hybrid philosophy of taking what works from any style; he had trained in Wing Chun under Ip Man.

In which city was Bruce Lee born?

He was raised in Hong Kong and moved to Seattle in 1959.

Bruce Willis first found fame on which TV comedy-drama?

Moonlighting (1985-89) paired Willis with Cybill Shepherd and won him an Emmy before Die Hard (1988) made him a film star.

Bruce Willis retired in 2022 due to what condition?

His family announced aphasia in March 2022; the diagnosis was updated to frontotemporal dementia in February 2023.

In Bullitt (1968), Steve McQueen's detective drives which car in the famous chase?

A Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback, pursued by a black Dodge Charger over the hills of San Francisco; Peter Yates directed.

Who plays the terrorism financier Le Chiffre in Casino Royale?

Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre loses the high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.

Con Air was the feature directorial debut of which director?

Simon West, a commercials director, made Con Air his first feature for producer Jerry Bruckheimer; he later directed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).

In Crank, what must Jason Statham's assassin Chev Chelios do to stay alive after being poisoned?

Keep his adrenaline flowing constantly: the LA-based British assassin has been dosed with a synthetic drug and hunts the culprits.

What is the name of the treasured sword stolen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

The Green Destiny is the sword Li Mu Bai gives up and the disguised Jen steals; Ang Lee's film, based on Wang Dulu's Crane-Iron novels, won four Oscars.

What is the name of Tom Cruise's NASCAR rookie in Days of Thunder?

Cole Trickle, loosely based on driver Tim Richmond; Robert Duvall plays crew chief Harry Hogge and Michael Rooker the rival Rowdy Burns.

How much was Bruce Willis paid for Die Hard, a deal seen as a poor investment at the time?

$5 million, a fee that raised eyebrows for a TV actor; Schwarzenegger and Stallone were among the stars who had passed on John McClane.

Die Hard was filmed almost entirely in and around which Los Angeles building?

Fox Plaza in Century City, newly built as 20th Century Fox's headquarters, stood in for Nakatomi Plaza.

Dirty Harry drew on which real-life Bay Area criminal case?

The Zodiac Killer, who terrorised the Bay Area in 1968-69 and taunted police with letters, inspired the film's Scorpio; Clint Eastwood's Callahan hunts him across San Francisco.

Dr. No is set mainly on which island, where Bond investigates a missing agent?

Jamaica, where Fleming wrote the novels at his Goldeneye estate; Bond investigates the disappearance of agent Strangways, and Dr. No plans to disrupt a launch from Cape Canaveral.

Who plays Judge Dredd in the 2012 film Dredd?

Karl Urban, who never removes the helmet; Alex Garland wrote and produced it, and Olivia Thirlby plays the psychic rookie Anderson.

In Fast Five (2011), Dwayne Johnson joined the franchise as which federal agent?

Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent hunting Dom's crew through Rio; the role later earned Johnson the 2019 spin-off Hobbs & Shaw.

Edge of Tomorrow is a loose adaptation of which Japanese light novel?

All You Need Is Kill, Hiroshi Sakurazaka's 2004 light novel; Tom Cruise's Major Cage relives an alien invasion in a time loop alongside Emily Blunt's Rita Vrataski.

Escape from New York was filmed mainly in which US city standing in for Manhattan?

St. Louis, Missouri, whose fire-damaged downtown and old Chain of Rocks Bridge stood in for a ruined Manhattan on a budget of about $6 million.

In which city is Chris Hemsworth's mercenary sent to rescue a drug lord's son in Extraction?

Dhaka, Bangladesh, where Tyler Rake must extract the kidnapped son of an Indian drug lord; stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave made his directing debut on the 2020 Netflix film.

Which two actors swap faces in Face/Off?

John Travolta's FBI agent Sean Archer and Nicolas Cage's terrorist Castor Troy trade faces through experimental surgery, so each actor spends most of the film playing the other.

Fast Five deliberately shifted the franchise from street racing toward what?

Heists, with cars: the film featured only one car race.

First Blood became a sensation in which country when it was released there in 1985?

China: First Blood was among the earliest Hollywood films shown there after the reform era began, and Rambo became a household name.

Who plays Colonel Sam Trautman, Rambo's mentor, in First Blood?

Brian Dennehy plays Sheriff Teasle.

Who directed Furious 7 (2015), completed after Paul Walker's death?

James Wan, the Saw and Conjuring director; Paul Walker's brothers Caleb and Cody stood in, with digital effects, to finish his scenes after his death.

George Miller trained in which profession before making Mad Max?

Medicine: Miller qualified as a doctor and worked in a Sydney hospital, where treating road-trauma victims fed into Mad Max's crashes.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was the live-action directing debut of which animation director?

Brad Bird, director of Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille, made his live-action debut; J. J. Abrams, who had directed the third film, produced.

GoldenEye was the first Bond film not to use story elements from which source?

Ian Fleming's works: GoldenEye was the first Bond film with no story from Fleming's novels or stories, though its title is the name of his Jamaican home; Judi Dench debuted as M.

How long was the hiatus in the Bond series before GoldenEye, caused by legal disputes?

Six years: Licence to Kill (1989) was followed by GoldenEye (1995) after litigation between MGM/UA and the producers' company Danjaq; Timothy Dalton left during the gap.

In Goldfinger (1964), what is the henchman Oddjob's lethal weapon?

A steel-rimmed bowler hat, which Oddjob throws to decapitate a statue and kill Tilly Masterson; Harold Sakata, an Olympic weightlifting medallist, played him.

Hard Boiled was John Woo's final film in Hong Kong before Hollywood; who plays Inspector 'Tequila'?

Chow Yun-fat plays Tequila, with Tony Leung as undercover cop Alan; Woo made it in response to criticism that his films romanticized criminals.

Hard Target is based on which 1924 short story?

The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell's 1924 story of humans hunted for sport; Universal had Sam Raimi oversee John Woo's first American film.

What is unusual about how Hardcore Henry was shot?

Entirely from a first-person perspective: Russian director Ilya Naishuller shot it on GoPro cameras mounted on stuntmen's heads; STX released it in 2016.

Which film earned Harrison Ford his sole Oscar nomination for Best Actor?

Witness (1985), Peter Weir's thriller in which Ford's detective John Book hides among the Amish, brought his only Oscar nomination.

Heat's script was first used for which 1989 TV film by the same writer-director?

He wrote the original script in 1979.

Who convinced Miramax to finally release Zhang Yimou's Hero in US theaters in 2004?

Quentin Tarantino lobbied Miramax and lent his name ('Quentin Tarantino presents') to the 2004 release, which became the first Chinese-language film to top the US box office.

Which film was Roland Emmerich promoting when he conceived Independence Day?

Stargate: while promoting it in 1994, Emmerich was asked whether he believed in aliens, and he and Dean Devlin wrote Independence Day soon after.

Who plays Ip Man in the 2008 film, with fight choreography by Sammo Hung?

Donnie Yen plays the Wing Chun master in Wilson Yip's film, with Sammo Hung choreographing the fights; Ip Man later taught Bruce Lee in Hong Kong.

Which 1978 film was Jackie Chan's breakthrough?

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (March 1978), Yuen Woo-ping's directing debut, was Chan's first hit; Drunken Master followed that October.

Which 2010 ensemble film cast Jason Statham as the knife-throwing mercenary Lee Christmas?

The Expendables, Stallone's mercenary ensemble with Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren; Christmas's knives became a running gag across three sequels.

Which Guy Ritchie film gave Jason Statham his start, inspired by his market-stall past?

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998): Ritchie cast Statham as Bacon after learning he had sold knock-off goods from a London market stall; Snatch followed in 2000.

Who wrote John Wick's screenplay?

Derek Kolstad wrote the script, originally titled Scar, and went on to write Nobody (2021); Chad Stahelski directed with David Leitch co-directing uncredited.

Which studio bought John Wick's distribution rights just two months before release?

Lionsgate picked it up in August 2014 for an October release after other studios passed on an action film from first-time directors; it went on to gross about $86 million.

John Woo is regarded as the pioneer of which Hong Kong action subgenre?

Heroic bloodshed, the crime genre of loyal gangsters and balletic two-gun shootouts that Woo launched with A Better Tomorrow (1986) and refined in The Killer and Hard Boiled.

In which city was Keanu Reeves born?

Beirut, Lebanon, in 1964, to an English mother and a Hawaiian-born father; he was raised mainly in Toronto.

Kickboxer (1989) is credited with popularising which martial art for Western audiences?

Muay Thai: Van Damme's Kurt Sloane trains in Thailand to avenge his brother against champion Tong Po, and the film is widely credited with popularising the art in the West.

Why was Kill Bill split into two volumes?

Its runtime was over four hours: Harvey Weinstein proposed splitting the cut into two volumes, released in October 2003 and April 2004, rather than trimming it.

Who plays eco-terrorist Richmond Valentine in Kingsman: The Secret Service?

Samuel L. Jackson plays the lisping tech billionaire Valentine, whose free SIM cards turn people violent; Colin Firth is Harry Hart and Taron Egerton the recruit Eggsy.

Who directed Lethal Weapon (1987)?

Richard Donner, fresh from Superman and The Goonies, directed Lethal Weapon and all three sequels, lightening Shane Black's dark script with buddy-comedy humour.

Live and Let Die was the first Bond film to star which actor as 007?

Roger Moore debuted as 007 in 1973 after Sean Connery's return in Diamonds Are Forever; the film drew on the blaxploitation era and gave Paul McCartney a hit theme.

Which corrupt DEA agent, played by Gary Oldman, murders Mathilda's family in Leon?

Norman Stansfield, the pill-popping, Beethoven-loving DEA agent; Jean Reno's Léon, a hitman who calls himself a 'cleaner', takes Mathilda in after the massacre.

Mad Max (1979) was filmed on a budget of roughly how much?

About A$400,000; it grossed more than US$100 million worldwide and held a Guinness record for the best cost-to-profit ratio until The Blair Witch Project (1999).

Under what title was Mad Max 2 released in the United States?

The Road Warrior, because the first Mad Max had had only a small, dubbed US release; the sequel was filmed around Broken Hill in New South Wales.

Man on Fire (2004) moved its setting from Naples to where?

Mexico City, where Denzel Washington's bodyguard John Creasy protects a girl played by Dakota Fanning; the 1980 novel and 1987 film had been set in Italy.

Under what surname was Yeoh Choo Kheng credited in her early Hong Kong films?

Khan: she was billed as Michelle Khan in films such as Yes, Madam! (1985) and Police Story 3: Supercop (1992), performing her own stunts.

Which Bond film gave Michelle Yeoh international recognition in 1997?

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) cast Yeoh as Chinese agent Wai Lin opposite Pierce Brosnan; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon followed in 2000.

Who directed the first Mission: Impossible film in 1996?

Brian De Palma directed the 1996 film, the first project of Cruise/Wagner Productions; its CIA vault heist on a wire became the series' signature image.

What is the name of the genetically modified disease in Mission: Impossible 2?

Chimera is the virus and Bellerophon its cure, both stolen from Biocyte; Dougray Scott's rogue agent Sean Ambrose hunts them in Sydney, and John Woo directed.

Which director left No Time to Die in 2018 over creative differences before Cary Fukunaga took over?

Boyle had planned to co-write with John Hodge.

Who plays the mild-mannered family man turned assassin in Nobody (2021)?

Bob Odenkirk, best known as Saul Goodman, trained for about two years to play Hutch Mansell; Ilya Naishuller directed from a Derek Kolstad script.

In Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa's character travels to Bangkok to recover what?

The stolen head of Ong-Bak, his village's Buddha statue; Ting, played by Tony Jaa, fights through Bangkok's underground with Muay Thai and no wires or CGI.

Who directed Point Break (1991)?

Kathryn Bigelow directed, working on the script with her then-husband James Cameron; she later became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar, for The Hurt Locker.

What is Keanu Reeves's FBI rookie's former athletic career in Point Break?

Ohio State quarterback: Utah's college football career ended with a knee injury, which Bodhi's crew needles him about; Gary Busey's 'Utah, get me two!' became a catchphrase.

What was Predator's working title when it was written in 1984?

Hunter: brothers Jim and John Thomas wrote it in 1984 and sold it to 20th Century Fox; Stan Winston later devised the creature effects.

Which future Minnesota governor appears in Predator?

Jesse Ventura, the ex-wrestler who plays Blain, was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998; Schwarzenegger himself later governed California.

Who suggested the Ark of the Covenant as the goal of Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Philip Kaufman, who worked out the story with Lucas in the 1970s and shares the story credit, proposed the Ark of the Covenant; Lawrence Kasdan then wrote the screenplay.

In Rambo (2008), Rambo leads mercenaries into which country to rescue captured missionaries?

Burma: Rambo, living quietly in Thailand, ferries missionaries up the Salween River and goes back in after the Burmese army seizes them.

Rambo III depicts events during which conflict?

The Soviet-Afghan War: Rambo goes into Afghanistan to rescue Trautman from the Soviets; at about $63 million it was the most expensive film yet made in 1988.

On what film's set did Edward Neumeier conceive RoboCop?

Blade Runner: Neumeier, then a studio employee visiting the set, was told it was about a cop hunting robots and flipped the idea to a robot cop; Verhoeven's wife Martine rescued the script from the bin.

Who plays the villain Raoul Silva in Skyfall?

Javier Bardem plays Silva, a former MI6 agent turned cyber-terrorist with a grudge against M; Sam Mendes directed.

Where did Skyfall premiere on 23 October 2012?

The Royal Albert Hall, with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attending the royal premiere; development had paused in 2010 during MGM's bankruptcy.

Speed was the feature directorial debut of which cinematographer-turned-director?

Jan de Bont, cinematographer of Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, made Speed his first film as director; it won Oscars for sound and sound effects editing.

Steven Seagal's 1988 film debut Above the Law showcased which martial art?

Aikido: Seagal, a 7th-dan black belt who ran a dojo in Japan before acting, brought the art's wrist locks and throws to Hollywood in Above the Law.

In Sudden Death, Van Damme's fire marshal battles extortionists during which sporting event?

Game seven of the Stanley Cup Final between the Penguins and Blackhawks, shot at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena; Van Damme's Darren McCord even ends up in goal in a Penguins uniform.

Who wrote Taken with Robert Mark Kamen?

Luc Besson co-wrote Taken with his regular collaborator Robert Mark Kamen and produced it through EuropaCorp; Pierre Morel directed.

Kim and Amanda are kidnapped in Taken by human traffickers of which nationality?

Albanian: the traffickers, led by Marko, snatch the girls from their Paris flat; Taken grossed $226 million on a $25 million budget.

Who plays Gabriel Cash opposite Stallone's Raymond Tango in Tango & Cash?

Kurt Russell plays the scruffy Cash to Stallone's dapper Tango; Andrei Konchalovsky was replaced by Albert Magnoli during the troubled 1989 shoot.

Which role was Schwarzenegger originally approached to play in The Terminator?

Kyle Reese: Orion pitched Schwarzenegger as the hero, but at lunch with Cameron he talked so much about how the Terminator should be played that Cameron cast him as the villain.

James Cameron devised The Terminator's premise from what?

A fever dream: ill in a Rome hotel while finishing Piranha II: The Spawning in 1982, Cameron dreamed of a metal skeleton dragging itself from fire, which became the film's ending.

Under what title was the 2012 Joss Whedon superhero team-up released in the UK and Ireland?

Marvel Avengers Assemble, to avoid confusion with the 1960s British TV series The Avengers and its 1998 film; Joss Whedon wrote and directed.

Which actor did Mark Ruffalo replace as Bruce Banner for The Avengers?

Norton had played the role in 2008's The Incredible Hulk.

Which director made The Bourne Ultimatum?

Paul Greengrass, who had also made The Bourne Supremacy, directed Ultimatum (2007), which won three Oscars for editing, sound mixing and sound editing.

The Dark Knight (2008) was the first major feature to shoot sequences with what?

High-resolution IMAX cameras: Nolan shot about 30 minutes, including the opening bank heist, on 65mm IMAX film, a first for a major feature.

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington's Robert McCall protects a teenager from which criminal group?

The Russian mafia: McCall takes on the pimps, then the enforcer Teddy sent from Moscow, after befriending Chloë Grace Moretz's Teri; he works at a big-box hardware store in Boston.

Which actor's Han became a fan favourite after The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)?

Sung Kang's Han Lue died in Tokyo Drift, but the fans' 'Justice for Han' campaign brought him back alive in F9 (2021).

How many Academy Awards did The French Connection win?

Five: Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Fugitive TV series and film were loosely inspired by which real trial?

Sam Sheppard, an Ohio doctor convicted in 1954 of murdering his wife and acquitted at a 1966 retrial; like him, Dr. Richard Kimble is framed for his wife's murder.

In The Fugitive (1993), Dr. Kimble insists his wife was killed by a man with what?

One arm: Kimble eventually tracks the killer down as Frederick Sykes, who wears a prosthetic arm, and links him to the drug company behind the murder.

John Woo called The Killer a tribute to which two directors?

Jean-Pierre Melville and Martin Scorsese: Woo drew on Melville's Le Samouraï and Scorsese's Mean Streets for Chow Yun-fat's assassin with a code.

Which 1996 Wachowski film convinced Warner Bros. to greenlight their 1999 sci-fi hit?

Bound, a low-budget neo-noir thriller, proved the Wachowskis could direct and persuaded Warner Bros. to fund The Matrix; Assassins (1995) was a script they sold but did not direct.

Which William Gibson cyberpunk novel influenced the Wachowskis' 1999 sci-fi film?

Neuromancer (1984), which used 'the matrix' as its name for cyberspace; the Wachowskis also cited Plato's cave and Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation.

Why was the subtitle 'Redemption' added to The Raid in the United States?

Mike Shinoda scored the American version.

The Raid was written and directed by a filmmaker from which country?

Gareth Evans made it in Jakarta with Iko Uwais.

The Rock was dedicated to the memory of which producer, who died five months before its release?

Don Simpson, Bruckheimer's partner on Top Gun and Bad Boys, died in January 1996; The Rock opened that June with a dedication to him and a Best Sound Oscar nomination.

Under which pseudonym did Stephen King write The Running Man?

Richard Bachman, the pen name King used for The Running Man (1982) and other early novels until a bookseller unmasked him in 1985; the 1987 film kept little beyond the premise.

What are Frank Martin's three rules in The Transporter?

Never change the deal, no names, never open the package: Statham's Frank Martin breaks rule three when the package turns out to be a woman, Shu Qi's Lai.

Top Gun was inspired by an article in which magazine?

California magazine ran Ehud Yonay's 'Top Guns' in 1983, three years before the film; producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer optioned it.

Top Gun: Maverick was dedicated to the memory of which director?

Tony Scott, who directed the 1986 original, died in 2012; Joseph Kosinski directed the sequel, which closes with a dedication to him.

Which actor made his final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 sequel?

Val Kilmer returned as Iceman in what became his final film role.

Roughly how many script drafts did Total Recall go through during 16 years in development?

Around forty drafts: Ronald Shusett optioned Philip K. Dick's story in 1974, and the project passed through several directors before Paul Verhoeven's 1990 film.

True Lies is based on which 1991 French comedy?

La Totale!, Claude Zidi's 1991 comedy about a secret agent whose wife thinks he is a dull civil servant; Cameron's remake cost over $100 million.

On which battleship does Under Siege take place?

The USS Missouri, where Japan surrendered in 1945, is hijacked on its decommissioning voyage; Seagal's cook Casey Ryback is a former SEAL, and the USS Alabama stood in for filming.

In Wanted, Wesley Gibson joins which secret society of assassins?

The Fraternity, a thousand-year-old society of assassins who take their targets from a loom of fate; Timur Bekmambetov's film loosely adapts Mark Millar and J. G. Jones's comic.

Wonder Woman (2017) is set during which war?

World War I: Diana leaves Themyscira with Chris Pine's Steve Trevor in 1918, believing the war is orchestrated by Ares; Patty Jenkins directed.

Yuen Woo-ping's choreography on which 1994 film caught the Wachowskis' attention?

Fist of Legend, Jet Li's 1994 remake of Fist of Fury, showed the Wachowskis the wire-assisted style they wanted, and Yuen Woo-ping went on to choreograph The Matrix.

How many Oscars did Christopher Nolan's Inception win, all of them in technical categories?

Four: cinematography, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects; it lost Best Picture and Original Screenplay.

In Demolition Man (1993), in what year do John Spartan and Simon Phoenix wake from cryogenic freezing?

2032: both were frozen in 1996 and thawed into the pacified San Angeles of 2032; the film was Marco Brambilla's directorial debut and featured Sandra Bullock before her breakout in Speed.

Although set in New York, Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx (1995) was actually shot in which city?

Vancouver, whose mountains are visible behind the 'Bronx' skyline; New Line's dubbed, re-edited version opened in the US in February 1996 and gave Chan his North American breakthrough.

Who composed the score for the 2002 wuxia epic Hero, starring Jet Li?

Tan Dun scored the Chinese-Hong Kong co-production; Christopher Doyle shot it, and it earned a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.

Who directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in the 2004 martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle?

Stephen Chow developed it after the success of his Shaolin Soccer and shot it in Shanghai; Yuen Woo-ping supervised the fight choreography.

Which prize did Park Chan-wook's Oldboy win at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival?

The Grand Prix, the festival's second prize; jury president Quentin Tarantino championed it, though the Palme d'Or went to Fahrenheit 9/11. The film adapts a Japanese manga about a man imprisoned for 15 years.

Atomic Blonde (2017) is based on which 2012 graphic novel?

The Coldest City, Antony Johnston and Sam Hart's 2012 graphic novel; the film was David Leitch's first solo credit as a feature director, with Charlize Theron also producing.