The Last Action Heroes cover art

The Last Action Heroes

The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage

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The Last Action Heroes

By: Nick de Semlyen
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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About this listen

'A blast' - Ian Rankin
'A joyous celebration of 80s action cinema' - Robbie Collin, Telegraph

From the editor of Empire magazine, this is the behind-the-scenes story of the golden age of the action movie, the stars who ruled 80s and 90s Hollywood and the beloved films – from Die Hard to The Terminator – that made them famous.

This wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie charts Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War. Revealing fascinating untold stories of the colourful characters who ascended in their wake – high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Willis – it chronicles the rise of the invincible action hero who used muscle, martial arts or the perfect weapon to save the day. And how, as the 1990s rolled on, the glory days of these macho men – and the vision of masculinity they celebrated – began to fade.

Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their collaborators, friends and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.
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'Lively' - The Times
'Highly entertaining' - Sunday Telegraph
'A rollicking, anecdote-packed tribute to the cavalier days' - Literary Review

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Nick de Semlyen (P)2023 Penguin Random House LLC
Entertainment & Celebrities Film & TV Social Sciences Celebrity Funny Combat Sports
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What listeners say about The Last Action Heroes

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    5 out of 5 stars

Humorous, lighthearted examination of action heroes

Loved the variety of apocryphal tales about the stars and enjoyed the (largely predictable) images of each. Really enjoyed Semlyen’s writing. While competently narrated Pinchot’s dry drawl could be, at times, slightly emotionless. Great, page turning read.

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  • Overall
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Awesome!

Brilliant. A wonderful blast from the last reliving everyone’s glory years. Sequel needed please - would love more about late 90s into 2010s

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Fantastic

This book is funny, nostalgic and interesting, full of unbelievable anecdotes. Well worth a listen if, like me, you grew up watching action movies.

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A wonderfully nostalgic and informative romp

A brilliant journey through crazy action Hollywood. Wonderfully read by Bromson Pinchot (where's his autobiography?).

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Nostalgic and fun

Take me back to the 80s and 90s. Great stories, facts and insights on everything from Rocky to Die Hard.

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Very amusing

Details the absurdity of that era with deadpan delivery by Bronson Pinchot - superb and engaging

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Excellent book

Informative, funny and nostalgic look into a great period of cinema and some legendary characters. I wasn’t sure if this would be for me but I loved it and was genuinely sad that it ended!

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there goes my heroes

a great book for any fan of the action actors of the 80s and 90s my only wish was that it was longer

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Great walkthrough of legendary action!

Excellent chronicle of the rise and endurance of the action star, dealing with many iconic movies on the way.

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Meat and Veg

I love these type of books I dine out for months listening falling asleep and rewinding chapters to soak up insight into those oh so special films that took us away for a couple of hours or even the backstory to the stinkers that I still remember, but crave so much to listen about the origins of a story to pitching a treatment to green lighting a movie and all the production effort and risk involved when nobody knows nothing.

more if these books please

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