The Drama of the Action Movie

Something that I was talking about recently with some friends is how much better some movies are when you fast forward through the actual acting (all of the dramatic stuff) and skip right to good stuff-sex, blood, and violence. This applies to both movies that are world renowned for their superb acting and directing (Gladiator-2000, Directed by Ridley Scott) for example, and some less than stellar films (Troy-2004, Directed by Wolfgang Petersen). If you don't believe me, try it sometime, you will find yourself highly entertained and with up to an hour of unused time.
Maybe this is why some directors have opted to pretty much forgo any Academy Awards for acting and just head straight for the ass kicking. 300 (2006, Directed by Zack Snyder) is a perfect example of this. For any of you who have not seen the film, it is basically a bunch of extremely muscular guys go around impaling Persians on the end of their spears. Pretty kick ass. If you want any more examples, watch any Schwarzenegger movie from his prime (Terminator, Predator, Commando, and Terminator 2 for example)
Really what I'm getting at here is that Hollywood needs to learn when drama needs to take the back seat. Sometimes too much plot will destroy what could have been an awesome movie.

The WESTERN

Arguably the single most badass genre ever, the Western has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences both in the US and abroad. This depiction of what is really a rather minor part in American history has influenced audiences to such an extent that the protagonist cowboys of the Western have come to somewhat represent the American image: strong willed, moral, independent, and fast with a word and a gun.
As with all major character types, the cowboy has been depicted by countless actors throughout time, and among the many, a few have become icons for all that is man: Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. While I am personally a bigger fan of Eastwood (both his classic Spaghetti Westerns and his revisionist Westerns such as Unforgiven kick all sorts of ass), Wayne is clearly the original bamf cowboy, so I have to give him some credit too.
What is truely amazing about the genre of the Western is that it seems to be truely timeless. It is rare that films form the 50's and 60's are just as entertaining as modern origionals and remakes, and the Western is one of the few to really be able to pull that off.