War on Everyone
| War on Everyone | |
|---|---|
 British poster | |
| Directed by | John Michael McDonagh |
| Produced by |
Chris Clark Flora Fernandez-Marengo Phil Hunt Compton Ross |
| Written by | John Michael McDonagh |
| Starring |
Alexander Skarsgård Michael Peña Theo James Tessa Thompson Caleb Landry Jones |
| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Edited by | Chris Gill |
Production companies |
Reprisal Films Head Gear Films Kreo Films FZ Metrol Technology |
| Distributed by | Saban Films |
Release dates | |
Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
| Country |
United Kingdom Ireland |
| Language | English |
War on Everyone is a 2016 black comedy and buddy cop film set in Albuquerque, NM that was both directed by and written by John Michael McDonagh. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña and Theo James. Filming began on 20 April 2015 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]
Premise
Two corrupt cops in New Mexico set out to blackmail and frame every criminal unfortunate enough to cross their path. Things take a sinister turn, however, when they try to intimidate someone who is more dangerous than they are.
Cast
- Alexander Skarsgård[3] as Detective Terry Monroe
- Michael Peña[3] as Detective Bob Bolaño
- Theo James[3] as "Lord" James Mangan
- Tessa Thompson[3] as Jackie Hollis
- Caleb Landry Jones[3] as Birdwell
- Paul Reiser[3] as Lieutenant Gerry Stanton
- Stephanie Sigman[3] as Delores
- David Wilmot[3] as Pádraic Power
- Derrick Barry
Production
The film is produced by Chris Clark (Legend, Calvary, The Guard), Flora Fernandez-Marengo (Calvary, The Guard, The Betrayal – Nerakhoon), and co-produced by Elizabeth Eves (Calvary, The Guard) for Reprisal Films. Phil Hunt (Belle) and Compton Ross (Trishna) also produce for Head Gear Films, with the support of the BFI Film Fund.
Critical response
Demetrios Matheou from Indiewire writes "I’m not sure if any bad cops in the whole genre of bad cop comedy have paid so little lip service to actual policing as the pair in John Michael McDonagh’s "War on Everyone." And I’m not sure that the genre has produced such an irresistibly funny film."[4]
Peter Debruge, Variety chief international film critic said "McDonagh writes his clever, coal-black heart out, delivering another firecracker script, whose explosively entertaining execution boasts considerably more commercial potential than his previous two indies, Calvary and The Guard."[5]
Vanity Fair said "The opening sequences of War on Everyone are so furiously fast and funny it's nearly unimaginable that McDonagh can sustain the pace. And yet he does. When the script eases up on the rapid-fire quips, segueing into hilarious music cues (all that Campbell!) and slapstick violence, it brings its best game. Because these flawed but funny characters have dimension, depth, deep desires and, damn it, cry out for a franchise.’"[6]
Release
The film was scheduled to be released in Ireland and the United Kingdom on September 30, 2016, before being pushed back to October 7 to avoid competition with Deepwater Horizon and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and is now set to compete against the UK release of Blood Father.
References
- ↑ "WAR ON EVERYONE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Berlinale 2016: Panorama Celebrates Teddy Award's 30th Anniversary and Announces First Titles in Programme". Berlinale. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 de Semlyen, Phil (20 April 2015). "First Look At John Michael McDonagh's War On Everyone". empireonline.com. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ Matheou, Demetrios (12 February 2016). "Berlin Review: Could 'War on Everyone' Be the Best Bad Cop Comedy Ever?". Thompson on Hollywood. Indiewire.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (12 February 2016). "Berlin Film Review: 'War on Everyone'". Variety.
- ↑ "Berlin Film Review: 'War on Everyone'". Vanity Fair. 13 February 2016.