Clive Owen Returns as The Driver for BMW Films

He's not quite a spy, but Clive Owen's enigmatic character The Driver from the series of BMW Films in the early 2000s is certainly spy-adjacent. And he (somewhat circuitously) inspired an even more spy-adjacent character, The Transporter. The Driver first appeared in a series of eight short films produced in 2001 and 2002 known collectively as The Hire. It was an innovative idea. BMW approached top international directors including John Frankenheimer, Wong Kar-wai, Guy Ritchie and Alejandro González Iñárritu, to helm short films (or long, plot-driven commercials) featuring Owen driving various BMWs in various action/adventure scenarios ranging from comedic (Ritchie's) to downright surreal (Tony Scott's, which featured Gary Oldman as the devil). The shorts were collected on a now out of print DVD, and beloved by many fans. In 2005, Dark Horse published a less successful comic book version, which also tried the strategy of recruiting industry superstars like Kurt Busiek and Matt Wagner (and, oddly, Bruce Campbell, who is a superstar... but not as a comic book writer!), but kind of missed the mark by using concept cars instead of actual BMWs on the market. That was the last we had heard from The Driver. Until now.

Now, fifteen years later, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Owen is back in the role! Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) directs a new 11-minute short entitled The Escape, and intended, according to the trade, as "an homage to the original series." Does that mean it's not an actual sequel? Unclear, for the moment, but it certainly looks like a new entry in the franchise we're familiar with. Also unclear is whether this is simply a one-off, or if this is the first of a new series of Hire shorts. I'm certainly hoping for the latter! In addition to Owen, original series creative director Bruce Bildsten, executive producer Brian DiLorenzo, producer Steve Golin, and creative consultant David Carter all return. The latter co-wrote the new short with Blomkamp. Jon Bernthal (The Accountant), Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring) and Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire) co-star.

The Escape will premiere October 23 on the BMW Films official website.

Here's a teaser:



...and a short behind-the-scenes video:

Shadow Dancer Trailer

Here's the trailer for Shadow Dancer, the 1990s-set Clive Owen spy drama we first heard about two years ago from Man on Wire director James Marsh. Owen plays an MI5 operative who coerces a single mther (WE's Andrea Riseborough) into spying on the IRA... which means spying on the members of her own family. Gillian Anderson plays Owen's manipulative, duplicitous boss. (At least those are the adjectives I infer from the trailer.) Shadow Dancer, which came out in Britain last year, opens Stateside on May 31.

New Spy DVDs Out Since Christmas

I've gotten several weeks behind now on new spy DVDs, but there's been some great stuff coming out! So here's a massive post-Christmas catch-up.

Remember Age of Heroes, the movie we first heard about in 2010 about "Ian Fleming's Red Indians," the 30 Assault Unit commando team created by the future Bond author while he served in Naval Intelligence during WWII? It came out on Region 2 PAL DVD last June from Metrodome Distribution, and I had little hope of it ever showing up stateside. But this week, thanks to eOne Entertainment, it has, on both DVD and Blu-ray! The film stars former Bond baddie Sean Bean, and James D'Arcy plays Commander Fleming. A good old-fashioned war adventure, Age of Heroes depicts the incredible true story of how James Bond creator Ian Fleming oversaw the activities of an elite and supremely well-trained commando unit during World War II, following the members of the 30AU from defeat at Dunkirk to a chance to change the course of the war on a top secret mission in Norway. For more on Fleming's involvement with 30AU, check out Craig Cabell's books Ian Fleming's Secret War and The History of 30 Assault Unit: Ian Fleming's Red Indians.

Also out this week on DVD and Blu-ray, from Lions Gate, is Abduction, the teen spy movie starring simian Twilight heartthrob Taylor Lautner. This movie got terrible, terrible reviews when it came out theatrically last fall. And I won't say they're not deserved; it is, after all, a pretty terrible movie. But so are a lot of movies, and Abduction isn't any worse than most other bad movies, and is a whole lot more fun than most bad movies. So... okay, I will say that it didn't deserve quite the drubbing it took. Because if you have some friends over, pour some drinks, and put this on, you're all going to have a pretty good time. And while you're cracking jokes about Lautner's unbelievably terrible performance and wondering aloud what the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Alfred Molina and Michael Nyqvist are doing in this movie, you're also going to find yourself sucked in a bit by John Singleton's ridiculous action sequences and the overall absurdity of the script. It's bad, yes... but it's enjoyably bad! (And I have a sneaking suspicion that some people probably thought the teen spy movies of my youth were bad, like my own personal favorite If Looks Could Kill.) Extras on both versions include the featurettes "Abduction Chronicle: On-Camera Production Journal," "Initiation of an Action Hero: Taylor's Amazing Stunts" and "The Fight for The Truth: Making Abduction" as well as a gag reel. On top of that, the BD offers "an exclusive In-Film Experience with in-picture documentaries and exclusive behind the scenes interviews with cast and crew." If you care. Retail is $39.99 for the Blu-ray (which also comes with a digital copy) and $29.95 for the DVD, but of course they're both half those prices on Amazon.

Earlier this month, Acorn released the second volume of the Sixties ITC spy series Man in a Suitcase, starring Richard Bradford as sacked CIA agent turned private operator McGill. These episodes from the second half of the show's single, super-sized season made their Region 1 DVD debut. (The entire series was released in single volumes in Britain and Australia.) Many of McGill's best adventures come in the second half, so this would be a welcome release and a must-buy for American ITC aficionados on that basis alone... but as it happens, there's even more reason. Man in a Suitcase: Set 2 also includes a very big bonus feature: the 69-minute interview with star Richard Bradford that first appeared on Network's Region 2 DVD release (but was not found on the Region 4 Umbrella set). Bradford was a perfectionist and a Method actor, which brought him into conflict with some members of the cast and crew and earned him a reputation for being "difficult." In this surprisingly candid interview from 2004, he speaks frankly and openly about those on-set clashes, as well as discussing his early days studying at Lee Strasberg's famous Actors Studio, working with his friend and fellow Method actor Marlon Brando, and more. If for some reason you needed further encouragement to buy the second and final collection of this top-notch Sixties spy show, this is it! Man in a Suitcase: Set 2 retails for $59.99, though it's considerably cheaper from the usual online vendors.

Read my review of Acorn's Man in a Suitcase: Set 1 here.

In the last week of 2011 (on my birthday, in fact), Fox snuck out one of the very best spy releases of the year, Archer: The Complete Season Two, on DVD and Blu-ray. The wildly irreverent, always inappropriate Archer remains one of my favorite spy shows on TV, and as I said in my post about the Best Spy Television of 2011, I find it very impressive that the writers managed to maintain the high level of quality in its second season. That's particularly tough for a parody series. The secret, of course, is that Archer is much more than a mere spy parody. It's a dysfunctional family comedy that happens to be set in a spy agency. As I said before, the extremely raunchy humor is definitely not for all tastes, but if it is to your liking, you'll no doubt appreciate the excellent animation and cool spy style on top of the gags. And even if I didn't love it already, a very obscure Magnum, P.I. reference in Season Two assured the show my allegiance forever! The Season Two discs contain some very good extras, including excerpts from last year's Comic-Con panel, which are hilarious (though I wish they'd included the 2010 panel, too, which featured less cutting up from the cast, but more legitimate answers about how the show is made and what influenced its creators), and several animated shorts. In one, Archer himself answers viewers' questions (and the writers get a whole lot of mileage out of a single set-up!), and in another he messes up the opportunity to give a shout-out to troops stationed overseas who love the show in a uniquely Archer way. These extras certainly make up for Season One's fake "unaired pilot" (which annoyed some fans), but they don't let that concept go, either. In fact, another funny short expands upon the main gag in that feature. The same day Season Two came out, Fox also made Archer: The Complete Season One widely available on Blu-ray for the first time. The high-def version was previously a Best Buy exclusive, and Archer's top-notch design and crisp animation make it one show that truly benefits from high-def presentation.

Finally, Universal released the Jason Statham/Clive Owen period assassin thriller Killer Elite on dual formats, DVD and DVD/Blu-ray combo. The only real bonus material on both versions is deleted scenes, which is too bad, because I would have liked some featurettes exploring the supposedly factual book on which the movie was based, The Feather Men, and how and why the film deviates from its source. Oh well. The combo version also includes a digital copy and an Ultraviolet copy (oooh!), which is something the studio wants you to be way more excited about than you no doubt are. Retail is $29.98 for the DVD and $34.98 for the combo, though of course both are considerably cheaper than that on Amazon right now. I really enjoyed Killer Elite. You can read my full review of the film here.

Upcoming Spy DVDs: The Debt, Killer Elite and Mission: Impossible

2011 has been a good year for spy movies in theaters in terms of quantity, and not surprisingly, that means a good winter for spy DVDs. Besides the already-announced Colombiana coming out December ___, we can also look forward to The Debt on December 6, Killer Elite (2011) on January 10 and, just in time for the fourth entry in the theatrical franchise, the Mission: Impossible Extreme Blu-ray Trilogy, also on December 6.

The Debt (movie review here), coming to DVD and Blu-ray from Universal, will include the featurettes "A Look Inside The Debt," "Every Secret Has A Price: Helen Mirren In The Debt" and "The Berlin Affair: The Triangle At The Center Of The Debt," as well as an audio commentary with director John Madden and producer Kris Thykier on both formats. Retail is $29.98 for the DVD and $34.98 for the Blu-ray, though naturally both are substantially cheaper at all the usual online vendors.

Killer Elite also comes from Uni in dual formats, DVD and DVD/Blu-ray combo. The only real bonus material on both versions is deleted scenes, which is too bad, because I would have liked some featurettes exploring the supposedly factual book on which the movie was based, The Feather Men, and how and why the film deviates from its source. Oh well. The combo version also includes a digital copy and an Ultraviolet copy (oooh!), which is something the studio wants you to be way more excited about than you no doubt are. Despite the scant extras, I'm looking forward to owning this one. It's a movie I'll enjoy watching again. Retail is $29.98 for the DVD and $34.98 for the combo, though that one's actually cheaper to pre-order on Amazon than the standard DVD right now.

Even the Mission: Impossible "Extreme Trilogy" comes on both Blu-ray and DVD, though most people who want to no doubt already own the DVDs. I'm not really sure what qualifies these three feature films spun out of the classic TV series as "extreme" (dangling, I guess? They're not xXx!), but I do know that one of the reasons why I love Peter Graves is because he was never extreme. (Though some of his shirts and coats were.) Extreme or not, the cover art is actually pretty cool, and this set certainly makes for a good way to accumulate the first three movies at a very reasonable price just in time for the new fourth entry from director Brad Bird. The Mission: Impossibe Extreme Blu-ray Trilogy retails for $39.99 (though it's currently under thirty bucks on Amazon), and the Mission: Impossible Extreme DVD Trilogy is priced at just $26.98 ($19.99 on Amazon right now).

Tradecraft: Clive Owen Joins the NSA

Tradecraft: Clive Owen Joins the NSA

Variety reports that Clive Owen will topline another spy movie. He's played a former MI6 operative in Duplicity and a former SAS operative in Killer Elite; now he'll play a current NSA operative in Recall for Moonstone Entertainment. According to the trade, Owen stars as "an NSA agent trying to piece together the events of a botched hostage rescue operation. As the agent begins to recall events and unearth the truth, he finds he can trust neither his fellow soldiers nor his own mind." Harold Becker (Mercury Rising) will direct from a script by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Hardcore). Owen will next be seen playing an MI5 agent in Shadow Play.

Movie Review: Killer Elite (2011)

Movie Review: Killer Elite (2011)

Killer Elite tells the supposedly true story of a 1981 showdown between a team of professional assassins (led by Jason Statham's Danny) and a team of ex-SAS officers (led by Clive Owen's Spike) known as the Feathermen (so named for their light touch), all elite killers. (It's loosely based on Ranulph Fiennes' "non-fiction novel" The Feather Men.) The circumstances that lead these groups to battle each other are rewardingly convoluted, but the overall gist is that a wealthy sheik exiled from Oman wants revenge for the deaths of his three sons in a conflict in which the British weren’t officially involved. He’s somehow gotten the names of the SAS soldiers he thinks killed them. Danny is the best assassin in the world, but he’s inconveniently retired, having sworn off killing after a child got in the crossfire during a botched Mexican assignment. So to lure him out, the Omani sheik kidnaps his former mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro—surprisingly not just phoning it in!) and uses Hunter's liberty as leverage to force Danny to track down and kill each of the men on his list. However, the sheik doesn’t want to incur retribution, so he must make each death look like an accident. Spike, however, isn’t fooled. He’s the operational leader of a secret society of ex-SAS soldiers sworn to protect their own. So when he hears about strangers asking questions about Special Forces soldiers who were all on the same Omani mission, he gets suspicious and activates his network. Spike and his men attempt to protect the Oman veterans, while Danny and his men attempt to take them out, setting the two British action heroes on a collision course.

It may seem like an odd choice, given this scenario, to focus on the assassin (Statham) rather than the former soldier (Owen) as the protagonist, since Owen seems like the ostensible good guy here. But upon reflection, it’s a very good choice. Assassin movies generally focus on the proverbial “one last job,” and show their heroes trying to get out of the business in order to make them relatable. Danny is already out, but he’s forced back into the game in order to protect the people he cares about: first Hunter, and then his young fiancé, Anne (played by Chuck’s Yvonne Strahovski, using her own Australian accent for once). Thereby, the assassin gets our sympathies, while at the same time the nobility of the SAS in that undeclared war in Oman is called into question. The result is a film without any clear “good guy” (“Some good guy,” Owen says of himself after behaving in an un-good-guy-like manner), but opposing killing machines in shades of gray, both of whom you want to root for—not in the least because of the appealing stars playing the roles. Other characters operating in the same gray area include Danny’s and Hunter’s untrustworthy boss (Lost's Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who brokers hits, and a mysterious MI6 man who just might be pulling everybody’s strings to achieve his own dubious ends. The latter character gets a great entrance, especially for spy fans. He lands in an unmarked helicopter to meet Feathermen boss Commander B (The Man From S*E*X baddie Nick Tate, driving a Silverbirch Aston Martin DB6) and, when asked his identity, snidely explains, “I’m the guy they let fly around in an unmarked helicopter with a gun in his pocket, but you can call me Mifwig—Motherf#cker What’s In Charge.” (I know, the acronym doesn’t quite work, but it’s fun!)

Those expecting a straight-up Statham action-fest along the lines of his neo-Eurospy Transporter movies or Crank may be disappointed. This is a rather sprawling tale of intrigue that has more in common with The Bank Job or Steven Spielberg's Munich—though it’s not quite on the level of either of those films. (In fact, it reminded me quite a lot of Spielberg’s story of a team of assassins set in the same general period—even if the motives for this team aren’t nearly as noble.) For me, that made it all the better. The Cold War setting is well-realized for the limited budget, and Australia does an ample job standing in for far-flung locations like Oman, Dubai, Wales, Paris and London.

That’s not to say, however, that there isn’t some typically awesome Statham-style action as well. In one early scene, Statham gets to demonstrate some patented lightning-fast moves when he attacks a guard with a teacup. In one of the most badass (if not entirely plausible) moments of in-the-field ingenuity I’ve seen this side of Bourne, he then proceeds to grab a loaf of French bread and tear it in half. What’s he doing? Is he hungry, in the middle of a battle? No, he’s improvising a silencer! Statham sticks his small-caliber pistol entirely inside the loaf of bread (along with his hand) and uses it to muffle his next shot at close range! (Actually, maybe that’s not so far-fetched as other movie silencer moments. I suppose the bread would effectively diminish the sound of escaping gasses, and at such close range it wouldn’t seriously affect his accuracy.) Later on, we get two different versions of the Statham-vs-Owen showdown we’ve been waiting for (their first go is interrupted), with the second one resulting in that shot you’ve no doubt seen in the trailers where Statham manages to disarm his opponent and then flip backwards out of a window all wile tied to a chair! I’ll grant that moments like this awkwardly stand apart from the more serious ones and make it rather difficult to believe the film’s claims of being “based on a true story,” but Jason Statham is one star who can actually pull that off. We expect that kind of move from him, and therefore adjust our sense of disbelief accordingly.

Director Gary McKendry struggles a bit with the pace. All that globe-trotting seems to slow things down a little rather than speed them up. Still, the film is drenched in the atmosphere of its era, and that—coupled with three very compelling leads—goes a long way. It’s no masterpiece, but Killer Elite is still a rewarding viewing experience for spy fans and Statham fans, occupying a middle ground somewhere between the sublime excess of Transporter 2 and the grounded speculative history of The Bank Job.

New Trailer For Killer Elite

There's a new and far more awesome trailer for this fall's 1980s-set Statham'n'Owen spy/SAS actioner Killer Elite. (It's got Robert DeNiro and Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski, too, but I like the ring of "Statham'n'Owen..." and I hope this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. How awesome would it be to see those guys become the Hope and Crosby of mid-budget action movies?) You can read more about the movie here, but the trailer pretty much speaks for itself. Man, this looks good!

Killer Elite Poster

Look! It's the one-sheet for this fall's Jason Statham/Clive Owen/Robert DeNiro spy movie, Killer Elite. (Read more about it here.) With that cast and that trailer, this is one I'm really looking forward to...

Trailer For Statham's The Killer Elite

All week long new distributor Open Road has been aggressively pushing their debut feature release, The Killer Elite. On Monday, USA Today (via Dark Horizons) published the first photo from the film, which stars Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert DeNiro and is not a remake of the 1975 Sam Peckinpah movie The Killer Elite. The picture in the newspaper reveals DeNiro's bearded look in a scene between him and Statham. The paper also got some good quotes out of Statham.

"This is more rooted in reality [than the Crank or Transporter films], and it's exactly what I've wanted to do for the past 10 years," says the actor, who compares the feel of the film to the Jason Bourne franchise. "This is the kind of movie I would want to see," Statham says.

As for the plot, Statham doesn't want to reveal much: "It involves a Saudi prince whose sons were assassinated in the Oman war and who is looking for revenge." That means he and his team must take down the three killers responsible as well as their protector (Clive Owen) before De Niro can be saved.

While the action in the movie unfolds all over the world (Paris, Wales, London, Dubai, Oman), USA Today also reveals that most of the filming was done in Australia. A day later Coming Soon scored some even cooler exclusive pictures of Statham and DeNiro in action. Check them out here. But best of all, Open Road capped this mini-push by unveiling the trailer. Unsurprisingly given the cast (which also includes Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski), it looks pretty awesome. I was a little taken aback at first by Owen's mustache, but I do love it when Statham flips over him while tied to a chair...

Tradecraft: Jason Statham's Killer Elite Set For September

Deadline reports that first-time distributor Open Road has set a September 23 US release date for the Jason Statham/Clive Owen spy thriller Killer Elite. As we heard last month, Killer Elite is not a remake of the 1975 Sam Peckinpah movie of the same name, but an adaptation of the non-fiction novel The Feather Men, written by Ranulph Fiennes (a cousin of Ralf's). Statham plays a highly-skilled special ops agent sent to infiltrate a secretive group of ex-SAS operatives led by Owen. In a whirlwind adventure that jumps from Australia to Paris to Wales to Dubai, he and his team must take down a rogue cell of solider-assassins before their actions result in a global political meltdown. Robert DeNiro and Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski round out the killer spy cast.

Tradecraft: US Distribution Locked For Jason Statham/Clive Owen Spy Movie Killer Elite

Deadline reports that AMC Theaters' new distribution arm Open Road has acquired the action spy movie Killer Elite for US distribution this fall. In Killer Elite, we'll get to see Jason Statham go up against Clive Owen. As if that weren't already a killer spy cast, the film also stars Robert DeNiro and Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski. Statham will play Danny Bryce, "one of the world's most skilled special ops agents," who's lured out of retirement when his old comrades start being murdered. He assembles what's left of his old team to rescue his mentor (DeNiro), but to do so he'll need to infiltrate a secretive group of ex-SAS operatives led by Clive Owen. According to the press release, "Danny and his team must take down a rogue cell of solider assassins before their actions result in a global political meltdown. [The] whirlwind action crosses the globe from Australia to Paris, Wales, London, Dubai and Oman." Despite the somewhat similar subject matter, this is not a remake of the 1975 Sam Peckinpah movie of the same name starring James Caan and Robert Duval; the Statham Killer Elite is instead based on a "non-fiction novel" called The Feather Men by Ranulph Fiennes.  With that cast, it's just become one of my own most anticipated movies of the fall!

Tradecraft: Clive Owen Spies Again

Clive Owen has signed on for another spy role.  The actor will play an MI5 agent in Shadow Dancer, a co-production of Paramount and BBC Films, reports Deadline.  Man on Wire helmer James Marsh will direct this tale of "an IRA sympathizer who is arrested after an aborted bombing attempt in London and has to decide whether to turn against her cause or spend her life in prison." Owen will play the MI5 officer trying to turn her. Andrea Riseborough, Aidan Gillen and Gillian Anderson co-star; Tom Bradby has penned the script based on his own novel. Filming begins later this month in Dublin.

New Spy DVDs Out This Week: International, Smart

Today sees the release of Tom Tykwer's The International on DVD and Blu-Ray courtesy of Sony. The International is a very different sort of entry in the current neo-Eurospy wave than Taken and The Transporter. Rather than focusing on wall-to-wall action or sexy Russian party girls, it instead plays up another side of the genre: the fabulous locations. By limiting the action, Tykwer is also able to focus more on a complex plot and character. Ultimately, The International is a character piece about Clive Owen's disgraced Interpol agent Louis Salinger. That doesn't mean, however, that it is devoid of action. Far from it. There are several very exciting setpieces, all in fantastic international locations, but the highlight of the film is undoubtedly a ten-minute-long shootout in New York's Guggenheim Museum. It's an astonishingly orchestrated sequence, and one that will make action fans want to seek out this film even if it isn't a total action movie. The DVD also boasts a featurette about creating that sequence, which I can't wait to see. Read my full review of the movie here.

Also out today is Get Smart: Season 3 from HBO Home Video. If you haven't already gotten the deluxe Complete Series set (which comes loaded with bonus features you won't find on these individual season releases) and you don't care about those extras, then these seasons are an excellent bargain. (Amazon is offering Season 3 for just $15.99.) They're also decidedly more compact than the chunky box set, and will ultimately take up less space on your shelf. Finally, they're not completely devoid of extras. Previous seasons have included introductions by Barbara Feldon and select commentary. As the discs themselves appear to be identical to those in the Complete Series set, presumably this season will be the same.

Movie Review: The International (2008)

Here’s another modern movie that fits all the criteria of the Eurospy genre–rugged agent, beautiful blonde, fantastic European locales and slam-bang action–but one of a slightly more respectable pedigree than Taken or the Transporter films. The International is a suspenseful thriller about a disgraced Scotland Yard detective turned agent for Interpol (Clive Owen) who teams up with the New York City District Attorney’s Office (in the very appealing form of Naomi Watts) to take down a powerful international bank that dabbles in arms dealing, assassination and revolution in their greed-fueled quest to control the debt that such ventures create. It’s directed by Tom Tykwer, the director of such myriad visual spectacles as Run Lola Run, Winter Sleepers and Perfume. The International is the most straightforward movie he’s ever done, but his touch is certainly felt in the arresting compositions and perfectly-constructed setpieces.

The movie opens with Agent Louis Salinger (Owen) witnessing the gruesome death of his partner. When he tries to save him, Salinger himself is cut down by traffic, resulting in a recurring ringing in his ear (that happens to poor Clive a lot in his movies). Salinger awakes in the hospital and immediately demands to see his partner’s body. Performing his own examination of the corpse, Salinger concludes that the man was poisoned by a minute prick to the back–despite the coroner’s official ruling of a heart attack. He makes his case to his boss back at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, and accuses the bank that they were investigating of the murder. When Salinger flies to Luxembourg to question the bank’s CEO, he instead encounters his smarmy lawyer (the British Office’s Patrick Baladi) and discovers that they’re one step ahead of him. Sure enough, he finds listening devices in his office, his flat and his boss’s house.

The only person he can trust is the New York prosecutor whose office first alerted Interpol to the case: Eleanor Whitman (Watts). The two of them pursue their investigation in Milan, Italy, where they’re once again awestruck by the bank’s capabilities, witnessing a political assassination orchestrated by the omnipresent financial institution. The assassination itself is wonderfully shot, utilizing the birds-eye view camera angles that Tykwer is so fond of to invoke Hitchcock–specifically the assassination sequence from Foreign Correspondent, also set in an exotic European city. It’s not the last Hitchcockian moment in The International, either. The entire movie appears to be something of a tribute to the master, although Tykwer is more subtle than other acolytes, like Brian De Palma.

Salinger spots the assassin escaping by car and gives pursuit on foot in a thrilling chase. Further investigation earns the ire of local authorities, but leads Salinger and Whitman to her home base of New York City. It’s here that Tykwer stages the movie’s ultimate setpiece, a ten-minute-long shootout at the Guggenheim Museum between Salinger and a hit squad armed with submachine guns. Ever since watching Run Lola Run I’ve wanted to see how Tykwer staged a traditional action sequence, and the director doesn’t let me down. (I still think he’d be a great choice for Bond–much more appropriate than Marc Forster!) This is really one of the best shootouts ever filmed, and a terrific synthesis of location and scene. The building’s unique architecture also suits Tykwer’s style and favorite visual themes, allowing for plenty of shots of concentric white circles from above and below as Owen attempts to make his way down the museum’s famous spiral ramp, past the gunmen and out the door to safety. I'm surprised that this awesome location hasn't been used for such a scene before. The only other director to use it that comes immediately to mind is Matthew Barney, and The Cremaster Cycle is hardly comparable! I'm glad that the location has somehow eluded other action movies over the years, because Tykwer clearly makes it his own.

Despite this awesome gunfight, though, traditional action fans still might not get quite what they want out of The International–because it isn’t a traditional action film. Several superbly-staged sequences of intense action notwithstanding, this is overall a character-driven thriller–and a fairly talky one at times. And after the exaggerated scope of the museum shootout, things don’t get bigger, but smaller and more introspective. Those expecting a grand, Bondian finale to top that will be let down. Instead the scale diminishes, down to a mano-a-mano standoff between Salinger and the bank’s chairman, Jonas Skarssen, impeccably played by The World Is Not Enough’s Ulrich Thomsen (whose neo-Eurospy credits also include Hitman). That’s fine by me, though, especially since there are still more thrilling locations to fill the screen with ample eye candy–including what looks like the same Italian coastal road as featured in the pre-credits sequence of Quantum of Solace, only shot in a steady and confident manner that allows the viewer to actually view it.

The finale itself takes place in Istanbul, which instantly buys a film infinite good will on my part. From From Russia With Love to That Man In Istanbul to Fury On the Bosphorus, the city is a classic Eurospy location. Here, its crowded terra cotta rooftops (reminiscent of the Tangier sequence in The Bourne Ultimatum) and the unique sidewalk that runs along them provide the perfect setting for the film’s finale.

Ultimately, Tykwer is much more interested in Salinger’s journey as a character than in the mechanics of his thriller plot. (Another similarity to Hitchcock, who repeatedly stated that the "MacGuffins" that propelled the action in each of his films ultimately met nothing.) Like the rest of the film, the conclusion is character-driven. Again, it might not necessarily satisfy action fans thirsting for a crowning setpiece... but it aptly brings to a close the story Tykwer set out to tell–and does so in typical style. If you’re a fan of Clive Owen–who does a dependably fantastic job in yet another secret agent role–of Tykwer, of Eurospy movies, of Hitchcock movies or of exotic locales, you’ll find plenty to love in The International. And the title rings true; this is the best "travelogue" spy movie since The Bourne Ultimatum. I only wish the modern Bond films spent as much time soaking up their settings as The International does! Again, I reiterate my nomination for Tom Tykwer to direct a Bond movie. And I present The International–and particularly its stunning Guggenheim shootout–as Exhibit A in this case.

Spy Night!

For some reason this Friday the 13th is a big spy night in the US. Tonight not only sees the release of Tom Tykwer's spy thriller The International (in which Clive Owen apparently once again makes the case that he could have been James Bond), but also the TV premiere of Joss Whedon's new sci-fi spy series Dollhouse, starring Buffy's Eliza Dushku as an operative who can be anyone, and has her memory wiped after each mission. Watch an awesome, grindhouse-style trailer for Dollhouse here. It airs at 9/8C on Fox.

Tradecraft: Owen Can't Stop Spying

Apparently, Clive Owen only makes spy movies now. And that's fine with me! Following his two espionage themed films due out in 2009, The Hollywood Reporter says the actor will star as "an undercover agent who gets caught in a complex plot and must elude drug dealers and international agents if he hopes to survive" in Cartagena. "The project is named for a city on Colombia's northern coast that has a colorful history featuring wars, robust economic activity and tourist development." Mark Cuban is producing, and Michael Ross (Turistas) is writing.

Clive Spies Twice

Boy, Clive Owen sure is making the most of not being James Bond! He's cornered the market on non-Bond British spy roles. Looks like we've got not one but two cool Owen spy projects to keep our eyes on in 2009! Yahoo has a brand new trailer up for The International (the Tom Tykwer thriller with Bourne potential that I've been excited about for quite some time) as well as the first one I've seen for Duplicity--and that looks pretty awesome as well. Owen plays a former MI6 man gone corporate, reteaming with his Closer co-star Julia Roberts as his ex-CIA counterpart in what looks to be a glamorous, comedic industrial espionage caper from Bourne writer (and Michael Clayton writer/director) Tony Gilroy first reported on back in April.

Tradecraft For April 5, 2008

More Big Screen Ludlum!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM has beaten out Fox, Bourne studio Universal and others in an intense bidding war for Robert Ludlum's 1979 novel The Materese Circle. Variety adds that the studio is rumored to have paid $3 million dollars for the book deal. How does a 1979 book suddenly generate such heat? Simple: when Denzel Washington is attached to star! The project was shopped by ICM as a package with Washington attached to play American secret agent Bradley Scofield (no word yet on who will play his Russian partner, Vasili Taleniekov) and 3:10 to Yuma writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas attached to pen the script. The Reporter points out that "Matarese could be attractive to studios seeking a new franchise" because "the property is the only other Ludlum invention [besides Bourne] to feature more than one novel; a second book, The Matarese Countdown, was published in 1997." They're not, strictly speaking, correct of course; Ludlum also penned a pair of related comedic novels, The Road to Gandolfo and The Road to Omaha. Still, the Reporter is basically right, as the former was originally published (in 1975) under a pseudonym, and neither is particularly attractive as a modern day film--or typical of the author.

I'm very excited about Robert Ludlum's sudden, posthumous, post-Bourne popularity in Hollywood. Most of his books would make excellent spy movies. I hope this deal creates some traction at Paramount on The Chancellor Manuscript, to which Leonardo DiCaprio is attached to star.

Kill The Messenger

Variety reports that "Universal is developing a feature called Kill the Messenger based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb. The San Jose Mercury News reporter committed suicide after being the target of a smear campaign when he linked the CIA to a scheme to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua and import cocaine into California." The studio optioned two books: Webb's own Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion and Kill the Messenger: How the CIA's Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb by Webb's friend/competitor, journalist Nick Schou. Peter Landesmann (Trade) will write the script from both sources, and Scott Stuber will produce. Landesmann describes the project as "the story of a reporter killed for telling the truth," and says "it's poignant and relevant as the CIA and U.S. government continue to make nefarious deals with the devil for what they believe is the greater good."

Barry Eisler's John Rain Comes To The Silver Screen

Also according to Variety, Gary Oldman is in negotiations to join the cast of Rain Fall, a film being adapted from Barry Eisler's bestselling book of the same name. Presumably Oldman would play the rotten CIA Station Chief in Tokyo. The book, set in Japan and featuring a Japanese-American hitman hero, is being adapted by director Max Mannix as a $7 million Japanese movie with roughly 85% Japanese language dialogue, according to the trade. I haven't read any of Eisler's books yet myself, but I've had them recommended by quite a few people now and they sound interesting; I'll have to check one out.

More Spying For Clive Owen

He may not have been Bond, but Clive Owen can't seem to get spying out of his blood. Following his role as an Interpol agent in Tom Tykwer's eagerly-anticipated (by me, anyway!) thriller The International, Owen will portray a corporate spy in Tony Gilroy's industrial espionage film Duplicity. Gilroy, the writer of all three Bourne movies as well as last year's Michael Clayton (which he also directed), spins a tale of what Variety calls "corporate one-upmanship" waged between business titans Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti. Closer co-stars Owen and Julia Roberts "play two spies-turned-corporate operatives who work on opposite sides but are having a clandestine love affair." An intriguing premise, a great cast, a talented writer-director with lots of spy experience under his belt... Sounds like another one to look out for!

Clive Spies

Dark Horizons points the way to some new pictures from Tom Tykwer's upcoming European-set spy thriller The International, starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The website with the pictures, BlackFilm, also provides a release date (August 15, 2008), and some more plot details than I'd seen mentioned before. The Run Lola Run director alone is reason enough for me to see it (he's long been my number one choice to do a Bond), but the locations they mention sell me even more on the project: Obsessive Interpol agent Owen and Naomi Watts take on the international banking establishment and "follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war." And that picture really clinches it! (Regular readers will be aware of my particular fondness for good European locations in spy movies...) Opening in that late summer timeslot, this could well shape up to be the Bourne of 2008. Tykwer's certainly got it in him, and Owen was born to be a spy star.

Shoot ‘Em Up Offers Hints Of What Owen’s Bond Might Have Been

Action movie Shoot ‘Em Up, which opened in the U.S. rather dismally last weekend, gives some hints of what Clive Owen might have been like as 007. True, his character here is purposely an anti-Bond, but some scenes in the movie might as well be Owen’s screen tests for Eon. (The actor denies actually doing any real screen tests for the role, or even being approached. There have been reports to the contrary, but I tend to believe him.)

In one scene, audiences are treated to one of the most unpleasant Fleming scenarios never filmed, with Owen sitting in for James Bond in the finger-breaking torture from Live And Let Die. (Roger Moore managed to escape that treatment in the movie.) Owen handles it well, but the scene lacks the intensity that Daniel Craig was subjected to in the filmed version of Bond’s even more brutal punishment from Casino Royale. In another scene, the actor recreates the pre-credits sequence from Moonraker, only upping the ante. In the film’s most spectacular setpiece, Owen jumps out of an airplane followed by parachuting baddies. Shoot ‘Em Up goes one up on Moonraker’s midair wrestling, though, with a whole midair gunfight! Still, the ‘79 version managed to seem more real, despite the unconvincing close-ups of Moore. CGI has just made it impossible to believe that stuntmen are actually doing what you’re seeing today.

Owen also delivers a succession of one-liners so groan-worthy they could have come from one of the recent Pierce Brosnan scripts. Granted, they’re supposed to be bad in Shoot ‘Em Up (I think!), but as with Brosnan it’s a little disappointing to see such a good actor saddled with such lines! Still, the movie is 80 minutes of pure, wild, nonstop action, and Bond fans will likely get a kick out of the ridiculously over-the-top shootouts. Plus, they get a glimpse at a Bond who might have been.... Personally, I'm 100% happy with Craig, but I'll always wonder what Owen would have made of the role.