There are three major action
sequences throughout Iron Man’s two-hour runtime, each strategically placed at
just the right point: during the film’s first third, during the second third,
and during the finale. The three sequences
are given time to properly set up, creating hype and anticipation that reward
with satisfying clashes both in length and entertainment—particularly the
second of the three battles.
The action sequence is a highly
satisfying mix of when cruel reality meets fantasy justice. It begins as a realistic scene of terror and
oppression in the Middle East, only for flying, shiny red-gold metal man to throw
a wrench into that process. There’s
something incredibly cathartic watching a bunch of realistic scumbag terrorists
get manhandled by a vigilante in a super suit (really makes you wish it could
happen in reality). A great moment involves
several (ironically terrified) terrorists holding women and children hostage as
Tony confronts them. It initially
appears Tony is out of luck as he lowers his hand thrusters, seemingly at a
standstill—but hostage situations do not work on advanced weaponry as the
suit’s targeting system pinpoints each terrorist’s head before gunning them
down with bullets from its shoulders. The
scene, once again, emphasizes the difference between Batman's no killing/no
guns policy and Iron Man’s no holds barred, multi headshot policy.
Yet despite being a force of good
here, Tony is still acting quite cocky and arrogant. When he arrives on the scene, Tony swings his
hand thrusters around in a dramatic fashion, blasting up the terrorists like he's showing off. The scene parallels Tony
earlier when he’s practicing using his hand thrusters by blasting glass windows
after hearing on the news how there’s no hope for these oppressed locals. He’s like a child with a toy gun, pretending
to be a cowboy hero. Later on, Tony does
an admittedly epic, unflinching walkaway from a tank after blowing it up with a
missile. Tony is a hero here, saving
many people’s lives, but he knows
he's a hero and acts so in a very self-indulgent fashion. Here is a man who views himself a hero and revels in it.
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Tony has not transformed from an incredibly self-centered man to a selfless, virtuous superhero—he’s gone from being a
grandiose narcissist all about himself to a communal narcissist all about
himself helping others. Add on his
recklessness and foolhardy decisions that put others in danger, and you’ve got
one heck of a flawed superhero. This is
all great. Favreau isn’t putting all his
eggs in one basket, having Tony experience character development yet allowing so
much more room for growth in future films. Downey played a part with such great characterization, being considerably involved in the film's screenwriting process—pushing for his character's more endearingly flawed qualities to remain even after becoming a superhero:
What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!'...What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable.
—Robert Downey Jr.
Such crafting makes Tony’s development feel like a natural progression, gradually changing in a way that connects with his past self and does not jarringly alter his character—leaving Tony's devilishly charming qualities while adding some appealing noble qualities to mix. A long-term strategy that still leaves the audience satisfied with said part of the journey (arguably, the MCU's whole philosophy).
What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!'...What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable.
—Robert Downey Jr.
Such crafting makes Tony’s development feel like a natural progression, gradually changing in a way that connects with his past self and does not jarringly alter his character—leaving Tony's devilishly charming qualities while adding some appealing noble qualities to mix. A long-term strategy that still leaves the audience satisfied with said part of the journey (arguably, the MCU's whole philosophy).
Tony barely makes it back home after
a close call with a couple U.S. fighter jets—the event forcing him to divulge
his identity to Rhodey. After seeing the
incident on television, Stane flies overseas to discuss matters with the Ten
Rings. The Ten Rings offer the original
armored suit they pieced back together as a gift to Stane so he can recreate it
and give them an army of iron soldiers. Stane
betrays the Ten Rings, however, using specialized sonar technology to paralyze
and kill them before taking back the suit to design his own.
Back home, Tony reveals to Pepper
the guilt he feels about still being alive from the cave incident, and that his
reason for being alive must be to destroy the remaining weapons he helped make.
Pepper, initially threatening to quit
over Tony’s life-threatening activities (noting how he’s all she has as well),
is convinced to help him, sneaking into Stark Industries to figure out Stane’s
plans. She discovers the Ten Rings’
hostage video, that suspiciously no one had mentioned after Tony’s return. It’s revealed the video was meant only for
Stane, who had put a hit on Tony’s head—yet the Ten Rings discovered who Tony
was and upped the price for his death. Nearly
caught by Stane, Pepper uses the persistent Phil Coulson as an excuse to leave Stark
Industries (giving his presence in the film actual relevance over merely a
cameo set up), informing the agent of what she's discovered.
Frustrated and rapidly losing
control of the situation, Stane heads to Stark Industries technology department
to see if their scientists were successful in recreating the miniaturized Arc
Reactor:
Scientist: Yes, to power the suit, sir, the technology actually
doesn't exist. So it's...
Stane: Wait, wait, wait. The technology? William, points to the massive Arc Reactor here
is the technology. I've asked you to simply make it smaller.
Scientist: Okay, sir, and that's what we're trying to do, but
honestly, it's impossible.
Stane: enraged TONY STARK
WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE!! With a box of scraps!
Scientist: Well, I'm sorry. I'm not Tony Stark.
Furious now, and with little options left, Stane sneaks into Tony's house and takes the man’s personal Arc
Reactor right out of his chest—using the sonar technology to paralyze Tony as
he removes his life device. Stane leaves
Tony to painfully die, unaware of the framed Arc Reactor that Tony crawls his
way towards and—with the help of his machines--obtains. Meanwhile, Pepper, Agent Coulson, and multiple
agents head over to Stark Industries to arrest Stane. On Peppers behalf, Rhodey goes over to check
on Tony—finding and filling Tony in on the current situation. Tony realizes the agents won't be enough to
stop Stane and puts on his suit to personally confront his former partner,
asking Rhodey to keep the sky’s clear for him. There’s a shot of Rhodey looking at another
one of Tony’s super suits, with Terrence Howard delivering his most ironically
tragic line in the film; “Next time, baby.”
And with that, the pieces are set for Iron Man's climax and final action
piece.
LINK TO FINALE: I Am Iron Man
LINK TO FINALE: I Am Iron Man
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