Why are some of the best action movie heroes so quiet?
While action movies are often packed to the rafters with intense gun fights, explosive set pieces, and high-octane car chases, there’s sometimes a difference when it comes to its hero figures. The likes of Bruce Willis’ John McClane and Mel Gibson’s William Wallace are known for their talkative natures and witty one-liners, but some of the best protagonists in the action genre are those who speak the least.
From Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name to Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo, it’s often seen that those with the quietest demeanour can have the most significant effect on a film’s audience. A paradox of sorts arises in a hero who can walk the walk – firing the shots and performing death-defying stunts – but doesn’t necessarily feel the need to talk the talk, preferring to let their actions speak for them.
As is the case with Eastwood’s effort in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, action heroes who speak little or not at all create an air of mystery around them that makes them all the more alluring. Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive notoriously barely says a word, and in doing so, his actions are amplified by badassery and sexiness.
In addition, there’s a stoic nature to the person who speaks the least, echoing the Book of Proverbs: “The wise say very little, and those with understanding stay calm. Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet; if they don’t speak, they appear to understand.” There’s a clear discipline in John Rambo and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick, whereby they are so focused on their goal of killing and survival that to speak meaningless words would only serve to distract them.
Perhaps there’s an importance to the production of an action film, too, in why a hero character may be written with no or little dialogue. Silence simply allows for a more immersive cinematic experience whereby words would pierce the tension. Not speaking allows for the audience to not only focus on the action sequences but also consider the motives of a protagonist. Max Rockatansky of the Mad Max film series is a perfect example of this kind of quiet, stoic character.
If an action hero is mouthing off all the time, taunting their foes, they perhaps become unlikeable and thereby lose the support of the audience. While John McClane is indeed brilliant with his non-stop commentary, he can occasionally become predictable and rather than have an audience constantly guess his next move; they expect him to continue further down his path of narrative problem.
In espionage action, silence can also become a tool, as employed by Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, whose foes are constantly kept on their toes without any clue as to what he might have up his sleeve. By keeping quiet, Bourne et al. reveal their deepest inner turmoil and conflicts and thus become more interesting, well-rounded characters, rather than all-shouting gun-toting morons – the likes of which can at least be remotely entertaining.
Still, it’s that ambiguity of quiet action heroes that makes them the best figures for the job. They invite us to interrogate their quietude and isolation to search for the more profound intricacies of their pasts. Silence is power in action, and the quietest protagonists are those who become fully formed human beings rather than one-dimensional genre tropes.
