David Frigerio, the co-writer and producer of âLand of Bad,â had a simple directive while making the film: Create a ânon-political, straightforward, kick-ass action film.â
And with to the film overperforming at the box office, mission accomplished.
âLand of Badâ treats American soldiers with the respect theyâve earned but doesnât idolize them. Itâs not a rah-rah slice of jingo pie.
âLand of Badâ had little marketing muscle behind it, but it cracked the box office top 10 in its opening week on just 1,000-plus screens. Thatâs roughly a third to a fourth of what most wide-release movies receive.
âItâs the little engine that could,â Frigerio tells Align, adding that the movie had the third-highest per-screen average in its debut.
Liam Hemsworth stars as a raw joint terminal attack controller fighting for his life after a rescue mission goes awry in southwest Philippines. The film showcases the latest military techniques, including a drone steered by Oscar winner Russell Crowe as Reaper, the filmâs grouchiest character.
No woke lectures. Just four soldiers bravely going behind enemy lines to retrieve an asset (along with some good-natured ribbing aimed at vegans).
The inspiration behind âLand of Badâ dates back to 2013. Frigerio and his producing partners became fascinated by the work JTACs do in combat situations, coordinating drone strikes and the proverbial eyes in the sky to complete dangerous missions.
Frigerio and his team worked extensively with military veterans to develop the characters and fact-check story elements, a collaboration that began early in the filmmaking process.
A real-life JTAC reached out to Frigerio after word leaked about the screenplay, starting an extended exchange between storytellers and military veterans. The screenwriter drove out to Fort Irwin military base the next day and spent three days âas a fly on the wall,â learning how to âblow stuff up,â as he calls it, at a military base.
The veterans shared their war stories and the traumas they experienced.
âTheyâre still salt-of-the-earth guys. That surprised me,â he says. âGetting their stories helped with the tone of the film.â
Having soldiers on speed-dial while writing the script ensured its authenticity. It also flavored the filmâs cheeky sense of humor and brotherhood. Hemsworth co-stars with his brother, Luke Hemsworth, plus âThis Is Usâ alum Milo Ventimiglia and Ricky Whittle.
Frigerio peppers the conversation with the word âcoolâ about both the film and the Queensland, Australia, shoot. The team had roughly $20 million to work with, a solid sum for an indie film but a fraction of what studios dole out for their projects.
Having an Oscar winner on board? Priceless.
Crowe stepped onto the set and said he saw his character, nicknamed Reaper, as âHawkeye Pierce from âM*A*S*H*.â I got chills,â Frigerio says. The actor helped rewrite scenes on the fly, improved lines that made the final cut, and fully committed to the project.
âHeâs a master,â the producer says.
âLand of Badâ treats American soldiers with the respect theyâve earned but doesnât idolize them. Itâs not a rah-rah slice of jingo pie.
âWe wanted to pay as much respect to the military as possible,â Frigerio says. That also meant honest depictions of frustrating military bureaucracy as well as clashing egos.
It wasnât long ago that Hollywood cranked out one anti-military drama after the other. âLions for Lambs,â âRedacted,â âRendition,â and âGreen Zoneâ cast a withering light on soldiers, the Bush administrationâs War on Terror, or both.
They all bombed at the box office.
Since then, the industry has shown more empathy for U.S. soldiers, from the Oscar-nominated âAmerican Sniperâ (2014) and âLone Survivorâ (2013) to the underrated âThank You for Your Serviceâ(2017) starring Miles Teller as a veteran suffering from PTSD.
Frigerio acknowledges a distinct change in movies made about the U.S. military over that span, and âLand of Badâ does nothing to interrupt that trend. Nor did the filmmakers receive any studio notes or imperatives to steer the film in one direction or another.
âItâs the film we wrote 11 years ago. We were always tinkering with it. ⦠This is our movie,â he says. âWe werenât influenced by any corporation or studio.â
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