Everything but real people. And this happens at a time when I was considering going out and kicking butt just like Steven Seagal does in Exit Wounds. I have the sneaky feeling, though, that although he acts like he's been planned on a drawing board, he's not a concept, but real. Perhaps Seagal's the rare case where concept and life merge. Maybe he can't tell the difference anymore.
Most action heroes are concepts.
They grunt from the corners of their mouths, or slur words if you're Sylvester Stallone, and kill without batting an eyelid. They look good, even when they're beaten up. Even when their hairstyle's rumpled, it's still gelled and meticulously designed. They're still one step away from a glossy ad, only their clothes are torn in tasteful ways. Forrest Gump, suggests White, is the concept of an innocent, sexless man-child.