This course will trace the emergence of the action film out of a number of older genres, such as westerns and adventure films. We will study the political and aesthetic meanings of the genre during its rise in the 1980s to become one of the most popular and dominant film genres today. Our analysis will emphasize issues such as the body, spectacle, speed, and violence with special attention to representations of race, gender, sexuality, class, and nation. The course will include films by directors such as Michael Bay, Kathryn Bigelow, John McTiernan, Michael Mann, James Cameron, and George Miller.