EXCLUSIVE: Interview With ‘Swelter’ Director Keith Parmer

By The_Night_Rider on April 30, 2014@manlymovie

Since Swelter (2014) had its premiere screening in Los Angeles a few days ago, ManlyMovie caught up with director Keith Parmer to discuss the movie, his thoughts on Van Damme, shaking-cam in movies and more. We’re also including a few new pictures. So let’s get to it!

ManlyMovie: This movie sold out quite quickly among distributors, were you expecting that?

Keith Parmer: It may have surprised some people but I wasn’t surprised. I knew we had a good movie and we had a great cast but my goal is to make the best movie possible. A movie people will be engaged by and enjoy. I think it speaks for itself that in this market “Swelter” did so well at AFM and that is exciting. You always want your movie to be seen by the most people possible but there is a lot that happens between the making of a movie and when the people get to see it. “Swelter” deserves to be seen, but when and where is out of my control.

MM: It looks like it’ll almost be a throwback to old ’70s thrillers, perhaps along the lines of Charlie Varrick or even something Walter Hill would’ve climbed aboard?

KP: “Swelter” is definitely a nod to the western, and to movies like Charlie Varrick but with my twist. I grew up watching Don Siegel and Walter Hill movies and though I don’t consciously set out to emulate any movie, I do want to bring to my movies what is best about what these and others of that era brought to their movies. Good story, good script, solid acting and action. In that order. Today I see a lot of movies that seem to forget the first three. There is no reason an exciting movie with lots of action can’t also be well made and well acted. “Die Hard” did it. “Aliens” did it. “48 Hours” did it and like “Die Hard”, threw in a little humor. Everything Sergio Leone did had it all. Having said that though it is a different audience now and you can’t make “Once Upon A Time In the West” now and make it relevant to a 2014 audience. What I try to do is take from movies like these and many others what is the essences of what makes all of us want to plot down our $12 and sit in the dark to become part of a different world for 2 hours. (or in the case of Sergio’s movies 3). Good story, good script, solid acting and action. It is very difficult to bring a movie from conception to the screen. Why wouldn’t you want to take the time and care to make sure you have all of the elements to at least stack the deck in your favor? I am glad to see that there is a promising new trend with the big movies like “The Avengers” and the new “Captain America” to bring back great story telling and acting to the big action sequences we all love.

MM: It looks like we’re going to be seeing a different side to Van Damme…

KP: Yes, it is different for JC. It may surprise some people but it didn’t surprise me. When we were casting “Swelter” I was looking for an actor that could bring the depth I needed to Stillman, a very pivotal character in the story. Stillman is a tough guy but he is flawed, a man looking for a second chance. He is really the conscience of the movie. I took a look at some of JC’s past work, including JCVD, and saw an actor, not just a martial arts master (that is obvious). What I saw was someone that, given the opportunity, did the work and really connected to the character he was playing. Look, we already had Alfred Molina and Lennie James attached, two of the best actors working, before we approached JC for Stillman and we were looking at other very well respected actors for the part. I would not have cast Jean-Claude Van Damme if I didn’t know how good he would be in “Swelter” and that he would be a good fit with an ensemble cast of amazing actors that includes; Grant Bowler, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Josh Henderson, Daniele Favilli, Freya Tingley, Wanda Colón and Arie Verveen. Casting is everything to me. I believe and have been told on several occasions that JC gives one of his best performances in “Swelter”.

MM: Any plans to work with him again?

KP: Yes. During a break I mention another script I was working on, “Remember Paris”. When we wrapped “Swelter” JC asked me to tell him more about the project and he really liked it. He really likes what we did together in “Swelter” and “Remember Paris” will take the collaboration to the next level. JC will play a French Inspector investigating a murder with international implications where nothing is what it seems. Another meaty role that will firmly establish Jean-Claude Van Damme as a seasoned actor. I will also be giving his fans a little more action in this one. I will be in Paris right after Cannes this year scouting locations.

MM: Even though it’s a modern western I’m sure there’d be an action sequence here or there… you’re not one of these shaking-cam guys are you?

KP: These days you have to give a modern audience a faster paced movie but I really wanted the vibe of a western. The movie is an homage to Sergio Leone and other Spaghetti westerns but “Swelter” is unique. We have some great sequences; classic gunfights, barroom brawls, etc. but it was important they stay within the framework of the story. It was important that the action sequences support the themes and not be action for the sake of action. For the Las Vegas sequence we did give it a definite look to distinguish it from the rest of the movie because it is all from the perspective of Lennie’s character who has only fragment memories of his past. But having said that I am NOT a fan of shaky-cam and neither is my DP Michael Mayers. The camera is there to support the story not to invade the story.

MM: Is shooting on location, i.e. America, when the story was originally set there, all that important? As opposed to heading to Bulgaria or somewhere.

KP: For “Swelter”, yes location was important but it did not necessarily have to be California. Though ironically most of our cast is European, Australian/New Zealand or Columbian, the story is very American – it is a western. I am not opposed to shooting wherever the budget dictates as long as it serves the story. We wanted to shoot in California because that is where it is set but Leone shot his westerns in Spain so really its all about what ends up on the screen to me. Louisiana and Bulgaria weren’t really an option for us on this one but I’m open to shooting anywhere that serves the look of the movie. The next one will probably be Paris and Serbia or Hungary.

MM: Finally, what’s next on your creative agenda?

KP: As I mentioned “Remember Paris” is already moving. And my producing partners, Eleonore Dailly, Daniele Favilli and I have several other things in the works; “The Magnificents”, set in Florence during the Renaissance when the artists were rockstars as famous and decadent as the Stones in the ’70s has gotten a lot of interest, “The Bone Merchant” is a gothic tale – the untold story about the events that inspired Mary Shelley to write “Frankenstein” and “Bondage”, a dark thriller framed in the New York financial scene, are all on the near horizon. I have lots of stories to tell so I have no intention of slowing down.

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