First name Phillipa Rea strongly associated with the film cycle"The best of the best". The first film based on facts from the biography of himself Ri, released in 1989. The cycle ended in 1998 with the fourth part “Best of the Best: Without Warning" Ever since then Ri has been somewhat mysteriously absent from the world of show business and martial arts. But now he returns in several guises at once: as a screenwriter, director, producer and actor - in the new film “Unlucky", out on home video July 7. Ri, one of the most underrated actors in the action genre, kindly took the time for an interview in which he talked about his career and new plans.
- Phillip, I must admit, I have been your fan for a long time. I've seen all your films, including even the low-budget Rabid, in which you starred with your brother Simon.
- (Laughter) This is impressive. Thank you, David.
- Glad that you are finally returning with your new film. We have been waiting for this for more than fifteen years. Your previous film was “Best of the Best 4,” which came out back in 1998! Tell me, what have you been doing all these years?
- I became interested in new technologies. Along with the former president of Warner Bros. we created a company to convert films into 3D format. That's what I did, but martial arts has always been my passion, I've long wanted to return to my roots.
- Your directorial debut was “Best of the Best 3”, you also directed “Best of the Best 4”. And in the new film you appear in several roles at once: as an actor, director, screenwriter and producer. However, you were a screenwriter from the very beginning. Tell us a little about your role in the production of the films you starred in.
- When I did "Best of the Best 3" for the Weinstein Brothers, they liked my work. They wanted me to make a fourth film, but I had no script, no ideas, nothing. In general, they said: “You write, direct, act - and we will write you a check.” It was a definite experience, I realized that whatever you do, you need to do it from the heart, you can’t let money decide. The first three Best of the Best films were made from the heart. On the fourth film I chose money. It wasn't very good creatively; I could do better. Funnily enough, though, someone recently sent me a list of the 15 most impressive sports movies, and “Best of the Best” was included.
- I would put “Best of the Best” next to “Rocky”. I guess he's good enough.
- That film was made from the heart. Its plot is based on my personal experience of participating in a tournament against the Korean team in 1980.
- Tell me what inspired you to create the film “The Losers.”
- I wanted to make this film because it is a story about what unites families. The events take place in difficult times: parents lost their jobs, the car was taken away for debts. But here's what I wanted to say with this film: life can be difficult, but you shouldn't give up. I grew up watching movies like Rocky, movies that really inspired people. Now there are no such films. Now the screens are full of special effects and explosions, but there are no films for the family. There are cartoons for children, but there is a lack of real family cinema. That's why I started writing the script for The Losers. It's like "The Best of the Best", only about children.
- Why didn’t you call the film “The Best of the Best 5” then?
- Because there is an intention to make a remake of “The Best of the Best.” You are the first to know about this. We are going to reboot the entire film series with a new cast. I have ideas... I'm going to bring new elements to the movie that no one has seen before. I will produce this movie.
- You haven’t made a family movie before. Currently, teenagers make up the bulk of the audience for big-budget blockbusters such as Transformers or The Avengers. Do you think a movie like The Losers will be able to appeal to today's audiences?
- Yes of course. A good movie will always find its audience. When "Best of the Best" came out, it was a phenomenal success thanks to word of mouth. People like Chuck Liddell, the UFC champion, call this movie his favorite. I believe The Losers will be able to repeat this success. This film was made from the heart. And he's funny. I've already shown The Losers to kids and they laughed like crazy. And it can bring tears - not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. It is the greatest achievement of a filmmaker when he evokes such a strong emotional response in his audience that they are ready to cry. Making the audience cry with grief is a cheap trick. Making you cry with joy is a real achievement. “The Losers” is just such a movie. And “The Best of the Best” - what sets it apart from many other action films, what still captivates fans of the film - is the final scene, remember? Tough guys who cry. Not from grief, but from overwhelming joy. Not an easy task for the filmmaker.
- Have you seen the film “Red Belt”?
- Yes. It was directed by David Mamet. I like it.
- I want to ask you about working together with your brother Simon Rea and James Liu, with whom you have been collaborating since the filming of “Mad” and “L.A. Fighters.” Tell us about it.
- James was the director of the second group on “The Losers”, he also choreographed all the fights. My brother Simon worked on the film as a consultant. Simon also recently took part in the filming of the new Terminator. I appreciate both of them very much. It is very important to maintain good relationships with loved ones. There are already a lot of fake friends. People like James and Simon…. We have been through a lot over the years, we have always supported each other. Over the years, we have helped many people break through, helped them become real movie stars or fight choreographers. And good deeds always pay off handsomely.
- I’ve long wanted to ask you or Simon about the film “Mad,” which I saw many years ago. Simon played the lead role there, you had the role of the bad guy. It's strange that later you came to the fore and began to play the roles of good characters, while Simon preferred to work mainly behind the scenes as a fight director. How did this happen? Maybe once upon a time it seemed to you two that Simon should become a movie star, and you were destined for supporting roles? But things turned out differently for both of you.
- The thing is... my brother is truly talented. He earned a reputation as an excellent stuntman and fight choreographer. And I have always preferred the creative side of the process and everything related to filmmaking, from developing concepts to finding financing. But, in my opinion, my brother is much more successful than me. He's a very busy man these days, working on a Marvel movie... and doing a great job. I'm very happy for him. As for me: developing a project is a long process. You write a script, then you rewrite it. You need to put all the elements together, then you need to find the money to implement your plans. Sometimes this can drag on for years.
- Have you been offered other roles besides the “Best of the Best” series? After all, the breaks between films ranged from two to four years.
- There were three offers from Warner Brothers. I had a project called Kato, and Oliver Stone introduced me to the film studio. We made an agreement. But working in the studio system is a very tough process. The production dragged on for several years, and eventually, as a result of all the shuffling of studio plans, I dropped out of the process. There was another project, for Village Roadshow, with the executive producer of the movie "Rocky". And another one with Babalu Mandel, the author of the screenplay for “City Slickers.” Basically, I had a contract to produce three films for a total of $9 million. Then Village Roadshow changed management, and at one point we were left with nothing. That's what this business is like. There were other offers, but they were all bad guy roles. In principle, I don't mind playing a villain, it's just that none of those films were of interest to me.
- Can you tell me something else about the film “Losers”?
- This is a movie that can interest both children and adults. The movie is about how to conquer your fears. As I already said, this movie is about never giving up. A lesson that could be of interest to any of us.
- Phillip, what would you say to your fans?
- Wait for my new films!
Source: The Action Elite
Translation: strom
Video interview with Phillip Rea 08.06.2015/XNUMX/XNUMX
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Tags: Mad, James Lew, The best of the best, Simon Rea, Phillip Rea
Tags: Mad, James Lew, The best of the best, Simon Rea, Phillip Rea
Well done, guys, you were honored with the translation)
Here's an HOUR long video interview with Ri!
Post it in a separate topic, at least without translation, it deserves attention
Or under a text interview for The Action Elite
Added to the publication. I doubt that anyone will undertake to translate it...
Thank you very much for the translation. It was very interesting to read. Now I’ll definitely watch Losers. It’s a pity that there were no questions about modern fighters (Iko, Tony) and how he feels about them. Or about that boom in the 85-95s in this genre. When a dozen great, cult films were released every year.
Since Ree is returning to business, I think there will be more than one interview and there will be enough questions for him. Who knows, maybe he will load these actors into the “Best of the Best” category.
barsug,
Let's hope. It will certainly be interesting to see what Rea is up to with his franchise.