A book as
big and brash as the stars who are its focus.
I had a blast reading it - no CGI required. -- Ian Rankin
A lively celebration of 1980s action stars: Sly, Arnie and ‘the muscles from Brussels’ -
The TimesThis book takes you so close to the action, you can smell the sweat, cigar smoke, and bad cologne that brought these movies to life. Along the way, Nick de Semlyen reveals tales of stunts gone wrong, conversations between Stallone and Reagan, the origin of Jean Claude Van Damme’s buns, and all of the stories from set that people were too afraid to tell-until now. -- Paul Scheer
A testosterone-fueled ode to action movies . . .
packs a punch. -
Publishers WeeklyThe action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s weren’t out to make history at the outset of their careers, but that’s what they did all the same. Nick De Semlyen chronicles the rise and fall (and sometimes rise-again) of the world’s most popular action heroes in this
juicy, highly entertaining, and informative book. -- Leonard Maltin
In his
riveting chronicle of the ass-kicking, neck-snapping, biceps-rippling action heroes of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Nick de Semlyen not only paints the story of the movies and stars of the Reagan era, he shines a light on what they meant-and still mean-to us.
A juicy, fun as hell read. -- Chris Nashawaty, author of "Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story"
Nick de Semlyen’s love letter to the action cinema of the ’80s and ‘90s reads like those films play:
fast-paced, wryly funny, and unapologetically entertaining. His research is meticulous and his analysis is impeccable, but he also keenly understands why these movies hit like they did: because they were
fun. And, unfailingly, so is
The Last Action Heroes. -- Jason Bailey, author of 'Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It'
In his
revelatory history of the Golden Age of action cinema, Nick de Semlyen vividly renders the story of the larger-than-life legends who defined and shaped an era.
Equally insightful and entertaining, this book is an absolute blast to read, as thrilling as the genre itself. -- Priscilla Page --This text refers to the
paperback edition.
About the Author
Nick de Semlyen is the editor of
Empire, the world’s biggest movie magazine. As a film journalist, he has also written for
Rolling Stone and
Time Out. Over the years he has orchestrated cast reunions for
Lethal Weapon,
The Goonies and
Gremlins, been driven around Shanghai at high speed by Jackie Chan, visited Jack Nicholson's house, and interviewed everybody from Robert De Niro to David Lynch. He can be seen on screen for two seconds in the movie
Jurassic World, being splashed by a water-dinosaur. His first book
Wild and Crazy Guys, about the wave of Hollywood comedy stars that ruled the 1980s, was published by Picador in 2019. --This text refers to the
paperback edition.
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