Errol Flynn, the great Australian action movie hero died 50 years ago today, at age 50. He was the ideal ‘swashbuckler.’
On the flip side, Hitchcock was a master of the unlikely swashbuckler, for example, casting an advertising executive as a spy in North By Northwest. But his influence can be seen in more recent films like Romancing The Stone and The Informant.
As an exercise:
How would your main character cope if they were immediately thrust into an action adventure movie? What adventure would your hero or heroine find themselves in? Would they take on the threat alone or with a team?
One more thing:
My favorite Errol Flynn picture was The Adventures of Robin Hood. What about you?