Director Anand Shankar made an impressive debut this year with the tautly packaged action thriller Arima Nambi featuring Vikram Prabhu and Priya Anand. A former associate of AR Murugodass, Anand Shankar was an assistant director in Thuppakki and 7am Arivu. The young director’s top ten favourites include several movies from his favorite genre: action; but some surprises too.
1.
Indian: (Directed by Shankar, this film in which Kamal Haasan plays a dual role was the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 1996.) “I loved the whole idea of one character being an old time martial artist from the pre-independence period. I loved the scenes where you get to see Kamal’s Senapathy in action.”
2.
Mudhalvan: (A political thriller directed by Shankar and starring Arjun; the movie was later remade into several languages). “The whole concept of the film, a journalist being offered the CM post for a day was one of its kind.”
Mudhalvan
The iconic interview scene from Mudhalvan
3.
Inception:(This science fiction action thriller directed by Christopher Nolan has Leonardo DiCaprio playing a thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets.) “The concept, treatment and the layering of the script was so inspiring.”
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Inception trailer:
4.
The Dark Knight: (Directed by Christopher Nolan, whose inspiration for this superhero film was the Joker’s comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween. Heath Ledger who immortalised Joker on screen described him as a “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy). “Can’t think of a better written antagonist than this fellow.”
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The Dark Knight Trailer:
5.
Shutter Island: (Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller in which Leonardo Dicaprio plays Teddy Daniels, an US Army Marshal who is investigating the disappearance of a murderer). “The mood of the film is superb. I would rate it as a classic on par with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Also the cinematography by Robert Richardson was remarkable.”
Shutter Island Poster
8 clips from Shutter Island in this Youtube playlist.
6.
Blood Diamond: ( Directed by Edward Zwick, this American-German political war thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou is set during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1996–2001. The film depicts a country torn apart by the struggle between government loyalists and insurgent forces). “Everybody loves this film- the action, the African scenario – absolutely spell binding!”
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Blood Diamond trailer:
Blood Diamond movie clips:
7.
Terminator 2 Judgment Day: (An American science fiction action thriller directed by James Cameron and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and Edward Furlong. This second installment of the Terminator franchise follows Sarah Connor (Hamilton) and her ten-year-old son John (Furlong) as they are pursued by a new, more advanced Terminator). “An All time classic. Being an action movie lover, for me, action films can’t get better than this one.”
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Terminator 2 Judgment Day Trailer:
8.
Bourne Series: (A series of action/thriller spy films based on the character Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), a CIA assassin suffering from extreme memory loss who must figure out who he is). “Mainly for the fantastic story by Robert Ludlum. Perfect story for the perfect action movie. And the ones directed by Paul Greengrass stand out.”
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Bourne Identity trailer:
Bourne Supremacy trailer:
Bourne Ultimatum trailer:
Bourne series soundtrack
9.
Baasha: “Sensational. As a Rajinikanth fan, I was floored, happy and celebrating the glory that was unfolding on screen.”
10.
Jurassic Park: “The experience of cinema itself was this film. For me, this is a film that is the pride of the world cinema itself. It changed the dynamics of cinema forever.”
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11 clips from the iconic film:
As told to Neelima Menon.
