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Five Insane Shootout Films That Deserve Video Game Adaptions
Recently, Starbreeze announced plans to help develop a VR game based in the universe established by the 2014 film, John Wick. This is a fantastic idea as the film is full of exciting action and gunfights as well as a surprisingly strange universe that I would love to know more about. John Wick isn’t the only action movie like this. There are plenty of other similar films that deserve of a video games adaption.
Many great candidates have been covered in games to varying levels of success. Stranglehold, released in 2007, served as a sequel to the 1992 action classic, Hard Boiled. The Matrix has had multiple video game adaptations. The film Wanted received a video game accompaniment when it released in 2008. There are also plenty of Terminator and Die Hard games. The films below, however, are full of great gun-focused action that have the potential to become a compelling video game, but haven’t had the opportunity yet.
Face/Off
Face-Off is a pretty dumb movie with great action that marks one of the earlier examples of Nicolas Cage playing an insane person. A video game adaption where the player is playing as both hero and villain has the potential to be interesting. The film's director, John Woo, worked closely on Stranglehold (mentioned above) but he hasn't returned to the medium since then.
The Wild Bunch
The most grounded entry on this list, The Wild Bunch is a great western with about 500% more bullets and violence than the average film in the genre. It offered some of the earliest examples of slow-motion violence (which you may have experienced in a video game at some point) and a finale that already feels like a video game even though the film released in 1969.
Equilibrium
Starring Christian Bale and released in 2002 (three years before he would put down guns forever to play Batman), Equilibrium is about a future society that has effectively eliminated emotions. The gunfights are a highlight of the film and do a good job of being distinct. Also, like John Wick, a dog plays a major role in the film’s plot.
Desperado
The 1995 action film was not the first to feature director Robert Rodriguez’s Mariachi, but it was the first time Antonio Banderas played him. It features many memorable shootouts, the bar scene above being a highlight. Who wouldn’t want to be The Mariachi?
Shoot 'em Up
Released in 2007, Shoot ‘em Up saw Clive Owen continuing his trend of saving babies from intense situations after 2006’s Children of Men. Unlike Children of Men, however, Shoot ‘em Up was absolutely absurd and ridiculous in the best way. Owen’s character, Smith, uses his guns as multipurpose tools instead of just weapons. It’s the best candidate on this list both for its fantastic gunplay, and the fact that the movie felt like a setup for the continuing adventures of Smith and his carrot-chomping adventures.
Are there any other gun-focused films that deserve to live on as a video game?
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