For my money, Martin Campbell is one of the very best action directors in the business. Going back to his amazing and underrated No Escape (a fave Best Movie You Never Saw entry), he’s had a knack for delivering brutal, grounded action in a way that makes him truly unique. So it’s no wonder he’s two for two as far as launching James Bond’s go, with him directing Pierce Brosnan’s first film Goldeneye and Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale to great acclaim. And hey, he’s willing to do it all again!
This week sees the release of his gritty action thriller, The Protégé. In it, the awesome Maggie Q stars as an assassin avenging her mentor while being hunted by an enigmatic killer to whom she shares a mutual attraction. With some standout action scenes, Campbell makes this a stylish, gritty romp (which I enjoyed more than our critic). Ever want to see Michael Keaton mix it up John Wick-style? You’ll get that here – while Maggie Q makes a big for legit A-list status.
I was lucky enough to speak to Campbell the other day about his long career. In our illuminating talk, he describes his approach to action, the difference in doing action scenes with folks like Maggie Q and Jackie Chan as opposed to the un-trained Keaton, and, yes, whether he’d return to do another 007 movie. I also share my love of Mask of Zorro, which Campbell, for some reason, doesn’t seem to realize is so highly regarded by fans. I really liked doing this interview, and Campbell is a pretty interesting guy.
The Protégé is now playing in theaters.