When (and if) the geezers finally clear out of the he-man action-movie space, there are a few thirtysomething bucks ready to step up. But what are their chances of being the next Bruce Willis? Let’s rate them from one to four grenades.
Chris Evans, 32
Goofy and strenuously annoying in “The Fantastic Four” movies, he turned likable and easygoing in 2011’s “Captain America,” in which he showed off a Christopher Reeve-like sweetness (the sequel, “The Winter Soldier,” is due April 4). But despite the muscle-bound physique, Evans still comes across as a bit of a lightweight. ★★
Joel Kinnaman, 34
The TV star (“The Killing”) was both intense and slick as a pretend playboy who gets sucked into gangland in the 2010 Swedish thriller “Easy Money.” And in the recent “RoboCop” remake, he’s both imposing and emotionally convincing as the bionic policeman who kicks butt while yearning for more time with his wife and son. But he doesn’t yet have the gift of grabbing you by the collar. ★★
Aaron Paul, 34
Though the jury is still out for his March 14 street-racing movie “Need for Speed,” the “Breaking Bad” star had better start getting used to the fact that he’ll never have a role as rich, nuanced, anguished and hilarious as Jesse Pinkman again. His slight stature and lack of presence doom him as a big-screen action hero; better to stick to TV. ★
Chris Hemsworth, 30
The stilted-bordering-on-funny dialogue and silly situations of the “Thor” movies don’t show him at his best — and those movies are pretty hard to sit through twice — but Hemsworth was much looser as an impish sex god and race-car daredevil in “Rush,” in which he came across as a more physical, roguish version of the young Brad Pitt. He’s got real potential. ★★★
Channing Tatum, 33
Beefy yet light on his feet, swaggering yet self-deprecating, Tatum is shaping up to be the commercial leading man of his generation. Who else could make a dance movie, a stripper movie, a cop spoof and “G.I. Joe”? He could be the non-weird version of Tom Cruise. Next up: “22 Jump Street” and the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending” this summer. ★★★★