The Survivalist (2021 film)

Last updated
The Survivalist
The Survivalist.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jon Keeyes
Written byMatthew Rogers
Produced by
Starring
Production
companies
  • Yale Productions
  • Highland Myst Entertainment
  • RSM
Distributed by Quiver Distribution
Release date
  • October 1, 2021 (2021-10-01) [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Survivalist is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Jon Keeyes and written by Matthew Rogers starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Malkovich.

Contents

It was released in the United States on October 1, 2021, by Quiver Distribution.

Plot

In a world decimated by the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, Sarah Street is relentlessly hunted by religious fanatic Aaron Ramsey who miraculously survived the virus. Aaron seeks Sarah because she is supposed to be immune to the virus and could thus hold the key to a potential cure. Escaping a refugee camp in Pennsylvania where 20,000 people died of the virus with her brother, who sacrifices himself to protect her, Sarah makes her way to the home of Ben Grant, a former FBI cartographer turned survivalist following the murder of his father. Ben protects Sarah against Aaron and his marauders, slowly killing them all off. However, Sarah eventually reveals that she's not actually immune: she's simply an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. After Sarah's presence infected the refugee camp, the doctors had lied about her immunity rather than admitting to their mistake. Ben eventually defeats Aaron who is then killed by Sarah. Ben and Sarah decide to leave and search for other survivors who might be working on a cure, particularly as Ben has likely caught the virus himself due to his extended contact with Sarah.

Cast

Production

Filming wrapped in December 2020. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Release

The Survivalist (2021) was released on VOD platforms on October 1, 2021. [1] It was made available on Redbox kiosks for DVD rental on October 1, 2021, [8] and for sale on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 19, 2021. [9] [10]

Reception

Leslie Felperin of The Guardian awarded the film two stars out of five and wrote, "The palette of sludge and gravel doesn’t help and the performances represent no one’s best here, although it’s nice to see Rhys Meyers back in action after some decidedly low-profile movie roles." [11] Alistair Lawrence of Common Sense Media also awarded the film two stars out of five. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Modine</span> American actor (born 1959)

Matthew Avery Modine is an American actor. He rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). Other films include Birdy (1984), Vision Quest (1985), Married to the Mob (1988), Gross Anatomy (1989), Pacific Heights (1990), Short Cuts (1993), Cutthroat Island (1995), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Oppenheimer (2023). On television, he portrayed Dr. Don Francis in the HBO film And the Band Played On (1993), the oversexed Sullivan Groff on Weeds (2007), Ivan Turing in Proof (2015), and Dr. Martin Brenner in Netflix's Stranger Things (2016–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Rhys Meyers</span> Irish actor (born 1977)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles in the films Michael Collins (1996), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Titus (1999), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Alexander (2004), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis (2005), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, as King Henry VIII in the historical drama The Tudors (2007–10), which earned him two Golden Globe Award nominations, and in the NBC drama series Dracula (2013–14) as the title character. He also starred as Bishop Heahmund, a character inspired by the Catholic Saint of the same name, in the History Channel television series Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Ifans</span> Welsh actor (born 1967)

Rhys Owain Evans, better known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his roles in Notting Hill (1999), Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), and Enduring Love (2004) as well as his portrayals of Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), the supervillain Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man (2021). Other roles include Hector DeJean in the Epix thriller series Berlin Station, Mycroft Holmes in the CBS series Elementary, and Ser Otto Hightower in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon.

Redbox Automated Retail, LLC is an American video on-demand streaming and video rental company specializing in DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD rentals and purchases and formerly video games via automated retail kiosks and TVOD, AVOD and FAST services via its website, Android and iOS apps and many consumer electronic devices. Redbox kiosks feature the company's signature red color and are located at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, mass retailers, and pharmacies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Keeyes</span> American film director

Jon Keeyes is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He began his career as an entertainment journalist before moving into filmmaking. His first movie, American Nightmare, became a cult hit and has never been out of distribution. In 2015, he began to put more of an emphasis on producing, and since 2020 has maintained an equal balance of producing notable feature films and directing actors such as John Malkovich and Antonio Banderas He is a co-founder and principal of the independent film company Highland Myst Entertainment.

<i>Prozac Nation</i> (film) 2001 film by Erik Skjoldbjærg

Prozac Nation is a 2001 psychological drama film directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, starring Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Jessica Lange. It is based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's 1994 memoir of the same name, which describes Wurtzel's experiences with atypical depression. The title is a reference to Prozac, the brand name of an antidepressant she was prescribed.

The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review.

Last Call is a 2017 American drama film written and directed by Steven Bernstein. It is a surrealistic biopic, which recreates the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas through flashbacks during the famous drinking binge at the White Horse Tavern in New York City which ended fatally during the fall of 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Malkovich filmography</span>

American actor, director, and producer John Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. He started acting in the 1980s, appearing in the films Places in the Heart (1984) with Sally Field, Death of a Salesman (1985), The Glass Menagerie (1987), Empire of the Sun (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988) with Glenn Close. His role in Places in the Heart earned him an Academy Award nomination. During the 1990s, he starred in the films Of Mice and Men (1992) as Lennie Small, In the Line of Fire (1993) as Mitch Leary, Beyond the Clouds (1995) as The Director, The Portrait of a Lady (1996) as Gilbert Osmond, Con Air (1997) as Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) as Athos, Being John Malkovich (1999) as John Horatio Malkovich, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) as Charles VII. His role as Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire earned him his second Academy Award nomination.

<i>American Night</i> 2021 Italian film

American Night is a 2021 neo-noir film. It is the feature-length debut of director Alessio Della Valle who also wrote the screenplay.

<i>Damascus Cover</i> 2017 political thriller film

Damascus Cover is a 2017 political thriller film, directed by Daniel Zelik Berk, from a screenplay by Berk and Samantha Newton. It is based upon the 1977 novel of the same name by Howard Kaplan. It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Olivia Thirlby, Jürgen Prochnow, Igal Naor, Navid Negahban and John Hurt. This was Hurt's final film appearance before his death; the film was dedicated to his memory.

Jason Genao is an American actor. He is best known for his appearance as the character Ruby Martinez on the Netflix show On My Block.

Central Park is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Justin Reinsilber and starring Ruby Modine, Grace Van Patten, Marina Squerciati and Michael Lombardi.

<i>Songbird</i> (2020 film) 2020 US science fiction thriller film by Adam Mason

Songbird is a 2020 American dystopian science fiction thriller film based on the COVID-19 pandemic. It was directed by Adam Mason, who wrote the screenplay with Simon Boyes. Produced by Michael Bay, Adam Goodman, Andrew Sugerman and Eben Davidson, the film stars KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, Peter Stormare, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Walter Hauser and Demi Moore.

<i>Savage Salvation</i> 2022 American film

Savage Salvation is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Randall Emmett and starring Jack Huston, Robert De Niro, and John Malkovich.

Rogue Hostage is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Jon Keeyes starring Tyrese Gibson with John Malkovich, Michael Jai White and Christopher Backus. It was released in the United States on June 11, 2021, by Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment.

<i>Yakuza Princess</i> Brazilian action thriller film

Yakuza Princess is a 2021 Brazilian action thriller film directed by Vicente Amorim, with an screenplay by Amorim, Fernando Toste, Kimi Lee and Tubaldini Shelling, based on the graphic novel Samurai Shiro by Danilo Beyruth. The film stars Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Eijiro Ozaki, and Kenny Leu.

<i>Fear</i> (2023 film) Film by Deon Taylor

Fear is a 2023 American horror thriller directed by Deon Taylor, co-written by Taylor and John Ferry, and starring Joseph Sikora, Andrew Bachelor, Annie Ilonzeh, Ruby Modine, Iddo Goldberg, Terrence Jenkins, Jessica Allain and Tip "T.I." Harris.

<i>Mercy</i> (2023 film) 2023 American film

Mercy is a 2023 American action film written by Alex Wright, directed by Tony Dean Smith and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jon Voight and Leah Gibson.

Clean Up Crew is an upcoming American action crime thriller film written by Matthew Rogers, directed by Jon Keeyes, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Melissa Leo and Antonio Banderas.

References

  1. 1 2 Meyer, Joshua (August 16, 2021). "'The Survivalist' Trailer: John Malkovich Rules The Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland". /Film. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Evangelista, Chris (23 December 2020). "'The Survivalist' is a Pandemic Thriller Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Malkovich". Slash Film . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Vlessing, Etan (January 15, 2021). "Jon Orsini, Ruby Modine Join 'The Survivalist' Pandemic Thriller (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. Grater, Tom; Wiseman, Andreas (22 December 2020). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers & John Malkovich Starring In Pandemic Thriller 'The Survivalist'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  5. Squires, John (22 December 2020). "John Malkovich and Jonathan Rhys Meyers Will Lead the Cast of Pandemic Thriller 'The Survivalist'". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  6. White, James (22 December 2020). "John Malkovich And Jonathan Rhys Meyers Starring In The Survivalist". Empire . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. Galuppo, Mia (22 December 2020). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers, John Malkovich to Lead Pandemic Thriller 'The Survivalist'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  8. "Movies added, removed, and coming soon at Redbox – October 1st, 2021 – Special Friday Edition". October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  9. "The Survivalist DVD Release Date October 19, 2021" . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  10. "Amazon.com: The Survivalist : Malkovich, John, Meyers, Rhys, Modine, Ruby, Green, Jenna Leigh, Jon Keeyes: Movies & TV". Amazon. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  11. Felperin, Leslie (October 5, 2021). "The Survivalist review – John Malkovich drops in on bleak vision of a hellish postviral US". The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  12. Lawrence, Alistair. "The Survivalist". Common Sense Media. Retrieved April 16, 2022.