Shane Black’s name is synonymous with some of the most macho films ever made, including “The Fatal Weapon,” “Pedator,” and “The Last Boy Scout.” His latest film, “Play Dirty,” is currently streamed on Amazon Prime videos, and is no exception. A contemporary interpretation of Donald E. Westlake’s classic “Hoodie” novel is about high stakes robbery, and the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Lakes Stanfield as burglars who aim to draw the biggest international robbery of their lives. However, the glove trotting action film starring the two Alpha dogs was well-trampled territory for Black, who worked with larger-than-life A-listers, including Robert Downey Jr., Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Russell Crowe. Needless to say, he understood how to maintain control over the set when he was in the director’s chair.
“I’m absolutely blessed to work with some of the ‘magic people’,” says Black. “To me, the ‘magic people’ are the people you hire and say, ‘There’s an actor who’ll do that.’ But when you hire them, when you know what you’re trying to get, you know it’s great.
Wahlberg showed his magic in a unique way and came with preparations that reflected his infamous work ethic.
“It showed that Mark remembered the script,” Black says. “He knew all the nuances of it. He sat in front and didn’t tweet – he knew all the lines, so you could change from that. Now, I think it’s the actor’s biggest asset.
Much of Black’s scripts are defined by the buddy dynamics of the argument, and so is the same as “Plaidirty,” written by Charles Mondley and Anthony Bagalozzi. Wahlberg’s foil is played by Stanfield, and the actor’s own Black says that the “Atlanta” alum is approaching crafting in a totally different way.
“I was talking about acting with Lakes and I said, ‘I was always a little nervous, I felt like I couldn’t get there.” “Black says. “And he said, “I don’t understand that, because I have all these options. You’re just choosing one. You’re in the hub of the wheel. All of these spokes are in the character’s actions. “Which do you want to take?” he replied, “Oh, my god, you have just one melody.” That’s not that easy, but because he’s just a curious soul. ”
Mark Wahlberg and Lakes Stanfield in “Plaidirty.”
©MGM/courtesy Everett Collection
He quickly cites the talents of the cast and crew, but Black’s Hollywood reputation is his reputation as a nice guy who gets results. Jules Daly, who produced big action features like The Tomorrow War and Ghosted, says the opportunity to work with Black was the first thing that drew him to the project.
“There’s a story about Shane Black being a bit reserved, shy, isolated, great, but those things, and we had our biggest time,” says Daly. “It’s so much fun to work with someone who’s a producer writer and director. You can sit in the video village and make changes on the go. I had Anthony and Chuck and sent the pages overnight with us, woke up to them and the next day.
Daly also says that Black’s previous hits made certain parts of her job easier.
“All cast members would prefer to work with Shane Black than the directors I worked with,” she says. “No one didn’t want to get on the phone, no one wanted to be in the movie. It was all a schedule. It was more noteworthy than most directors I worked for. It’s a very easy film to cast, and the cast is tasty.”
Despite the success of his previous works, Black says it’s important to keep focused by toning the noise on the outside.
“Stoping the hype is just as necessary as you can’t think about money,” he says. “When I was hired to write a script, I wouldn’t think, ‘Oh, my god, this page had so much money, that’s a good thing.’ Once you get a job, that’s all the work.
And sometimes it comes to trust your gut and not getting too meta. For example, many of Black’s most famous films are set during Christmas, ranging from “The Fatal Weapon” to “Kiss Bang Bang” and “Iron Man 3.” However, despite knowing the feel of Yuletide in “Playdirty,” Black managed to get a nod of recognition from the fans, but at first he didn’t want to lean on it.
“People often talk about Christmas motifs I sometimes have in films,” says Black. “If people notice, that jig is up. I’ll do it, but at the same time, “Now I thought that what people are actually realising is kind of one trick pony. Well, in this movie, we wanted to do winter in New York City. We can set it on President’s Day in February, but you know, why are we in New York?
That sense of adventure is that Black says he’s making a film.
“I tend to believe in a sense of wonder, especially as I get older, and look for something that I have to discuss with myself that I believe in writing the next chapter,” he says. “The key theme seems to be people who have been knocked down and found a reason to wake up and continue despite themselves.”
Check out the “Dirty Dirty” trailer below.
