Action icons fall, and new stars stand ready

Action icons fall, and new stars stand ready

STEPHANE REIX/EPA

Bruce Willis promoting 'Moonrise Kingdom' at last year's Cannes Film Festival. His success in quirky films like that, as well as in his action hits, like the sequel 'A Good Day to Die Hard' (opening Feb. 14), puts him in a league pretty much his own.

Sylvester Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head” was D.O.A. “The Last Stand” may be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s final hurrah. Jason Statham’s “Parker” peaked in fifth place on opening weekend.

What’s going on?

Apparently it’s no longer enough to roll with (or dole out) the punches.

There was a time when all an action hero really had to do was beat up some bad guys and deliver a few wry one-liners. These days, everybody’s got to work harder to earn their keep.

So why is Bruce Willis â€" whose “A Good Day to Die Hard” opens Thursday â€" still standing strong, while his fellow icons are deflating rapidly? Because he has the one vital element they lack: range.

PHOTOS: MOMOA AND THE HOT NEW FACES OF ACTION

A 21st century action hero can’t just pick up a gun and drop a villain. For one thing, firepower alone is not enough to impress today’s audience. Want to make an impact? Learn martial arts. Travel through time, or turn yourself into a werewolf. And some solid archery skills couldn’t hurt.

But the real requirement goes beyond action itself. The 21st century heroes â€" or, increasingly, heroines â€" need another crucial ability: they have to be able to act.

Willis may have made his fortune on the “Die Hard” series, but he has been proving his talents since “Pulp Fiction.” Sure, he cashed that “Expendables 2” check last year. But he balanced it with beautifully wistful work in Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” and the unusually thoughtful thriller “Looper.”

In this demanding environment, no one should be surprised that young women are rising even as the old (almost entirely male) guard is falling.

As was so famously said about Ginger Rogers, she had to do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. Hollywood is a tough place for actresses; perhaps the fact that they have to work harder has actually made them more suited to a stringent new standard.

RELATED: BRUCE WILLIS IS BACK AS JOHN MCCLANE

Consider Jennifer Lawrence, at 22 the most successful young action hero we’ve got right now. (“The Hunger Games” grossed more than half a billion worldwide; “Parker” has so far made about $ 15 million.)