The Last Action Heroes cover art

The Last Action Heroes

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

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Last Action Heroes

By: Nick de Semlyen
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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.

When you purchase this title, an accompanying PDF will be available in your audiobook library along with the audio.
______

'Lively' - The Times
'Highly entertaining' - Sunday Telegraph
'A rollicking, anecdote-packed tribute to the cavalier days' - Literary Review

Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Social Sciences Entertainment Celebrity Thought-Provoking Funny Combat Sports

Listeners also enjoyed...

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. cover art
Oscar Wars cover art
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon cover art
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls cover art
A Convenient Parallel Dimension cover art
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 1) cover art
Adventures in the Screen Trade cover art
Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant cover art
Directed by James Burrows cover art
Bad Motherfucker cover art
The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie cover art
Blood, Sweat & Chrome cover art
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan cover art
Director's Cut cover art
Star Wars: Padawan's Pride cover art
Killin' Generals cover art

Critic reviews

A book as big and brash as the stars who are its focus. I had a blast reading it - no CGI required. (Ian Rankin)
A lively celebration of 1980s action stars: Sly, Arnie and ‘the muscles from Brussels'.
If it's bulging biceps, titanic tantrums, sculpted shoulders and Herculean drug habits you're after, then Nick de Semlyen is the author for you. His book The Last Action Heroes is not bad either, a hugely entertaining romp through 80s and 90s action cinema, every page riddled with a zillion bullet holes. (Edgar Wright)
This book takes you so close to the action, you can smell the sweat, cigar smoke, and bad cologne that brought these movies to life. Along the way, Nick de Semlyen reveals tales of stunts gone wrong, conversations between Stallone and Reagan, the origin of Jean Claude Van Damme’s buns, and all of the stories from set that people were too afraid to tell—until now. (Paul Scheer)
The action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s weren’t out to make history at the outset of their careers, but that’s what they did all the same. Nick De Semlyen chronicles the rise and fall (and sometimes rise-again) of the world’s most popular action heroes in this juicy, highly entertaining, and informative book. (Leonard Maltin)
A rollicking, anecdote-packed tribute to the cavalier days.
In his riveting chronicle of the ass-kicking, neck-snapping, biceps-rippling action heroes of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Nick de Semlyen not only paints the story of the movies and stars of the Reagan era, he shines a light on what they meant—and still mean—to us. A juicy, fun as hell read. (Chris Nashawaty, author of Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story)
A testosterone-fueled ode to action movies . . . packs a punch.
Nick de Semlyen’s love letter to the action cinema of the ’80s and ‘90s reads like those films play: fast-paced, wryly funny, and unapologetically entertaining. His research is meticulous and his analysis is impeccable, but he also keenly understands why these movies hit like they did: because they were fun. And, unfailingly, so is The Last Action Heroes. (Jason Bailey, author of Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It)
In his revelatory history of the Golden Age of action cinema, Nick de Semlyen vividly renders the story of the larger-than-life legends who defined and shaped an era. Equally insightful and entertaining, this book is an absolute blast to read, as thrilling as the genre itself. (Priscilla Page)
All stars
Most relevant
Nostalgia galore!
I just want more. More details. More anecdotes. More background around the movies. More quotes. Just like the author's first book, this is a fantastic book!

Too short!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

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!

Excellent book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved hearing the inside scoops of the feuds between the action heroes. Whilst the narrator has a relaxing voice I'm just surprised we didn't get a more animated performance given his previous acting roles

Inside scoops

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Brilliant narration be Bronson Pinchot really entertaining to listen to. I’ll love to listen more Told by someone like this narrator.

Great to hear of these stalwarts of our time

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator does a great job keeping entertaining. Good way to pass time whilst walking/catching bus to work.

Enjoyable book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews