TRADED – A Film Review
In 1880s Kansas, the Travis’,
subsistence farmers, are hard-working but happy, until tragedy strikes: their
young son Jake (Hunter Fischer) is killed by a rattlesnake. Overcome with grief and guilt, his mother Amelia
(Constance Brenneman), fearful of anything happening to their 17 year-old daughter
Lily (Brittany Elizabeth Williams), makes the girl’s life unbearable. Lily runs away, hoping to become a Harvey
Girl at one of the famous restaurants at railroad stops across the country; but
she never makes it to her interview. Her
father Clay Travis (Michael Pare) hurriedly traces her movements, and fears she’s
been sold into prostitution. He’s ready
to do whatever it takes to bring her back.
Many will compare it to
the TAKEN franchise, but I say think of it like THE SEARCHERS on speed! As Clay races to rescue his daughter, time is
not measured with the fluttering pages of a calendar but with a railroad-man’s
precise pocket-watch. En route, his
farmer demeanor vanishes, and we learn that he has the sort of past that leaves
him well-equipped to go against a string of villains, from those who will only
provide information for a price, to those who will gladly kill to protect their
income. Pare, who became a star with
films like EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS (1983) and STREETS OF FIRE (1984) has kept
his good looks while developing the maturity and gravitas this role demands:
you do not want to get in his way.
Seen this girl?
And among the folks he
meets along the way are Trace Adkins, Pare’s co-star in THE LINCOLN LAWYER
(2011), who is chilling as a Dodge City saloon-keeper and procurer; and Tom Sizemore
as Adkins’ unsavory competition. Martin
Kove has played many a Western villain before, memorably in WYATT EARP (1994),
but I don’t think he’s ever portrayed as revolting a character as Cavendish;
his daughter in the story, simply named Girl (Marie Oldenbourg) could not be
less like him.
Kris Kristofferson,
still a commanding presence at eighty, is striking as a barkeep who is at first
reluctantly helpful, and has the most quotable speeches from Mark Esslinger’s
screenplay.
Kris is running out of patience
Esslinger’s script is
smart without being smug, full of sudden, imaginative, and often brutal
action. And while the story is peopled
by many cynical characters, it is not cynical itself; all of the action grows
from a sincere love of family, and the knowledge that a strong person will do
anything they can to protect it.
Brittany Elizabeth Williams is missing...
Timothy Woodward Jr.,
directing his 10th feature since 2013, tells the story with unrushed
assurance, drawing mostly strong performances during a remarkably short
shooting schedule. It’s his third collaboration in two years with
cinematographer Pablo Diez, who lights and composes with elegance. Production Designer Christian Ramirez and
costume designer Nikki Pelly are Western
specialists and have again done their work with style and historical
accuracy. Of course, no film is without
errors. One character is a young woman
who is supposed to be hideously ugly.
Mistake one: a very attractive actress plays the part. Mistake two: what was supposed to look like
scars actually looks like she has oatmeal all over her face.
Constance Brenneman is the mother.
TRADED, from Cinedigm and Status Media opens theatrically today, Friday, June 10th,
in ten cities across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Dallas, Philadelphia and Nashville.
That same day it will also be available On Demand and Digital HD.
Last November I had the
good fortune of being invited by consulting producer Peter Sherayko to visit
the set, when they were shooting at Big
Sky Ranch. You can read that article,
and my interviews with Michael Pare, Timothy Woodward Jr., and Peter Sherayko,
HERE.
AN INTERVIEW WITH
‘TRADED’ SCREENWRITER MARK ESSLINGER
At the premiere, Mark Esslinger with daughter Lana
TRADED author Mark
Esslinger is the first screenwriter I’ve met in a long time who did not go to
film school. “I grew up in the northern
part of New Jersey, in Bergen County. I
trained racehorses throughout New Jersey and New York while I was in high
school. I wrote from the time I was maybe
ten; I was always interested in film and television. When I was eighteen or nineteen I just
decided to drive out to California and see what I could do.”
Luckily, one thing he
could do was be funny. “I got a bunch of
part-time jobs. I hung out at the Comedy Stores. I wrote comedy for stand-up guys like Garry
Shandling and Howie Mandel when they were just getting started. I met a girl at
a party, and she asked me if I wanted to write a couple of spec shows with
her. We wrote a spec TAXI. She gave it to her father, and her father’d
just got a green light for a show an NBC show at Paramount called THE BRADY
BRIDES, a continuation of THE BRADY BUNCH.
Her father was (BRADY BUNCH and GILLIGAN’S ISLAND creator) Sherwood
Schwartz! So she showed it to him, and
he loved it, and he asked us to be on staff, so we jumped at the chance. I think I was 23 at the time. And that’s basically how I got in.”
But then, in 1981, the
Writers Guild went on strike for Pay-TV and home video residuals. “The strike hit for three or four
months. And then when it ended, THE
BRADY BRIDES got cancelled because there was a shift of regime at NBC. Brandon Tartikoff was going out, and Grant
Tinker was coming in, and he didn’t like the show. Then (my partner) went off and got married.” Mark wrote without his partner, but didn’t
get anywhere. He went back to raising
horses, while continuing to write. “And
then in ’96 I produced a film called DELIVERY, which is based on my food
delivery company, which I opened in 1989.
I have a food delivery company where we deliver food from the high-end
restaurants in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills to homes.”
Mark Esslinger, daughter Lana, Michael Pare
We talked about his
breakthrough script, TRADED, and what led to his writing it.
HENRY: I notice you’ve
written a few films about Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. I take it you’re a fan of American history.
MARK: Yes, I am.
We made a short called GRACE BEDELL, maybe five, six years ago, that won
festivals in Burbank, Buffalo and Vancouver.
It’s about a little girl who wrote to Lincoln when he was running for
President in 1860, and she suggested that he grow whiskers to help him win the
election. And he took her up on it. It’s based on a true story.
HENRY: Was TRADED a
story you developed on spec, or were you hired to write it?
MARK: I wrote it on spec. I submitted it to The Black List (note: an
annual list by studio development pros of highly regarded but unsold script),
and it got two really excellent reviews, and it got me a lot of intros; a lot
of interest. But since they considered
the (Western) genre basically dead, they didn’t want to do anything with
it. I kept pitching it here and there,
and I ended up putting it on this website called InkTip. It was on there maybe two or three months,
and then I get a call that someone is interested in it, and is it still
available.
HENRY: And that was Status Media, the folks who made it?
MARK: They outright
purchased it – there was no option involved.
We just went back and forth, and negotiated the contract for two or
three weeks; actually, while we were negotiating they were lining up locations
and casting. By the time I signed the
contract, they were shooting. They
started shooting it immediately, or even before immediately, if there is such a
thing
HENRY: Where did the
original idea come from?
MARK: I wanted to do a
Western, and I started breaking down what kind of a Western I wanted to
do. Maybe something that was a little
more contemporary, that hadn’t been seen in a Western. I know there’s THE SEARCHERS, where they’re
hunting the niece, and I wanted to use the daughter; I wanted to do something
in that realm, and TAKEN was a big hit a few years earlier. From all the research I’ve done, they’ve
never done a western where a father has to track down and rescue his
daughter. I just broke in an outline,
and it came out kind of easy.
HENRY: I’m glad you brought
up THE SEARCHERS, because while the parallels are obvious, THE SEARCHERS story
takes place over a long period of time, while TRADED’s story is compressed to
just one or two days. Why?
MARK: I don’t really
know; I think that’s just the way I write.
It helps with the time clock and the thriller elements. If it was
prolonged, it would end up like THE SEARCHERS.
Just for the urgency factor I just had to make it quick. I think the lead (character) has a sense that
he has to get her back as soon as he can, before she becomes too much of a
whore in Dodge City.
HENRY: You spoke about
doing a lot of research among Western plots.
Did you do a lot of historical research?
MARK: I do a lot for
everything I do. I get as many books as
I can on the time period. And on the
internet now you can get so much stuff.
I actually read the newspapers of the time period; it helps to give a
sense of how people think and what they do during that time period, and how
they react to certain things. The
government in each city at that time period – how it works.
HENRY: What are the
challenges of writing period stories for a modern audience?
MARK: Westerns that got
produced weren’t very risky back then. I
mean, they wouldn’t have made a DEADWOOD thirty or forty years ago, and I think
DEADWOOD is the ultimate, ‘what it was really like’ kind of thing; that’s what
I strive for. I’m trying to make it as
realistic as possible to the time period. Back in the 50s or 60, most of the
Westerns were pretty sanitized.
HENRY: True; of course
all films were when you go back far enough.
MARK: True; and
especially television.
HENRY: How close is the
finished film to your original vision?
MARK: It holds true
maybe 80 to 85 percent. There are some
instances, because it is a low budget film, that they had to cut corners
on. As written, their son gets killed
because of a bee attack. Now they
couldn’t do that because the bee wrangler would cost like $3,000, and that
wasn’t in the budget. So they changed it
to a snake-bite. But it loses my
recurring theme of honey. When I write
something, I want to tie everything in, so everything has a reason; the
foreshadowing. When you have to cut some
corners you’re going to lose a lot of that stuff.
HENRY: You’ve done
something with your script which many of us screenwriters find very difficult
to do, which is to write a story that can be filmed for a reasonable amount of
money. How do you do that?
MARK: I was conscious
of that, mainly because I figured if I’m going to write a western, it’s going
to be hard enough to sell it. So I’d
better make it that it can be shot for the minimum amount of money
possible. I tried to keep it low. I’ve got the one train chase which they
thankfully kept in the film. And most of
my stuff is character-driven anyhow, so the stories generate out of what
they’re doing, as opposed to throwing in this big action sequence with a
balloon or something that will cost a lot of money.
HENRY: Quite a cast:
Michael Pare, Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, Tom Sizemore, Martin Kove.
MARK: I think it worked
out great. When they told me Michael Pare
was going to be the lead, I was really excited, because I was a big fan of
EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS and STREETS OF FIRE.
I think he did a great job in the part.
And if you can get Kris Kristofferson and Tom Sizemore in the movie,
you’re way way way ahead of the game.
And then they’ve got Trace Adkins in it, who is a country superstar
along with Kris Kristofferson, so it’s going to appeal to all of his fans
too. And he does a great job. He doesn’t have that much acting experience,
but you’d absolutely not know it from the performance he puts in.
HENRY: Did you grow up
with westerns?
MARK: Yeah, I did. I was born in the late ‘50s, so I grew up
with the typical BONANZA, and probably my favorites were WANTED: DEAD OF ALIVE
and THE RIFLEMAN, the two half-hour shows.
As far as films, I think my favorite Western film is Clint Eastwood’s
UNFORGIVEN. Growing up I was always a
big fan of THE HORSE SOLDIERS. I thought
that film was really ahead of its time.
I read that John Wayne and William Holden didn’t get along. But I think it helped the whole film. Also Jimmy Stewart in SHENANDOAH. I could go on and on – I also like all
Randolph Scott Westerns. RIDE LONESOME
and BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE. I thought
Randolph Scott was just a great Western lead.
HENRY: Do you think
there’s a real resurgence in Westerns?
MARK: I prefer writing
period stuff, so I certainly hope so.
Like I said before, I think you can inject contemporary themes that were
not available to use back when the majority of Westerns were made. And that’s what I tried to do with TRADED; I
tried to bring something new to the genre that wasn’t seen back then. Even the taking of a daughter and basically
trading her in to slavery, that wasn’t in a Western film back in the fifties or
the sixties. I would love to see the whole genre make a comeback. I’d like to see more on Television. DEADWOOD is probably my favorite hour show –
I think it was fantastic. I wrote a
pilot called SOILED DOVES that I’ve been trying to pitch for the last few
years. It’s DEADWOOD-ish, but it’s got a
female lead, and it’s set in Alaska, during the Yukon gold rush.
HENRY: What’s your next
project?
MARK: I just finished
another Western, I’m about to start getting out now. It’s called DASH; it’s about a Kansas farmer
whose about to lose his wife and his farm, and he’s offered a bounty-hunting
opportunity.
HENRY: So, the release
of TRADED is imminent.
MARK: It’s getting a ten-city release on the 10th. It’s going to be released on iTunes the same
day. There’s going to be a couple of
deleted scenes, and a ‘making of’ film.
I don’t know what the deleted scenes are – I’m kind of scared to find
out! As long as it all makes sense, I’m
fine.
QUENTIN, THE TERM
YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IS ‘SALOON GIRLS’
Quentin Tarantino, the
ever-controversial and ever-entertaining filmmaker, got his ears boxed by
feminists once again, this time for a casting call placed on Facebook, for roles in a new Western he
is producing (though not directing).
Here’s the text: “Casting
Whores for Quentin Tarantino project. Caucasian, non-union females, ages 18–35.
Western film shoots June 21st-25th in Los Angeles. No highlights, natural
eyebrows, natural breasts, natural hair color to be true to the period. Dress
sizes 2–8. Please send photo, including sizes, and write ‘Whore’ in the subject
line.”
I was a little
surprised at the word ‘whore’, especially in the subject line, but not as
surprised as when I was old enough to figure out what Miss Kitty’s girls were
doing upstairs. The Women and Hollywood website was particularly appalled, saying in
part, “Putting a casting call out for, or including women in your script with
the description of ‘whores,’ is not OK. Nor is asking actresses to submit their
photos and information for consideration with the subject line ‘Whore.’ … It would’ve been just as easy to have said
that the project was looking for actresses to play prostitutes, saloon girls,
or brothel workers… Words carry weight, and the word ‘whore’ comes with a lot
of baggage.” Okay. Actually, I would have guessed that what
they’d be upset about is that the casting notice asked for ‘Caucasian
non-union’ whores. Wrong again! By the way, the film is written and directed
by a woman.
‘DJANGO LIVES!’ TO STAR
FRANCO NERO, TO BE WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JOHN SAYLES!
Franco Nero signed this box from
his 2nd DJANGO film for me!
It’s been long rumored
but now confirmed that LONE STAR writer/director John Sayles will do the same
chores on DJANGO LIVES!, and that Franco Nero is still set to star. A
project that’s been discussed since DJANGO UNCHAINED re-invigorated the DJANGO
franchise, the project has shifted through many hands, but the premise is still
the same. Django, Franco Nero’s
character from Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 film, is now much older, living in Los
Angeles and, as Wyatt Earp and other real lawmen actually did, is working as a
technical adviser on silent Westerns, when something happens that necessitates
his strapping on his guns again. A new
description says he’s a wrangler and extra on the set of D.W. Griffith’s BIRTH
OF A NATION. The film is set to roll
camera in September.
MY NEWEST COLUMN FOR
INSP
My most recent guest
column for the INSP blog, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE GOOD-HEARTED BAD GUY,
examines how the image of some hero and villain actors changed as their careers
progressed. You can read it HERE. And please leave a comment if you like it!
THAT’S A WRAP!
Hunter Fischer (right), with a pal
Production Designer Christian Ramirez, with Mrs. Smith
& wrangler Troy Andrew Smith
Here’re a few pictures
I took on Wednesday night at the Beverly Hills premiere of TRADED. I’ve got several more stories I wanted to
include, but I didn’t want to make this Round-up more than one week late! Happy summer!
Happy trails,
Henry
All Original Contents
Copyright June 2016 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved
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