Conventions of the Action genre

The Protagonist is often considered a prime male specimen with a muscular character appealing to the men in the idea of wanting to be the character and the woman with the idea of a romance with that character. The Character will often have to perform self-surgery, is intelligent, strong, tough and often has a romantic interest in which he must protect or rescue sometimes both. The sex of the Protagonist can change as the characters are easily balanced. a good example of a female Protagonist is Lara Croft Tomb Raider

The Antagonist will often be the ying to the Protagonists yang being opposite and well matched. He often will appear an intellectual equal and both have respect for each other. More often then not the Antagonist will be an old friend/associate of the Protagonist who has been betrayed or believes they were betrayed by the Protagonist or someone they must protect. 

With the action genre there are many things you can expect to see. These include; Fast cars, bullets, guns, explosions, hot girls, beautiful scenery, violence and the fall and rise of the hero. These all work together to create a action filled film with a emotional attachment with the hero rising over everything that has been thrown at them.