This week the film “Agent Recon” will be released, which stars Chuck Norris, Marc Singer and Derek Tin (who also wrote and directed the film). If you didn't know, this is the third film in the franchise, which started with The Agent (2017) and then Apocalypse Agent (2021). theActionElite's Eoin Friel spoke to Derek Tin about the franchise.
You wrote, directed and starred in “Intelligence Agent,” the third film in the franchise. Where did the idea for this series come from?
Thanks a lot. I'm very glad that you watched all three films. It all started very modestly. I've always wanted to make action films. This has been my passion since childhood. I grew up watching movies Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme и Bruce Lee. Of course, and with Chuck Norris. Before this, I made two films that were story and character focused. So I decided that the next step would be a genre that I love. The idea came to me when I was in Arizona and a friend took me to the desert where we shot guns. And I thought: “This is a great place, but what if we were stuck here?“The idea went from there. There were many versions, but in the end I decided that adding a sci-fi element would give the story an edge. Thus was born “Intelligence Agent“; it was simply called “Agent“, and we went to the desert with a very small budget to make the film. It came out on Hulu. After that we got some fame. And I thought: “So now what? What we can do? How to continue the story?“This is how it appeared”Agent Revelation“, the script for which I wrote. Starred in it Michael Dorn, and the movie did well and was shown on Showtime. It's available now on Paramount and here we are with “Agent Recon” and participation Chuck Norris и Mark Singer. It was a process of developing my skills as a director and actor. It all started with an idea, but I received support from different quarters. It was creating what I love about cinema, with the opportunity to invent a new world. I was very lucky. I wanted to make something from scratch and tell a good story because honestly, I've been watching a lot of content lately but it just doesn't interest me. It's like my way of saying: “Hey, that's what I want to see“. I want to see new worlds. I love zombie movies, but they need new rules. How to make them different? I love action movies and martial arts. How to make them unique and original?
All three films are different from anything I've seen. It's something fresh and new. This isn't a superhero movie... or is it?
Yes and no, right? Of course, Jim's character is very slow to unlock his powers, but I'll tell you something.
I've never told this story, but I'm Asian and I know I'll probably never get the chance to play Superman. But James Gunn, or whoever, if you're listening, Superman is my favorite superhero. Why? Because he has all the abilities. How to make this guy interesting? I think a lot of that comes from Jim. He is an orphan. He discovers himself and his abilities. He finds out all this and tries to figure it out. How does he deal with this? How does he cope with his powers? I think that's what keeps me interested: how does he deal with these situations? Because at the end of the day, when you watch movies, you might think, “How is this guy going to get out of this?” If I'm not creating it in the story, then why am I watching? I know what will happen; this guy is going to fight the villain and that's it.
Going back to the first film, The Agent has probably one of the best stunts I've seen in a while. A soldier falls on a rock during a firefight. He is OK? [laughs]
[laughs] Oh, Tim Harris was my stunt coordinator. IN "Agent” we had the smallest budget, but the story is that I went to ActionFactory. Most people probably don't know who Action Factory is, but they are the ones setting people on fire, just like at Universal Studios. During "Daredevils“they set my friend on fire Peter Shinkoda. Not him, of course, but one of the stuntmen. It's them. My current stunt coordinator, Joe Fiedler, worked on “Punisher“. I like these kinds of action movies, so I turned to Tim and said: “Listen, I've already made two films, I want to make action films.“. A lot of people thought I was crazy because action films are difficult to make, especially on a tight budget. But Joe Ross, one of the stuntmen and owners of Action Factory, said: “We started making videos with this guy on YouTube and it turned out to be amazing; we just started helping him. Then it became the next big thing and it grew and grew. I like what you do; we will help you“. Then they all connected. All the action scenes, as you know, are in the last third of the film, so we put everything there. Tim has been all over the world, like Bulgaria for Halo, but in this movie he's that same soldier. He said: "Oh, I found this stone. I'll split it and then fall here“. And I asked: “It's safe?” He replied: "Yes, everything is fine. Everything is fine“. Then he put some pillows and did it. It was amazing to work with him.
Anthony O dubbed me, and I enjoy watching his career. He doubled for me in that film; V "Agent Recon” - No. Now I do a lot of these tricks myself. But Anthony O worked on “John Wick 4“, dubbed Keanu. He was just starting out at the time, and they came up with this stunt where my character gets beaten up and dragged through the desert. They came up with this idea. Tim just showed me how he drives a giant nail into the ground and attaches a rope from it to his truck. He said: "When he gets hit, I'll go and drag Anthony” .
This is amazing.
Yes, very cool. The point is that they have fun experimenting. So I give people who are heroes the opportunity to lead. If they have fun and contribute creatively, that's great. I think many of us do this precisely for the sake of the creative contribution, and not for the difficulty and suffering. It works well and that's why we've already made three films with the same people. The best in the industry.
You brought the legend Chuck Norris back from retirement. How did you do it and what is it like to work with him?
Just a blessing. I'm told Chuck read the script. They showed it to him on a laptop on a flight from Hawaii, and he didn't look up from the script for five hours. At the end he said: “We should make this movie“. His wife, by the way, is amazing, said: “I want you to know that Chuck doesn't leave the ranch very often.“. I was simply amazed. Sometimes I, like the character Jim, think: “Why me? I always feel like I'm nothing special, but maybe through hard work and determination I'm still in the game.” [laughs]
The thing is, if you decide to bring Chuck Norris back out of retirement, you have to do something really cool, and you did it. You embodied everything I wanted to see from Chuck Norris. He beats people up and shoots various weapons.
Thank you. It means a lot to me, especially when it comes from you, because I'm an action fan myself and read your stuff too, by the way. So, I'm also a fan. I love the action fan community. I love stuntmen, I grew up watching action films like this one. Stallone и Schwarzenegger. These are exactly the films I went to the cinema for, and everything on VHS. Certainly, "Silent Anger” with Chuck Norris is one of my favorite movies, as well as “Octagon“. So it means a lot to me. We know he's not in his prime, right? But he comes back with my help, and I wanted to really show different aspects of his personality. I had my own ideas of what I'd like to see if Chuck Norris came back for me (which he did), and that's what I'd like to see happen as an action movie fan. This is, in general, the answer. But on top of that, in a discussion with Dakota [Chuck's son], who directed his fight scenes, he said, “Hey, if we do it, then we'll do it“. So, Dakota so kindly asked: “I staged something for my father; do you mind if I show this to you?“Of course I said: “Yes, absolutely“. So he sent me a whole preview video and I was like, “Oh, this is so great. We have to make it happen” .
After that we started working together; I linked him to Joe Fiedler, which is simply amazing, and the whole stunt team. We integrated it into the film. I wanted to do some things, obviously, I wanted to give him the biggest machine gun there is [laughter]. But of course I wanted him to kick ass, basically. This is what I was looking for and hearing this from you means a lot to me.
But he's not the only cool guy in this movie. You too; What was your training regime to prepare for the role?
Oh yeah, sure, we don't have a huge budget, so we don't do extensive pre-visualization. Sometimes I don't even know what kind of stuntmen I can get; I have a core team because they are in high demand, especially in California. These are the best guys who really know their stuff. We were lucky to be attracted Nathan People, who starred in many projects, and Joe came to me. So I was very lucky.
But this is how I train, considering that I have many responsibilities. I do a lot of bodyweight exercises, like now, for example, I did pull-ups. I do push-ups. The way I approach it is that I don't try to train three times a day. I think this is quite excessive. But of course I'm learning; I do a lot of studying. I started tang soo do, which is funny. This is the original martial art of Chuck Norris, right? Then I did Hunggar Kung Fu, then Taekwondo. I did that and later, because I'm based in Hong Kong, I did Muay Thai. That's where I think I developed my power and more of the punching skills that we see in “Intelligence agent“. I wanted to demonstrate boxing. One aspect of boxing is that people don't realize how much of a chess game it is. There is a key fight scene where we see some slipping and so on. I started with this, so I'm just trying to keep myself in shape. I'm not trying to do anything crazy. I think I started lifting weights earlier because Schwarzenegger, but realized that without any “improvements” I would never become big. So, I focused on mobility. I can go on and on about health and fitness [laughter]; but it's hard 12 hour days and then I have to go out and do all these moves and so on. It's just terrible how tired I am.
And you try not to look exhausted on camera [laughs]…
Yes. This is what I learned in Agent of the Apocalypse; there are a few takes where I thought I was too far away from the shot. So, one of the guys swung an ax at me, and I, trying to make the scene realistic, came too close and received a strong blow to the head. But what's also important is the reaction and the emotion on the face, which I think is key for fight scenes. I hope viewers will notice this in “Agent Recon“; I'm still learning, I think I'm getting better, but those are the aspects that I try to bring to the film. Since I do my own stunts, the audience can see my tension and effort, unlike actors who are mostly doubled by stuntmen, and then it is not visible. When I watch movies, it takes me out of the character. I think: "Oh it's not the same person“ when they return to the screen, so...
I really liked the soundtrack to the film. How did you work with composer Adam Bosarge to create the right musical atmosphere for the film?
Yes, I think the soundtrack is amazing. He is very energizing. It was interesting. He was recommended by the executive producer Larry Greenberg, who was a great partner. He has been in this business for a long time and knows cinema. He said: "Adam is really cool“. I think Adam worked on two films with Neil LaBute and really brought a lot to them through music. I listened to his work and wasn't sure because he hadn't done action music before, but he and I got along great. The only directions I gave him were references to films I had seen. But I said: “There's something missing when I listen to music in films; I want her to excite me. I want to feel her as much as possible“. These were the only instructions: I gave him films that I liked and told him that if the music did not evoke emotions and energize him, then something was wrong.
One of the topics we discussed was: “How to remain original in this day and age?“You know that you are competing. You hear music from Nolan films, and suddenly everyone has copies of it. Sometimes I did that too. But I said: “In this movie we want to be original with the music, so you really have to put your stamp on it.“. And I think he did it; I listened and said: “I have no comments. It's amazing” .
What is your screenwriting process? Where do you start?
I usually have an idea and I think about it until I decide I don't like it, then I throw it away. I have a long list of such ideas. In this case, I went back to what I would like to see in films. I had more time, especially towards the end of the pandemic. I could think more deeply about who I am as a director. What do I want to do? What is my style and tone? I returned to the greats: “What did James Cameron do in 'Terminator'? What was he doing in Aliens? What about John McTiernan?“I really studied their narrative structures. Then I made it mine and introduced the world I created with its rules. I think the key aspect of a story is character development, character exploration. I don't know if you'll agree, but I'm not the main character. I am the link, but Mark Singer really more like the main character, and I wrote the film more for him.
Yes, as you said, you are the link.
Thank you. Yes. This is what the main character does: listens, reacts and makes decisions. In my journey as a creator, sometimes I get so carried away; sometimes you want to do everything yourself, but giving a lot of dramatic moments to other characters really enriches the whole story. So yes, this is more my development. Because initially I was focused on one arc, one character. And if you're a director, I think that's the way to start, especially when writing a script. Don't try to do multi-character/multi-arc stories as recommended Robert Mackie. But in this case, we have multiple characters with multiple arcs, all doing things, changing aspects and moving at the same time. I think I can do it much better now.
Can we expect a fourth part? And do you know how Jim's story ends?
Yes, yes, it is written. I think there are a lot of possibilities for exploration and new missions. It would be fun, but I know where the character is going. I like to joke about a TV series or some kind of episodic project that can explore different characters, because there are a lot of possibilities. But I know exactly how Jim's story will end. This will be a fun movie. Let me tell you, if you liked this movie, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what I can do. I promise you this.
How do you want the film to resonate with audiences?
I would definitely like families to enjoy it. I think that Chuck Norris и Mark Singer are real heroes and legends in the film industry. These are people worth celebrating. My message to anyone who has enjoyed these action movies they've created is this is a chance to see them in action, see how cool they are, and watch the movie with your kid, a friend, or whoever you talk about action movies with all the time. I think that's what I wanted to do with the film - for people to see them in action and feel like I did them justice; to make them feel good about the opportunity I had. I put everything – my mind, body, soul, all my energy – into making sure that I give back more than they gave to me, which is a very high bar. Because they did such a wonderful job.
Thank you very much for the conversation and all the best with the film.
Thank you very much.
“Intelligence Agent” will be available online June 21, 2024
Source: theActionElite
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Tags: Agent, Agent Recon, Agent Revelation, Derek Tin, Joe Fiedler, Michael Dorn, Mark Singer, Nathan People, Tim Harris, Chuck Norris, Anthony O
Tags: Agent, Agent Recon, Agent Revelation, Derek Tin, Joe Fiedler, Michael Dorn, Mark Singer, Nathan People, Tim Harris, Chuck Norris, Anthony O
Complete crap, not a movie. The previous two are much better.
Damn, that looks pretty good. I'll have to take note. Thanks.
I don't know why they do this... Even in their younger years, films like this were perceived...
Shannon Lanier. The answer to Nevsky was thoughtfully added at the end of the text.)