Blood, guns, and testosterone: action films, audiences, and a thirst for violence

Introduction: Violence and much more

The controversies, the crisis, and the films. The history of a modern crisis

The audience matters

The modern American action film

The audience. The need for speed : the appeal of fast-paced story telling

Mirror image : finding a personal, social, and moral identity in the action film

Man talk : managing the modern male identity (crisis) in the genre

The opposition : men with a challenge

managing a well-deserved "crisis"

What women want : women talk about modern masculinity in the action film

Bloody fun : the appeal of watching violence

Conclusions: I'll be back? The future of action and masculinity in popular culture.