I suppose Executive Decision is a counter-counter-example. The hero is a true intellectual (a back-room type scientist) who takes over when the tough guy hero type (Stephen Seagal) gets wasted, so superficially it seems to disprove the OP.
But… in their wisdom, Hollywood cast not John Cusack nor any other credible ‘cultured sophisticated’ hero, but Kurt Russell. In glasses. :smack: Not to cast nasturtiums on old Mr R, I love The Thing and Escape from whatever, but this is surely a case of Hollywood wanting to have Mr Sensitive as the hero, but crapping out at the casting stage.
Indiana Jones is a professor. Doesn’t get more intellectual than that. And one of the key plot points was centered around using his archaological knowledge to solve a problem the bad guys couldn’t figure out. He even used a surveyer’s transit. I’d say he qualifies.
The Rock.
Both Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery play very educated characters in this movie, with all the requisite literary references.
While Ed Harris is the main bad-guy, and is cultured, he’s not ad bad a guy as the othes, none of whom are more than thugs.
I don’t what I was thinking…and now I must destroy you…
It’s different in movie world. Any bad guy is made worse if he has a French, German or English accent. Any billionare tycoon is more likeable if he grew up on the street before coming to The Street. The smug young ambitious Harvard grad is always the worst prick of all. The high ranking general or colonel is always the one giving stupid or immoral commands to advance his own ambitions and he’s always behind the cover up. The aimless drifter always comes to the rescue and saves the town from the corrupt businessman.
Pattrick Swaze - Phd/Bouncer in Road House.
Indiana Jones and Hans Solo. Why? They were intelligent enough to look scared 