new war movies ambush As for the nature of war, I think a lot. This is also true for many of the movie’s stars. ambush is now out in select theaters and digital outlets, with celebrities such as Conor Paolo (it first grabbed viewers’ attention with gossip girl), Aaron Eckhart and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Under the direction of Mark Earl Berman, ambush Make the reality of the war zone vivid to the viewer.of ambush, an American military unit was attacked at that post during the Vietnam War. Soldiers are forced to retreat underground, and fighting rages across the unit.
screen rant Talked to Paolo about the making ambushhis role in the film as Ackerman, and the film’s theme about the nature of war.
Connor Paolo in Ambush
Screen Rant: How did you get involved? ambush?
Conor Paolo: I had the script sent to me, and that was before the pandemic, so it was around the fall of 2019. I had never made a war film or anything like that during this period, and there were no films from Vietnam. I am drawn to the nihilism of the ending. The fact that there was a clear metaphor for the futility and confusion and meaninglessness of not only that war, but war in general. [In the film]literally everything was in vain, and they found themselves in exactly the same place they started, but worse, a very nice metaphor for war.
What can you share about meeting and working with Aaron Eckhart dark Knight fame ambush?
Connor Paolo: Well, I never met him. It was nice to be there, but we were filming elsewhere. His scenes were shot in Los Angeles and everything I did was done in Columbia. So, it was like a Zoom relationship, but it was a very impactful relationship.
Honestly, what was really cool for me was working with Jonathan Rhys Meyers again. We did a movie called Alexander together when I was probably 14, so it was really cool for me to come back and work with him again after all these years and he’s a really great guy.
What was your most memorable experience during the production of ambush?
Conor Paolo: So, I think there was some confusion and kind of despair that came from shooting a war movie on an independent budget. Half of the film took place underground and was shot entirely in a studio, but shooting in that cramped space presented a number of challenges.
Then, when we stepped out into the jungle, the pouring rain turned into soul-crushing heat in an instant, and the whole environment created the feeling that we had to do what we could. rice field. Things work the way we do” can only be akin to being in the field and scrapping in order to move forward just a little bit.
But the relationship has always been something that really stands out for me, and working with and being close to all the other soldiers on the film was a really great experience. , I remember all of us sitting down and actually discussing ideas for shooting those scenes. It’s always a really special experience to see it come together once shooting and editing are complete.
Were there any other big challenges in making it? ambush?
Connor Paolo: I think it’s the idea of scale and the idea of trying to accurately portray an overwhelming and oppressive environment. I don’t want to be redundant, but I work with limited extras to turn it into an invasion force with one, sometimes two cameras. Seeing a Steadicam operator trying to walk backwards through the mud of a trench with a camera on his shoulder, just seeing the technical difficulties experienced by the crew as actors, so much so There is no need to solve the practical problem of
The problem we have to solve is an emotional one, but in terms of actually getting the footage onto the screen, the crew is constantly putting out fires, literally and figuratively, and the sky is opening up and pouring down. increase. In the case of Mud, they have to understand, “How can we get this scene?” Rain or shine, the work we have to do doesn’t change much, just the challenge of dealing with the natural environment and the fact that the jungle doesn’t want humans there. .
You said the theme of the futility of war was what attracted you. ambushWhat other big themes do you think really stand out?
Connor Paolo: I think beyond futility. I think it’s a lack of meaning if possible. It’s a question of, “What have we actually achieved?” There are defensive wars and there are morally based wars, like World War II where something was achieved. But even in the most moral of wars – in modern history, I think most people rightfully refer to World War II – what you’ve actually achieved is the worst case scenario. You’re still worse off than if Hitler didn’t do Hitler’s s–t.
But with that comes the idea of meaning, and I think that soldiers and people who get caught in all sorts of terrible situations inevitably look for meaning. My character Ackerman has been working on this all the time and he sticks to the chain of command he’s been told to do it and there’s a moral hierarchy to it and I I will trust my boss.
For me, the character arc and the film arc is the realization that even the boss doesn’t really know what they’re doing, and that chain of command never ends. And in the end, they don’t really have a point of view, whether it’s the president, the money behind the president, or whatever the top of the chain is. , it’s certainly not this kind of grandiose ‘we’re doing this for the moral improvement of society’.
It’s petty or personal, like Vietnam, like, “How do you measure success?” Well, we measure it in body count. How many people did we kill today, and if we kill more people than we did yesterday, I think we’re winning… this thing, but was it worth it?” , I think the answer is no.
What other projects do you have planned after the release of ? ambush?
There is a movie called Connor Paolo: The Young Wife. I am very much looking forward. I believe this will premiere on South by Southwest on his March 12th. Then there’s a movie called A Creature Was Stirring, and I’m not sure of a release date for this movie, but I think it’s near the end of this year. I think all three are really good movies and I’m really looking forward to seeing them.
More about the ambush
A group of young elite troops, led by Captain Drummond, are tasked with gathering highly sensitive information that could change the fate of a war.
check out our other ambush Interview with Director Mark Earl Berman.
ambush Now in select theaters and available on digital platforms.
