Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Darkness of Man, exclusive, interview, James Cullen Bressack, jean claude van damme, Kristanna Loken, Saban Films, Sticky Fingas

Darkness of Man Director James Cullen Bressack on JVCD Noir Thriller

James Cullen Bressack (Fortress) spoke to Bleeding Cool about his Saban Films noir thriller Darkness of Man, Jean-Claude Van Damme & more.

James Cullen Bressack has been a lifelong film fan fine-tuning his craft on the shorts scene before his directorial theatrical debut in My Pure Joy (2011). He's since regularly worked in a variety of genres, from action, horror, and thrillers, including Blood Craft (2019), Fortress (2021), and Hot Seat (2022). His latest is Saban Films' noir thriller Darkness of Man, which follows the story of Russell Hatch (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a washed-up, former Interpol operative who vowed to protect the son (Emerson Min) of an informant killed years earlier in a raid gone wrong. When merciless street gangs start an all-out turf war, and the kid is caught in the middle, Hatch will stop at nothing to keep him safe and fight anyone who gets in his way. Bressack spoke to Bleeding Cool about his inspiration behind the film, working with Van Damme, casting, action presence, and more.

Darkness of Man: Building the Jean-Claude Van Damme Contemporary Noir Thriller

Bleeding Cool: What's the inspiration behind 'Darkness of Man?'
I grew up on a ton of noir films, like Casablanca (1942), The Third Man (1949), and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and I wanted to make a noir hybrid action movie. That was the precipice of the idea, so we started talking to JC, and it all evolved.

What part of the creative process did JC contribute to, and what was Alethea's [Hnatko-Cho] part in writing the script?
Alethea was heavily involved, and she wrote a large portion of this. She and I worked together in tandem. Alethea not only lives in Korea but also lived in K-Town when she was living in Los Angeles. That's how I knew her when she lived out here. Working with her, she brought the Korean side of the film, which is a large portion of the movie. She and I work heavily there. JC got involved and was specific about how he wanted his character to evolve as the story progressed, and we dug deep into that. The original conversation with JC was like, "Hey, are you down to play a character that is playing his age? Like, you're not a one-man killing machine, like this is like a tired, older version of your alcoholic, flawed hero. Are you down for this?" He was game, and we were excited.

Was it always set as a contemporary piece, or were there different decades that you're maybe playing around with?
It was always set now, but there was a point where we played around with whether he should have a…I was working with wardrobe, trying to find a new-age version of having one of those old-school detective hats and asking, "How do I have that?" It looked too silly in the world with the other people dressing that way. We tried that out, but it didn't work. We always kept it this decade.

Were there any external inspirations as far as helping to mold what the script ended up being?
I was heavily influenced by some of my favorite movies, such as Sin City (2005), Oldboy (2003) by Park Chan-wook, The Maltese Falcon (1941), and the video game series Max Payne. I love those games. Looking at my mood board for this, you would see that I was pulling images from everything I grew up on and loved. This type of storytelling spoke to me.

You have an interesting cast to complement JC, casting Kristanna Loken, Shannen Doherty, and Sticky Fingas. How did the process come about? Was there an audition process, or did you cast someone you know?
I'm sure people would kill me for saying this, but I'm sure actors love it. I don't believe in auditions, per se. I grew up watching films, and as a fan, I like casting people from the movies and TV shows I watch. I cast accordingly, and a lot of it has to do with who I've worked with before, like Shannen Doherty, for instance, who I've worked with many times, and Zach Ward, too. Spencer Breslin, who was in there, this was our second time working together. I cast many who I've worked with in the past, and from there, expand into new people that are exciting for me, like Sticky Fingas. I thought it was awesome because I'm also a big fan of Onyx. I thought he was excellent in many of the projects I've seen him in, especially 'The Blade' TV series.

You have some notable names with credibility in the action world, like Loken, but her character Claire is more emotional support for JC's character, Russell Hatch. You also have Cynthia Rothrock in a cameo role. Given their history in the genre, was it difficult to put them in more subdued roles?
Cynthia Rothrock was a fun cameo I threw in there. I thought it would be cool to have her in a movie with JC, but there was never an intention of having her fight. I told her that from the beginning, it's a small cameo, but I think this is very much the narrative of JC's character, and we're following him. The violence is focused on his character and what he's experiencing, so a lot of the other good guys are not involved in the action sequences. If there's a part two, fingers crossed, maybe we'll see Kristanna or Sticky kicking some ass. He's in a bit of action in the beginning, but we might see them doing more if there's a part two.

Can you tell me about Emerson [Min], Peter [Jae], and Ji [Yong Lee], their contributions to the film, and their performances?
All of them gave amazing performances. Emerson is such a talented young actor. Peter Jae is amazing. He was the lead of the movie I wrapped recently, 'The Workout,' which we're in post-production on, and he's a fantastic actor. I cast him off of watching some movies and reached out to him through a friend. I had never met him before, and I was like, "Hey, do you want to play this character in a Van Damme movie?" He told the story that when he got that phone call, he thought he was being pranked because it was so random. He was like, "Hey, directors don't do that," but I was like, "No, I'm serious." I met him, and he's like, "This is a real movie. You're trying to just cast me in this without an audition?" I was like, "Yes, I've seen your work. I want you to be in this." He was excited, and he's a talented actor. Ji is amazing, and he was great in the movie 'The Valet' (2022), which I watched on Hulu. He's a super-talented actor and a kind of soul.

Kristanna mentioned her creative input for Claire, and you mentioned JC's input for Russell. Did other actors have as much autonomy and flexibility with their characters?
The film is a living, breathing thing as a collaborative medium. I collaborate with my actors heavily. Kristanna and I worked heavily on Claire's role to make her a full, well-rounded person. Whenever I'm working with any actor, I take my ideas about the character; they take their ideas, and we throw them at the canvas and whatever works for both of us. We paint the picture of who that person is, and it's collaborative. Although I wrote this with Alethea, I've been involved with the cast, trying to find the characters as a blueprint, then building from there to make it a full and rounded person with the actor.

What's been the most difficult part of the execution process while filming for you?
Every part of filming is difficult, but at the end of the day, we get to play pretend for a living, and it's so much fun. It's one of those "pinch me" moments when you're on set. You see a car flip, and you're like, "Wow!" This is what we're doing. This is wild. I would say that a wonderful, talented cast and crew surround me. Although there are challenges, everybody on set makes every day a blessing.

Was there a particular sequence you're proudest of in the film?
One of my favorite sequences in the movie is the fight outside the car. That's circling the vehicle because we spent a lot of time building a specific rig and hollowing out the inside of the vehicle to make the rig go back and forth so we could do these long takes as they circle the car and fight. The inspiration for that was 'Children of Men' (2006). That's one of those sequences I'm proud of and enjoyed. Also, the scene with Zack Ward in the middle of the streets with a sniper rifle is another one I enjoyed.

Darkness of Man is available on digital.

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