In some years, the most action-packed, stunt-filled films are also ambitious enough to find their way into Oscar’s best picture category. But for every “1917” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” there are 10 “Fast and Furious” and “Taken” films — where the action is center piece.
Yet movies driven more by character and story than by fisticuffs and explosions still feature stunts, and they often come at crucial moments. While they may not require a Bond escape or a Bourne fight, they need to be dynamic and exciting while serving the context of the larger story.
This year’s best picture nominees included “Belfast” (riots and explosions), “Nightmare Alley” (brutal beatdowns and a vicious hit and run), “Power of the Dog” (men on horseback), “West Side Story”, “King Richard” and “Dune,” which with its futuristic sword play and scenes of war, is the one film on a blockbuster budget.
Jamie Jones,...
Yet movies driven more by character and story than by fisticuffs and explosions still feature stunts, and they often come at crucial moments. While they may not require a Bond escape or a Bourne fight, they need to be dynamic and exciting while serving the context of the larger story.
This year’s best picture nominees included “Belfast” (riots and explosions), “Nightmare Alley” (brutal beatdowns and a vicious hit and run), “Power of the Dog” (men on horseback), “West Side Story”, “King Richard” and “Dune,” which with its futuristic sword play and scenes of war, is the one film on a blockbuster budget.
Jamie Jones,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
James O’Donnell’s stuntman resume includes many of the biggest names in action: James Bond, Jason Bourne, “Game of Thrones,” “The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter,” Marvel. As a stunt coordinator he’s overseen movies from “Kick Ass” to “The 355” but he also revels in more story-driven projects like “Stan & Ollie,” “Rocketman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” and, most recently, Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical “Belfast,” which was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture.
For O’Donnell, who also worked on Branagh’s “Death on the Nile” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Belfast” feels personal. While he was raised in England, his mother is Protestant from Northern Ireland while his father is Catholic.
“My Nana didn’t go to my mom’s wedding and some close cousins returned the invitations writing, ‘The curse of a mixed marriage’ and ‘Don’t do it,’” recalls O’Donnell. “Later, during the Troubles, I...
For O’Donnell, who also worked on Branagh’s “Death on the Nile” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Belfast” feels personal. While he was raised in England, his mother is Protestant from Northern Ireland while his father is Catholic.
“My Nana didn’t go to my mom’s wedding and some close cousins returned the invitations writing, ‘The curse of a mixed marriage’ and ‘Don’t do it,’” recalls O’Donnell. “Later, during the Troubles, I...
- 3/11/2022
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
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