Time is rarely invariable in action films. Characters can bounce across locations with very little regard for actual timing, so long as the pacing comes through fine. Even 88 Minutes was 108 minutes long. So once should applaud second unit action directors/stunt coordinators Darrin Prescott & Wade Allen for their upcoming feat during their first run in their director chairs.
As announced in a press release, found on Slashfilm, the men who helped coordinate action set pieces and stunts on John Wick, Drive and Insurgent will lend their skills sets to Live, an action feature shot and filmed entirely in real time. This means the film tracks every second and minute as things would pan out in actual time, with no short-cuts or lost time during the running time. It's similar to what they did on 24, only in film form.
The story Live will tell in this time is Kyle Penny's (Aaron Eckhart), a disgraced cop teaming up with an ambitious young reporter Ava Brooks to rescue the Police Commissioner's stolen daughter buried somewhere inside the city with only 80 minutes to live. It comes from a screenplay by video game writer Jeremy Drysdale. Production begins in October, under producers Myles Nestel (The November Man), Skip Williamson (Crank) and Colin Bates (Maggie).
While the story itself sounds a little by-the-numbers, the concept is certainly exciting and lends itself perfectly to a taunt, action-friendly thriller. With movies like Birdman winning Best Picture, and more films like this and that following suit, this is an exciting time for editing and cinematography prospects to play with time and space, and hopefully this new project follows suit. Having it come from first-time directors isn't encouraging — and must we go down the "disgraced cop" route once again? — but they proved themselves feasible with the action they helped coordinate. Hopefully they can continue to prove themselves with full control.
As for Eckhart, Live is one of a couple projects in-the-works or coming up for the actor. He stars in Bleed For This and Incarnate sometime later this year, as well as in My All American on October 9. Then next year he enters the presidency for a second term in the action sequel London Has Fallen, set for release on January 22.
Image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com