In this investigation I will be examining how masculinity is represented in the two films Fast 5(1) and Casino Royale(2). Both films are from the action genre with Casino Royale being more of a spy film and Fast 5 focusing more on crime. However both films represent ideas of masculinity and I will be applying theories such as Hard bodies, National identity and the female gaze to specific scenes within the films to analyse whether they challenge masculinity or use it conventionally.
The action film genre started in the 1920s and 1930s, they usually consisted of battles between villains and heroes with swords and weapons. They were known as 'Swashbuckler' films.(5) The genre has changed and evolved over time, spy and western films have become more popular and costumes used in the films have become more "normal and suited to the theme of the film".(5) These changes have made the action film genre more realistic and more appealing to the audience.(5) In any action film there is an action hero, they are usually very masculine and can "achieve what is out of reach for most ordinary people"(6). The hero in the film is often "the ideal we wish ourselves to be".(6)
Masculinity involves being "tough, respected, strong and independent"(4) according to theorist Jackson Katz. He argues that being masculine involves violence and that "violence is an accepted part of masculinity in films"(4). This theory is backed up in the fight scene between Dom and Hobbs in Fast 5. They both take the form of the 'hard body'(7) action hero. The hard body has remained as one of the fundamental focuses of action films through their evolution. A hard body is a character who is tough and masculine, his body will "enable him to navigate around the perils that shall assault him later on".(6) A hard body action hero usually engages in some form of violence and is "undoubtedly compelled to face the perils of human intervention"(6),meaning that the hard body usually comes under some form of attack from another character, this involvement in violence links back to the theory of Jackson Katz. There are often stereotypes of masculine males in films, usually certain races are related to certain types of characters. For example, Jackson Katz says that Latino males are usually "represented as boxers, criminals and tough guys"(4) and that Asian-American men are usually "represented as martial arts masters or dangerous criminals".(4) Katz also argues that the violence that is portrayed in films influences males in the real world. He argues that the "majority of violence and crime in society is committed by males"(4) as a result of what they have seen in films and believes that the films can lead to things such as "domestic violence and abuse".(4)
Jackson Katz’s views can be applied to both Fast 5 and Casino Royale but Fast 5 uses it more conventionally. Fast 5 is a very stereotypical action film of today, it contains a lot of violence, fighting and weapons, an example is the scene where the convoy come under fire from a gang with guns and RPGs.(1) In this scene there is fast paced editing and non-digetic music used to show action. The mise en scene is based around the favelas of Brazil. These are the slums of the country, the area looks rundown and dirty and there is graffiti on the walls, this represents the way of life of the people that live there and the poverty that exists in that part of the world. Fast 5(1) also represents men as being muscular and rugged, this is evidence of "the normative mapping of bodies"(8) in action films. This use of violence and the representation of the rugged male means that Fast 5 is a very conventional action film which contrasts with Casino Royale which is adapting more with the times. When James Bond first appeared in the 60's played by Sean Connery, he was represented as being a "hairy-chested, hard drinking, constantly smoking representation of the man's man of the time"(9), Doug Brode, a professor of television and film said that "Sean Connery emphasised the macho"(9). In Casino Royale Bond is still masculine, he still uses violence and kills people however he is more sexualised and in touch with his emotions, this makes him a "far more relatable character"(9). There is evidence that Bond is more in touch with his emotions in the scene where he sleeps with Vesper Lynd.(2) In the past Bond would have slept with a woman out of "selfish desire"(9) however in Casino Royale he sleeps with her out of love and "his actions stem from severe personal loss"(9). The scene where Bond sits and cries over Vespers death(2) also shows that Bond now shows his emotions a lot more, in past Bond films he wouldn't have cried over the death of a woman, he would have just moved on. This change in his actions makes Bond a much more relatable character, allowing the audience to personally identify with him. There is a high camera angle in this scene that looks down at Bond, this makes him look vulnerable and this combined with the use of non-digetic music makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Bond and allows the audience to gain an insight in to his thoughts and feelings for the first time. This shows how Bond has changed with the times as in the past Bond would never have cried. Laura Mulvey's theory of the female gaze can be applied to Casino Royale to show how Bond is sexualised in the film. The scene where Bond walks out of the Sea with his top off(2) shows fragmentation of his body and makes him visually appealing to a female audience, allowing them to gain visual pleasure from watching it. The camera shows a mid shot of Bond's body, focusing on his muscles and sexualising him. Laura Mulvey originally argued "man as the bearer of the look"(10), however this theory has adapted over time and men are now often the victims of the female gaze which is evident in this scene. This scene is a prime example of how Bond has changed over time, it is a similar scene to the one in Die Another Day(11) where Halle Berry walks out of the sea on to the beach. However, in Die Another Day(11) the focus is on the female and the male gaze theory can be applied conventionally, this contrasts with the Casino Royale(2) scene where the gaze has altered and has now focused on the male in order to sexualise him.
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