Wild Card (2015 film)

Last updated

Wild Card
WildCard.2015.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Simon West
Screenplay by William Goldman
Based on Heat
by William Goldman
Produced bySteve Chasman
Starring
Cinematography Shelly Johnson
Edited byPadraic McKinley
Music by Dario Marianelli
Production
companies
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release dates
  • January 14, 2015 (2015-01-14)(France)
  • January 30, 2015 (2015-01-30)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million [2]
Box office$6.7 million [3]

Wild Card is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Anne Heche, and Sofia Vergara. Based on the 1985 novel Heat by William Goldman, it is a remake of the 1986 adaptation that starred Burt Reynolds. [4] The film was released in the United States on January 30, 2015 in a limited release and through video on demand.

Contents

Wild Card received negative reviews and was a box-office bomb, making only $6.7 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. [3]

Plot

Nick Wild is a recovering gambling addict who takes odd jobs in Las Vegas as a " chaperone " (his version of a bodyguard) to support his addiction. After helping a client impress a woman, he accepts a proposition from a young man, Cyrus Kinnick, to show him around Vegas and provide protection while he gambles.

While eating at a diner, Nick's waitress friend Roxy hands him a message from a woman he knows, Holly, who wants him to stop by her house. Holly, a professional escort, explains she had a date the previous night at the Golden Nugget. Afterward, she was brutally raped and beaten by three unknown men in their hotel room. Holly asks Nick to find out who they are so that she can sue them.

Nick discovers that the man responsible for raping Holly is Danny DeMarco, a gangster, who had two of his thugs dump her in a hospital car park. Nick goes to the hotel to confront DeMarco and a confrontation develops, resulting in Nick overpowering DeMarco and his men, who are tied up. Nick calls Holly, who contemplates castrating DeMarco, who then breaks down and begs her forgiveness. Holly decides to just take the $50,000 from DeMarco's desk and leaves.

Holly splits the money with Nick and leaves Las Vegas. Nick takes Cyrus to a casino and whilst playing blackjack with dealer friend Cassandra, Nick goes on a huge winning streak with the next dealer, amassing over a half a million dollars. But when he goes to the cashier, he has a sudden anxiety attack and decides to keep on gambling, eventually losing all his winnings (as well as his original $25,000) on a single blackjack bet with Cassandra. The next morning, Cyrus, revealed to be a self-made millionaire, wants Nick to mentor him on being brave, but Nick declines. At the bar, DeMarco's men arrive to deliver Nick to DeMarco, but Nick fends them off.

Nick meets with Baby, the mafia boss of Las Vegas. Baby has received a complaint from DeMarco, who claims that Nick broke into his hotel room, pistol-whipped him, and killed two of his men – all to fund his gambling addiction. Baby takes Nick to a room with DeMarco, where Nick tells his side of the story: that DeMarco killed his own men, to save face after begging for his life, and that DeMarco bears a cut on his penis. Baby tells DeMarco to drop his pants to prove Nick wrong, but he refuses and leaves.

At the local diner, Cyrus offers Nick a check for $500,000 and a plane ticket to Corsica for what he has learned from Nick. DeMarco and his men appear in the diner. Cyrus shows his newfound manliness by singing loudly as a distraction so Nick can escape. Nick thinks about his sailboat and then kills the thugs and DeMarco with his utensils behind the diner.

Afterwards, Cyrus insists Nick take the check and the ticket, and Nick accepts. Nick then drives out of Las Vegas.

Cast

Production

Simon West said that Jason Statham developed the project himself "maybe over five years". [5] At one point, Brian De Palma was slated to direct until West replaced him. [6] West stated:

He [Statham] showed it to me once when we were doing Mechanic, but I was off doing something else, but then he showed it to me again after Expendables 2 and I got into it, because of the writing really. William Goldman is a hero of mine ... I actually worked with him on The General's Daughter . He did plot hole work on the script. So this was a chance to work with him on a whole script – not just a polish on a script. [5]

West said the script filmed was the one Goldman wrote over thirty years ago. He later elaborated:

I rang him up and said, "I'm about to put the record straight and fix this film for you." I did ask him, what's your one piece of advice for me when shooting this? He said, "Just make sure that Nick is the toughest guy you've ever seen in your life." That, I think is his approach – no matter how complicated the character is intellectually, no matter how much dialogue there is, or twists and turns Goldman puts in the script, at the end of the day, he has this one thing that he has above his desk that reminds him what the character should be. It was the same for me – once he told me that, "Nick's the toughest guy in Vegas", every scene informs that. Even when he's not doing anything, everybody in the room knows that, and everybody knows his history, what he's capable of. And so he ultimately doesn't have to do that much, because he is the toughest guy in Vegas. [7]

"It was nice firstly to have a script that was so set, because on any big movie scripts are constantly in flux," said West. "It also made it easy to sell to actors like Stanley Tucci and Sofia Vergara because their parts were very set out. There's nothing in the script that's really aged, there's no pyrotechnics or technology really." [8]

Filming

Filming began in early 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. [9] The principal photography began in February 2013. [10]

Simon West said the three fights were "character driven".

each one of the action moments is character-driven, so you're right, it builds up. So when it does explode, it's exploding for the right reason. The first one, he's getting back into his old skills – precision fighting. The only way he's going to get out alive is by relying on his old skills. And he's a master of that. The second fight explodes out of anger, and it's really anger at himself for going back to being a gambling addict. They're character-driven fights. Whereas traditionally in action films, they're light relief – they're almost commercial breaks in the story. These ones come out of the situation his character's in, not just that he's in jeopardy and has to fight his way out of it – they're emotional fights. [7]

Marketing

The trailer for Wild Card debuted on December 12, 2014. West later recalled:

It was a formidable thing, there are pages and pages of dialogue – it's a drama really. It's not an action film really, it's a character piece. Jason [Statham] is the lead in every scene and he has huge dialogue scenes. I knew he was passionate about it, but was like, "Are you happy with all this dialogue stuff?" and he said, "Yes, yes. I love it. I want to do it." So I turned up on the first day not knowing what it was going to turn out like. Especially after The Mechanic where he only has five lines in the whole film! That character has no dialogue. But we turned up on the first day and he knew every word by heart and was amazing. So, Wild Card, I think will surprise a lot of people – it's a very strong dramatic piece by him. There are, of course, also two or three fights! I think some of his best fights ever are in it. They're very realistic and we spent a lot of time on them, so they're very detailed and very well executed I think. But it's a great performance, and he's surrounded by some very cool actors: Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Sofia Vergara ... he's in a proper actor's environment and he really stepped up. I was amazed. I think this is just the beginning for him, I think you'll see a lot more dramatic stuff from him. [5]

Release

Lionsgate released the film in a limited release and through on demand on January 30, 2015. [11]

Reception

Box office

Wild Card was a box office flop, making only $6.7 million against a $30 million budget. [3] [12]

Critical response

Wild Card has generally received negative reviews from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 32% based on reviews from 56 critics, with an average rating of 4.85 out of 10. The site's consensus states: "Hardcore Jason Statham fans may enjoy parts of Wild Card, but all other action aficionados need not apply." [13] On Metacritic the film has a score of 40 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics. [14]

Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, calling Wild Card "predictable". She summed up her review by saying that Wild Card "is no royal flush, no full house, no three of a kind. A bust is I think the term I'm searching for". [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Ritchie</span> English filmmaker (born 1968)

Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr.

<i>Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels</i> 1998 film by Guy Ritchie

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a 1998 black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie. It follows a heist involving a confident young card sharp who loses £500,000 to a powerful crime lord in a rigged game of three-card brag, prompting him to pay off his debts by enlisting his friends to help him rob a small-time gang operating out of the apartment next door. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Steven Mackintosh, Vinnie Jones, and Sting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Heche</span> American actress (1969–2022)

Anne Celeste Heche was an American actress, known for her roles across a variety of genres in film, television, and theater. She was the recipient of Daytime Emmy, National Board of Review, and GLAAD Media Awards, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Statham</span> English actor (born 1967)

Jason Statham is an English actor and martial artist. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, gritty, or violent. Statham has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2010s. His film career through 2017 generated over $1.5 billion in ticket sales, making him one of the film industry's most bankable stars.

<i>King David</i> (film) 1985 film by Bruce Beresford

King David is a 1985 American Biblical epic film about the life of David, the second King of the Kingdom of Israel, as recounted in the Hebrew Bible. The film is directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Andrew Birkin and James Costigan, and stars Richard Gere in the title role. The ensemble cast includes Edward Woodward, Alice Krige, Denis Quilley, Cherie Lunghi, Hurd Hatfield, John Castle, Jean-Marc Barr, Christopher Malcolm, and Gina Bellman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Grimshaw</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Eileen Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often included her relationships with Dennis Stringer, Ed Jackson, Pat Stanaway, Jerry Morton, Jesse Chadwick, Paul Kershaw, Adrian Mortimer and Michael Rodwell, as well as her marriage to serial criminal mastermind Pat Phelan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Hill</span> American filmmaker (born 1940)

Walter Hill is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western genre. He has directed such films as The Driver, The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs. and its sequel Another 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire and Red Heat, and wrote the screenplay for the crime drama The Getaway. He has also directed several episodes of television series such as Tales from the Crypt and Deadwood and produced the Alien films.

<i>Geronimo: An American Legend</i> 1993 film directed by Walter Hill

Geronimo: An American Legend is a 1993 historical Western film starring Wes Studi, Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, and Matt Damon in an early role. The film, which was directed by Walter Hill, is based on a screenplay by John Milius. It is a fictionalized account of the Apache Wars and how First Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood convinced Apache leader Geronimo to surrender in 1886.

<i>RocknRolla</i> 2008 film by Guy Ritchie

RocknRolla is a 2008 gangster crime comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandiwe Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell, Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges. It was released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2008, reaching number one in the UK box office in its first week of release. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Heat</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by Dick Richards, Jerry Jameson

Heat is a 1986 American neo-noir dramatic action thriller film about an ex-mercenary working as a bodyguard in Las Vegas. The film was written by William Goldman, based on his 1985 novel of the same name. Heat was directed by Dick Richards and Jerry Jameson. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Karen Young, Peter MacNicol, Howard Hesseman, Neill Barry and Joseph Mascolo.

<i>Crank: High Voltage</i> 2009 American action film

Crank: High Voltage is a 2009 American action film directed by Neveldine/Taylor and stars Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, David Carradine and Dwight Yoakam. It is the sequel to the 2006 film Crank and also features several cameo appearances of celebrities from various entertainment media. In the film, Chev Chelios survives from the deadly fall and gets kidnapped by Chinese doctors, who harvest his heart and replace it with an artificial one, which is designed to keep him alive for an hour. Chev sets out to find his heart while keeping himself electrically charged to stay alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Cunningham</span> UK soap opera character, created 1997

Holly Cunningham is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, most recently portrayed by Amanda Clapham.

<i>The Mechanic</i> (2011 film) 2011 American action thriller film directed by Simon West

The Mechanic is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by Simon West, starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, James Logan, Mini Andén, Jeff Chase, and Christa Campbell. Written by Lewis John Carlino and Richard Wenk, it is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. Statham stars as Arthur Bishop, a professional assassin who specializes in making his hits look like accidents, suicides and petty criminals' acts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britten family</span> Family of fictional characters

The Brittens are a family of fictional characters featured in the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The Brittens are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Michael and Hannah and their child son Rex. The family was involved in a car crash, which caused Michael, to live in two separate realities, one in which his wife Hannah was killed in the crash, and in the other his son Rex was killed.

<i>Heat</i> (Goldman novel)

Heat is a 1985 novel by William Goldman about a soldier of fortune in Las Vegas.

<i>Parker</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Taylor Hackford

Parker is a 2013 American action thriller film directed by Taylor Hackford and written by John J. McLaughlin. Starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, the film is adapted from Flashfire, the 19th Parker novel written by Donald Westlake under the pen name Richard Stark. Primarily set in Palm Beach, Florida, Parker marked a departure for Hackford, who hoped to make it his first film noir. The film, produced on a $35 million budget, was conceived following Westlake's 2008 death, when producer Les Alexander secured the rights to it.

I Shot a Man in Vegas is a 1995 crime thriller film written and directed by Keoni Waxman and starring John Stockwell and Janeane Garofalo. The film follows five friends dealing with a getaway after one of them guns down another and dumps the corpse into the trunk of a car.

<i>The Starving Games</i> 2013 American parody film

The Starving Games is a 2013 American parody film written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and produced by Peter Safran. The film parodies The Hunger Games and it stars Maiara Walsh, Cody Christian, Brant Daugherty, Lauren Bowles and Diedrich Bader. It is the first film in Friedberg and Seltzer's long-running partnership to be distributed independently. It was released simultaneously in theaters and video on demand by distribution start-up Ketchup Entertainment. The film was released on November 8, 2013 to negative reviews.

<i>The Meg</i> 2018 film by Jon Turteltaub

The Meg is a 2018 American science fiction action film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber, loosely based on the 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten. The film stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, and Cliff Curtis. In the plot, a group of scientists encounters a 75-foot-long (23 m) megalodon shark while on a rescue mission on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

<i>It Stains the Sands Red</i> 2016 horror film directed by Colin Minihan

It Stains the Sands Red is a 2016 Canadian-American horror film directed by Colin Minihan. It stars Brittany Allen as a woman relentlessly pursued through the desert outside of Las Vegas by a single zombie.

References

  1. ↑ "WILD CARD (15)". British Board of Film Classification . February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Wild Card Movie Release Date & Star cast" Archived February 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , Slantix, December 28, 2014. Retrieved on January 31, 2015
  3. 1 2 3 "Wild Card (2015) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ "'Heat' Remake: Jason Statham Cast in Update to 1986 Film Starring Burt Reynolds". news.moviefone.com. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Director Simon West talks to us about his new film Salty, directing Con Air and STATHAM!", Live For Films Archived December 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine accessed 13 December 2014
  6. ↑ Rodriguez, Cain (November 2, 2012). "Simon West Replaces Brian De Palma On 'Heat' Remake Starring Jason Statham". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Simon West interview: Wild Card, Statham, action, The Blob". denofgeek.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ ""I wanted to do this great story justice..." – hmv.com talks to Wild Card director Simon West". hmv.com. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Jason Alexander, Max Casella Join 'Heat' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ "JASON STATHAM'S 'HEAT' REMAKE GETS A NEW DIRECTOR". screencrush.com. November 1, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  11. ↑ Evry, Max (December 1, 2014). "First Look at Jason Statham in Wild Card". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Wild Card (2015) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Wild Card (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Wild Card". Metacritic .
  15. ↑ Sharkey, Betsy (January 29, 2015). "Vegas-set 'Wild Card' draws an, oh, so predictable hand". Los Angeles Times .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.