How was the writing process different with this film as compared to something like “Margin Call,” knowing that you had the budget to support what you wanted to do? I know you mentioned that you didn’t do as much writing with “Triple Frontier,” but you are credited alongside original writer Mark Boal as having written the screenplay.
This was totally different. I had called Mark up, he told me he was working on another project and Kathryn Bigelow was off doing a whole other thing. I told him I was interested in shooting his script, would it be ok if I took the story. I had no idea I would get credited, but I ended up doing 42 drafts of the screenplay, which is insane [laughs]. It ended up being a longer process than I thought. It was also originally with Paramount and then they got rid of it during the same time they got rid of “Vice” and “The Irishman,” and about five, six others, it ended up becoming this very lengthy process. It was fun though, because I was just screenwriting, trying to improve the story, build up the characters etc. But that original story was Mark’s and I admired it. I didn’t end up materially shifting it completely, it was more technical and character writing that I changed which is why I got that credit. For me, this was always supposed to be a storytelling exercise, a directing exercise, and it really did stretch my directing muscles. I learned so so much from it.
I noticed that all four of your films are ultimately about survival.
I love those kinds of films because they are the kind of films I like to watch. But, yeah, I’m fascinated by what survival means. What kind of decisions we have to make as human beings when faced with life and death situations and the unpredictable behavior that we might have when faced with a limited amount of choices. There are those moments where we become different people by the actions that we act on and there are moments where the crucible is crashing down on you and you must stand up and make that decision as to what your values are. In my movies, those decisions are not always black and white. There is that grey area and often it is a very stark outcome no matter the decision.
While this movie is literal and metaphorical, it is also a stand-in for what is missing from these guys lives, wanting to feel that sense of importance and that sense that what you do has meaning and weight to it. In a fun way, this movie was not just about the money and the greed, but it’s more the greed of your ego and wanting to feel alive again and engaged. And the money, in a weird way, in this movie, loses its value as the adventure goes along. At the end of the day, money doesn’t change anything unless you’re starving to death or have no home or shelter for your family. But beyond that, it’s about ego and comfort, it’s not a survival thing. In “Triple Frontier” I sort of play on those things
How was it working with Netflix on a movie? Did they give you the creative freedom needed?
It was amazing. The type of stories I like to tell, original storytelling, I love a good adventure movie, dramas, adult-driven stuff and sadly the theatrical film business, the two-hour movie, has materially changed in the last 5-10 years. They have turned into these massive $200M retreads or very very small, really original low-budget stuff, but everything in between has been abandoned for the most part unless it fits into a popular genre. Other than those, the two-hour drama has completely disappeared, and Netflix realized that, very wisely, not everyone has enough time to divulge into 12 hours of television. There will always be audiences that want a smartly made two-hour drama, filled with epic storytelling.
I think, over the next two years as Amazon, Netflix and Apple start to build this model out, that mid-budget two-hour films have a large audience. I’m incredibly grateful they are supporting this kind of storytelling. I do hope that with this whole controversy of the “theatrical window” happening around Netflix that there is some kind of compromise that happens, that will help to allow these type of movies to come back to the theaters again.
Yeah, there does seem to be a major emphasis on the part of Hollywood to exclusively just make superhero movies, sequels, reboots etc. and that’s why we’re seeing elite filmmakers such as the Coens, Cuaron, Scorsese, Soderbergh, Fincher, del Toro going to Netflix.
If I’m in those guys’ position am I going to go out and make the 19th Marvel movie? Probably not. I don’t think the Coen Brothers want to make those movies. When a technological shift comes to a market place, very rarely is the answer behind you [laughs] It’s normally something new. So hopefully, the people that know business side better than I do can look for compromises and bring vibrant and original storytelling back to theaters and try to come up with windowing for theatrical releases.
They should learn the lesson that the music business had themselves and just try to learn to adapt to technological change. We’ve had a far bigger change in our business than they have. I mean, the television screen has turned into a movie screen in your living room and sound will be next, there will much simpler sound systems coming down the road so it will only get better/worse. And the ability to deliver any movie ever made into your own device, those are ground-shifting events and Netflix needs to be active in that part of the community.
Then there’s the Oscar situation.
The Oscars are interesting. How that plays itself out will be interesting. The Oscars are the side conversation. The real situation is movie theaters. How do we keep that alive?
“Triple Frontier” is available to stream now on Netflix.
