Cool Videos: Director John McTiernan discusses his cinematic language

It’s been nearly 10 years since director John McTiernan has delivered a new film, due largely to the legal snafu he’s involved in with Anthony Pelicano (which will likely result in a year of jail time if his last appeal to the Supreme Court doesn’t go through).  Although that case has stifled the filmmaker from making any new films, there is a healthy roster of hits, most notably the original DIE HARD and the original PREDATOR, two of the most revered action classics ever made.  In addition, he directed THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, MEDICINE MAN, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, LAST ACTION HERO, THE 13TH WARRIOR, and the unfortunate duo of ROLLERBALL and BASIC. 

In this video (which seems to be clipped from a commentary), McTiernan discusses his filmmaking philosophy and style, really digging into the nuts and bolts of what he does and why he does it.  McTiernan is my favorite director and the very things he brings to light are exactly why.  He tells a story not just with the actors, but with the camera.  That may sound obvious, but with McTiernan, the movement, placement, and aesthetic that goes into his directing style create a storytelling layer that stacks on top of the performances.  This is the guy that owned the lens flare long before J.J. Abrams was a household name and created some of the most iconic action scenes of all time.  If anything, this video makes me yearn to see the director back behind a camera (instead of behind bars) and delivering the kinds of films he excels at. 

Until then…enjoy:

McTiernan has been linked to a number of projects in the last ten years, none of which have come to fruition due to his legal troubles.  Let’s hope that they work themselves out soon enough to let the man get back to work, even if it means serving his sentence and getting it over with.