Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, John McTiernan was a household name in Hollywood. His action blockbusters like Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, and Die Hard with a Vengeance were all adored by both audiences and critics.
But with two major flops in the early 2000s - Rollerball and Basic - as well as some legal and financial issues, McTiernan's career met its Waterloo.
Despite having not made a movie in more than a decade, the director has been in touch with Hollywood and has seen movies on a regular basis. While speaking to the French website Premiere (via The Playlist) recently, he offers an assessment of movies that he has seen.
John McTiernan makes it clear in the interview that he isn't a fan of the comic book movies that are coming out more consistently than ever. According to the director, "…these are films made by fascists. Comic book heroes are for businesses."
And he has something pretty harsh to say about one particular superhero, Captain America! McTiernan adds:
Captain America"¦The cult of American hyper-masculinity is one of the worst things that has happened in the world during the last fifty years. Hundreds of thousands of people died because of this stupid illusion. So how is it possible to watch a movie called Captain America?
The director not only has a problem with comic book movies and Captain America, but also with the critically acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road! He terms the George Miller flick "corporate product".
But that doesn't mean he hates all of Miller's projects. He admits that he liked the first Mad Max installment and the Academy Award winning movie Babe.
During the interview, John McTiernan also praises Ben Affleck's Argo. According to him, Affleck did "something incredible" in the movie, both as an actor and as a director.
