James Madigan talks about directing his new action movie “Fight or Flight,” which stars Josh Harnett.
What inspired you to direct the film “Fight or Flight”?
I strongly believe if you have a great character to follow, people will engage with your story and the first time I read the script I felt the writers had created a great character with a great story to tell.
It was fun and was saying some interesting things about the world we find ourselves in but none of that will land if you don’t have a great character to follow and Fight or Flight clearly had that.
What was it like to work with Josh Hartnett as your leading man?
The reason the movie works is because of what Josh brought to the part. I try to leave as much room as possible for the actors to play and create. It can be hard on an indie budget and schedule but I feel once the part is cast it is important that the actor feel strong ownership of the part.
So, you really hope they have the right take for the overall vision of the movie. From my first conversation with Josh I was blown away by how in sync we were.
Not just on Lucas, who he was, where he’d been and where we wanted him to go but the movie as a whole, its tone, its arc, everything.
Most importantly Josh is a storyteller, a problem solver and an intellectual. There are more ideas and bits of dialogue he contributed that greatly improved the movie than I could list here.
Also, what was it like working with Marko Zaror, Julian Kostov, and the rest of the cast?
Marko Zaror was a dream. His part was scripted as a cowboy from Wyoming. When we landed Marko for the part that backstory wouldn’t really work for him and we all wanted something that better fit Marko’s big personality and gave him some room to play.
We all sat down just days before we shot and hammered out those interactions with Josh which I just love because it is such a truly weird and unexpected little scene. So much of that came from Marko and his ideas.
Julian Kostov was also full of ideas and has incredible improvisational skills. He such a positive and supportive team player to have on set. It is amazing he can so fully inhabit Hunter who is a less than savory person. He couldn’t be further from that character yet he really nailed him.
He and Katee Sackoff only had a few days to shoot their parts so it was pretty grueling on them but those days were always very fun and creative.
Katee Sackoff who plays Brunt was another actor who was just perfect for the role and brought so much to it. Those kind of roles can be a little thankless in that they don’t get any action, just the heavy lifting on the plot. It’s hard to do that and make it feel engaging but she was just such a pro and gave everything she had to make the part work.
She is also just an incredible kind and generous person. For a person who has played some of the most culturally iconic characters of our time (Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica and Bo Katan in the Mandalorian) you would never think you’d meet one of the most down to earth, funny and hard working people ever but that is exactly who she is.
Charithra Chandran really is the heart and soul of the movie. There was never a moment where she was not totally prepared and pitch perfect on her performance.
The conditions we were shooting in were less than ideal and I would forgive anyone who struggled in that scenario but the fact is there was never a second where she was not a joy to have on set. It still amazes me and in hindsight I realize just how much that lifted everyone.
She is a powerhouse talent but also just an incredibly good person. Aside from the murdering Isha does there are many similarities between Charithra and character she plays.
What did this screenplay teach you about yourself?
There was subject matter in the screenplay which I had a passing knowledge of but spending years with this story led to a very deep dive on some of the issues which animate Isha, specifically cobalt mining.
Our transition to renewable energy will be massively dependent on mining a lot of cobalt. You can’t make electric batteries without it. At least not yet.
It is estimated that between 60 to 70 percent of all cobalt comes from The Congo and the people who mine it are horrifically exploited.
There is also the issue that the tech giants of our world now have more reach and more power than the CIA ever had with zero oversight. it seems like we are all just totally indifferent to this.
Considering the absurdist tone of the movie it is risky to keep those parts of the story. It can be a bit of stretch to go from talking about these kinds of topics to the toad venom scene but it was important to me to tell that story somehow.
What is your advice for young and emerging filmmakers?
Never give up and never stop creating. Write you own scripts then go make them, even if they’re bad. Your first short or feature is probably not going to be the one that gets you noticed. It hopefully will be the one that teaches you how it all works. Be open to those lessons because you never stop learning how it all works.
Also movie making is an incredibly collaborative art form. I think I read a quote from Fincher once that making a movie is like trying to paint a picture with 300 other people holding the brush.
Those people are all you’ve got. They are working long hours to be there with you creating. Be kind to them. If you lose them you’re fucked.
How does it feel to be a filmmaker and director in the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
Well the streamers green light based on what the algorithm dictates. If true crime docs are getting a lot of clicks we’ll get tons of true crime docs, if celebrity docs are in favor we’ll get lots of those. I get it, it’s a business but in that world there’s no way, Pulp Fiction gets green lit, or Taxi Driver, or probably even Star Wars in 1977.
The streamers also killed the communal experience of watching movies in the cinema which is sad. That said, complaining about it is like a silent movie actor complaining about the talkies.
The genie is out of the bottle and if you want to direct movies in many cases they’re the only game in town.
What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)
Success to me would be to see my kids watch a movie I directed and have them be completely transported to another world the way I experienced movies when I was little.
Movies were everything to me as a kid. I would love to work more in the kid’s space before it’s too late!
What would you like to tell our readers about “Fight or Flight”? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)
I can tell you this was rough little independent production with very limited resources, made with a lot of love and dedication of a small crew who just adore cinema.
Every day was incredibly challenging but we all banded together and kept grinding because filmmaking is in our bones and I hope that shows through in the final result.
To learn more about director and filmmaker James Madigan, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: “Fight or Flight” review.
