Lawrence Roeck, director of the upcoming Diablo, talks film making and the Western comeback trail.
TMS: 2015 was a banner year for character rooted Western tales
making a major comeback. Between your film, Diablo, the Western/Horror Bone
Tomahawk, and numerous others, the genre is on another major upswing. Why
do you think that is?
LR: In my opinion it was a genre of film that had been largely
ignored over the past 20 years. Maybe even more. So when you have a gap like
that the industry is bound to look for something new and I think some really
great filmmakers all kind of turned of the western genre at the same time. It's
pretty neat to see.
TMS: Some of the greatest movies ever made have featured cowboys and
that era. Working in the confines of the Western genre, how hard is it to come
up with a fresh idea? And is it a real challenge to make something that fans
will latch on to?
LR: Well it's always hard to make something that
fans will latch onto but I really tried with Diablo not to make the movie for
the hard-core western fan but rather make a really authentic film set in the
1800s wilderness of the west for the psychological thriller fan. So that's
really the core of the film that sets it apart in terms of its
fundamental construction and a lot of the creative decisions and how the
screenplay mechanics work. It makes the film feel different and a lot of the
musical choices different. Also common western cliches like dusty street
gunfights and "howdy y'all" are never used. We just went straight
hardcore into the woods and stayed there until it was done.
TMS: What was your main influence in making Diablo? Is there a
movie or another story that directly contributed to you working on this film?
And are there any classic stories that assisted in your development of the
movie?
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| Lawrence Roeck on set |
LR: I pictured one of the lead characters to be a lot
like Anton Chigurh, the killer that the Coen brothers created in No
Country for Old Men. I mean it wasn't based on that character but he
certainly had the same kind of work ethic in terms of his desire and dedication
to pursuing his prey. But the original reason I did the movie was I wanted to
work with Scott.
Scott and I had both grown up in the Carmel, Ca.
area and originally Diablo was planned to be a coastal California Western shot
in Big Sur. But in the end the movie was better suited for a different wilder
look in the Rocky Mountains. Big Sur had way too many "bogeys". We
would have had to paint out houses, roads, power lines, etc and put so much
money into that it would become a cash hole so we shot in Alberta, Canada. I
was born up there and many many great movies were shot there. In certain areas
you can shoot for miles and miles without ever seeing a modern structure or any
kind of human footprint. Except when we were shooting Diablo we could look
across the river and see the tents from The Revenant shooting across the Valley. It's
incredibly beautiful in Canada and they have great movie crews there.
Regarding classic stories none really affected me in terms
of the concept of the movie and the overall arc. I'm a big fan of classic
cinema and love to watch all the greats but when it came to Diablo I really
just wanted to take a stab at it from a fresh perspective without leaning on
any other kind of film before it. But when it comes to how we executed all the
little details and some of the visual metaphors we incorporated a lot of
inspiration from other films and themes in classical literature. For instance
the two bits Jackson takes from his victim and the crossing of the river before
we meet Ezra, Walton Goggins' character, are all metaphors and representations
of other things. I won't tell you what you'll have to figure out when you
watch the film, but that's the fun of watching Diablo multiple times. You see
those details over and over again and they start to really come out.
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| Following in his father's footsteps, Scott Eastwood stars in Diablo. |
LR: I think a lot of them were really interested in the
screenplay. The number one best way still to this date to get a great actor is
by the screenplay. We had a really unique story and we had an amazing director
of photography attached, Dean Cundey from Jurassic Park and Apollo 13, and then
on top of that they knew that I cared and was passionate about the film. Lastly, with Scott Eastwood on board it helped close the deals. It really was an
amazing group of people to work with and I'm very thankful that they all decided
to be a part of it.
TMS: Heading back to influences, what do you think is the greatest
Western of all time? And, (if any) what other modern Westerns do you think fall
in the same level of greatness as the classics?
LR: I love them all so much I couldn't possibly say
that one of them was the best of all time but I really do like Tombstone in terms
of a modern Western that I find entertaining and as for the classics I really
enjoy the Sergio Leone movies like Once upon a Time in the West.
TMS: Obviously, Scott Eastwood’s father is still a huge influence in Hollywood and will remain a
legend forever. On that note, I recently read that Scott receives over 50
Western scripts a month. Yet, he chose yours. I can’t expect you to speak for him but why do
you think he chose your project, Diablo?
LR: It wouldn't be polite to speak for Scott so I'll have to defer
a bit but I can say that he was intrigued by the psychological thriller concept
the same way other actors were. Except the one little detail that was different
was that he was on board way before we even had a screenplay and had a huge
hand in the development of the story and the overall theme of the film. We both
hadn't worked together in that capacity before and it was fun to collaborate
that way. Scott always likes a challenge and Diablo was definitely a huge
challenge. Plus (joking), I saved him in a bar fight in Carmel at the Hogs Breath
once so he owed me one. He was ready to get pounded by a couple of guys over a
girl and I was only one that would back him up. Things ended up in our favor so
I feel that maybe that had a little bit of something to do with the reason why
he could make a movie with me. I would not leave him hanging out on a limb.
TMS: You’ve been
getting great early feedback about the movie. I’ve read positive reviews across the board including the one we just
published. What’s the special
ingredient that’s helping
your feature get such an excellent response?
LR: They are good? I didn't know that (ha ha). Seriously though I
had no idea. I'm just grateful to have been able to make a film. I read a
couple scathing reviews and they're actually quite entertaining. I think I
emailed the critic and thanked them. But if I get a few good ones I'll be
stoked though for sure. If people like the movie it was because a small group
of really talented people believed in the idea and did everything possible to
make it as good as they could. Everything from the score to the cinematography,
visual effects, sound design, editing, actors, crew and so on and so forth we
really all just put our very heart and soul into every little detail trying to
create a real world that audiences could enjoy. In the end you just hope it
resonates
TMS: So, you have an obvious love for storytelling, mysterious
character development, and the genre as a whole. If you had the chance to
remake any of the classics, which one would it be and why?
LR: I think they are perfect the way they are I
couldn't imagine possibly imagine remaking any of them. I'd rather put my
effort into preserving the original.
TMS: Fair enough. Continuing on that topic, what major lead actor would you like to
work with and what would your dream project be?
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| Related Review: Diablo |
LR: It's kind of a fetish idea, but I'd like to
direct Walter Moura from Narcos as Pablo Escobar. That would be amazing. The
only problem is I think somebody else has that job (ha). But if I really had to choose
an actor my first choice would be Brad Pitt. He just seems like a really cool
guy with his eye on doing incredible quality work without all the drama. That
would be my happy place as a director. Plus, I hear he surfs so I would try and
get him out in the water for an afternoon. But you can't forget the ladies.
When it comes to the great screen actresses of our day I would love to work
with Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep. I admire both of those actresses greatly. They
are incredible at their craft.
TMS: What can you tell us about your next project? And where and when
can people see Diablo?
LR: Diablo opens in theaters January 8th in
the following cities nationwide: LA, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Tampa, Phoenix, Chicago, Sacramento, Kansas City, and Atlanta. If you can't get it there then it's available
like any other movies on Netflix, iTunes, etc. after the initial theater run.
We're working on our next project right now. It's going to be a really interesting movie
filmed in a way that allow us some unique opportunities for telling a really
global story. It's an international action-adventure-thriller with really cool
actors and some great locations around the world. I can't wait to pack up and
take off on the journey and film the thing. It's going to be a massive endeavor
and the biggest film I've ever tried to put together. I hope we pull it off.
TMS: We're sure you will. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
TMS: We're sure you will. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
Diablo is in limited run theaters on January 8th.
-CG