With all of this discussion about toxic masculinity coming from Hollywood, I thought it important to remind people some of the best movies ever made are about toxic masculinity.
The term toxic masculinity refers to what scholars refer to stereotypical masculine gender roles that restrict the kinds of emotions allowable for boys and men to express, including social expectations that men seek to be dominant (the “alpha male“), and limit their emotional range primarily to expressions of anger.
However, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ now is being used as a weapon against traditional male role models which have defined and shaped society for over 4000 years. Social justice warriors use it also to describe any sort of defense of maleness or male role models.
So to hell with feminism, veganism and social justice, here is a list of these great movies to remind Hollywood that its greatness was at its zenith whenever it made these sort of movies.
To wit, in no particular order:
1. Braveheart – (the first of the ‘Holy Trinity’ of male movies)—a story of a Scottish knight, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), who warred with both the King of England, Edward Longshanks (Patrick McGoogan) as well as his own nobles. True to both his friends and his people, Wallace eventually ends up ton to pieces but not before he breaks Edward, both physically and mentally. The movie was hammered by critics for its ruthlessly anti-homosexual scenes.
2. Gladiator- (2nd of the ‘Holy Trinity’)- story of a fictional General Maximus ( Russell Crowe) who runs afoul of imperial politics in the final years of the Roman Empire. Called upon to be Emperor by a dying Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) he is made a slave and gladiator by his treacherous son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). In the end they die in mutual combat, while a roaring crowd watches, leaving the empire in chaos.
3. Spartacus- (3rd of the ‘Holy Trinity)- Kirk Douglas as Spartacus, leads a slave rebellion from the mountainous Vesuvius marching to the sea to escape Roman rule. Crassus and the Roman legions stand in his way, and eventually is overcome by both sword and politics. Notable for its brilliant score, historical accuracy, and powerful subplot of his wife Verinia, his friend Antoninus (Tony Curtis) and Roman politics. Brilliant and heartwrenching.
4. Smokey and the Bandit- Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, and Jerry Reed run amok all over the south as they try to make an illegal beer run of Coors from Texas to Georgia in 18 hours. Hilarity ensues as mad dog sheriff, Jackie Gleason pursues.
5. Animal House- The original ‘slob comedy’ with an all-star cast, that goes from one madcap college prank to another in this classic 80’s comedy. The main perpetrators are John Belushi, Karen Allen, and Tom Hulce and written by Harold Ramis, basically run roughshod over Faber College and take all kinds of liberties with the faculty and staff as well as various women around and about. Still holds up well after all these years, and shockingly, not too far from the truth.
6. Goodfellas- The ‘mob’ movie hit of the 80’s, it was a departure from the usual story about mob bosses and focused on the lives of the guys that made their living grinding down cons, frauds and heists for the bosses. Powerful soundtrack, and standout performances by Robert DeNiro and Ray Liotta dominate the movie but are shadowed by the monster performance of Joe Pesci and the insane killer ‘Tommy’. Watch for two scenes—the “Billy Batts Scene” which is the central framing tale for the movie, and the ‘What Do You Mean I’m Funny’ scene with Pesci showing the painful realism of being around a sociopath.
7. The Magnificent Seven- What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said? A cast with two many stars to list, its almost a swan song for the western moves themselves as seven great gunfighter go down to a sleepy Mexican town to defend it from the criminal bandito Calavera (played by the brilliant Eli Wallach). The fantastic and memorable soundtrack is almost iconic for western movies, as well the main star Yul Brynner who is the perpetual ‘man in black’.
8. The Great Escape- No list on manly movies would be complete with a war movie, and a favorite is this World War Two fictional epic about the true story of the Great Escape of prisoners from a Nazi labor camp. Another ‘too many stars to list’ movie, which is the hallmark of many great male movies, the strong script and direction makes you care about each one of the numerous subplots and characters. The famous motorcycle scene was done by Steve McQueen himself for the shoot.
9. Cool Hand Luke- Prison movies are always good fodder for alpha male movies and this one was a standout among others. Paul Newman ‘blow your doors off’ performance of ‘Luke’ is a classic argument of the little guy fighting against the machine. Sent to jail for daring to cut the heads off parking meters, Luke just can’t seem to get enough abuse as he constantly tries to escape and ‘just say no’ to the man. Finishes in the typical way as city hall always wins in the end.
9. Oceans Eleven- Not the shitty remake, but the original Rat Pack in Vegas heist movie. While the remake featured a slick soundtrack and plenty of smooth charm, nothing will match the grit of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. singing, and scamming Las Vegas out of millions. Best part of the movie was knowing these Rat Packers made this movie during the day and then it was hijinks all night in the casinos, much to the delight of visitors to the city of glitz. When did they sleep?
There were tons of others that get honorable mention. Papillion, Dirty Harry, Casino, Mad Max, Ghostbusters are some of them, but there really are too many to list.
This is my list—how about yours?
