Grinds My Gears: Action Stars

Action stars that simply will not go away.

Many of us who have turned on the television over the past month have no doubt seen the commercials for “A Good Day to Die Hard.” This is the most recent movie of the Die Hard series which began all the way back in 1988. Nearly 25 years later, Bruce Willis is still at it. Except he is no longer the semi-fit cop in his 30s, but rather a man in his late 50s trying to save the world one last time. If I wanted to see an old guy jumping around and trying to save the world, I would tune in to see Si Robertson from Duck Dynasty, not pay $10 or more to see Bruce Willis try to come up with more cheesy catch phrases before he shoots someone.

Bruce Willis, however, is not an isolated case. In 2010 Sylvester Stallone along with a couple of other old guys were in an action flick titled “The Expendables.” Evidently it was weird enough to warrant a second that came out in 2012. This movie had everybody from Chuck Norris to Arnold Schwarzenegger to Dolph Lundgren (the huge Russian from Rocky IV). Though the cast was somewhat impressive during the 70s and 80s, we are now numerous decades later, but I guess there are enough people trying to relive yesteryear to pay for the movie. Ultimately, these people just need to know when to give up. Jersey Shore knew when to give up when it got cancelled this past year, and if Deena and Snooki can figure out when their time is up, I fail to understand why these old people cannot. It is kind of weird to see Sylvester Stallone just as big and defined at age 66 as he was in his Rocky days. He has probably been sharing some workout tips with Lance Armstrong or something.

Ultimately, I have only the highest respect for these individuals. At their age, to run around in an action flick has to take a toll on their body that is only surpassed by their arthritis. I simply want to see them maintain their high reputation. When Michael Jordan came back from retirement and he was not as good as his Bull days, the aura surrounding him kind of faded in a way. He had initially left the league as the best, but ultimately retired only average. These action movie stars, like Jordan, need to retire to their Florida beach houses, and let some new people fill in their void.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what grinds my gears.