Wild Card (2015)
Wild Card is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Anne Heche, and Sofia Vergara. Based on the 1985 novel Heat by William Goldman, it is a remake of the 1986 adaptation that starred Burt Reynolds. The film was released in the United States on January 30, 2015 in a limited release and through video on demand.
Plot.
Nick Wild is a recovering gambling addict who takes odd jobs in Las Vegas as a “chaperone” (his version of a bodyguard) to support his addiction. After helping a client impress a girl, he accepts a proposition from a young man, Cyrus Kinnick, to show him around Vegas and provide protection while he gambles. While eating at a diner, Nick’s waitress friend Roxy hands him a message from a woman he knows, Holly, who wants him to stop by her house. Holly, a professional escort, explains she had a date the previous night at the Golden Nugget.
Afterward, she was raped and beaten by three unknown folks in their hotel room. Holly asks Nick to find out who they are so that she can sue them.
Nick discovers that the one who is responsible for raping Holly is Danny DeMarco, a gangster, who had two of his thugs dump her in a hospital car park. Nick goes to the hotel to confront DeMarco and a confrontation develops, resulting in Nick overpowering DeMarco and his men, who are tied up. Nick calls Holly, who contemplates castrating DeMarco, who then breaks down and begs her forgiveness. Holly decides to just take the $50,000 from DeMarco’s desk and leaves.
Filming.
Filming began in early 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The principal photography began in February 2013. Simon West said the three fights were “character driven”. each one of the action moments is character-driven, so you’re right, it builds up. So when it does explode, it’s exploding for the right reason. The first one, he’s getting back into his old skills – precision fighting. The only way he’s going to get out alive is by relying on his old skills. And he’s a master of that. The second fight explodes out of anger, and it’s really anger at himself for going back to being a gambling addict. They’re character-driven fights. Whereas traditionally in action films, they’re light relief – they’re almost commercial breaks in the story. These ones come out of the situation his character’s in, not just that he’s in jeopardy and has to fight his way out of it – they’re emotional fights.RELATED:
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