Has Danny Boyle started a trend? First his “Slumdog Millionaire” film is set in Mumbai and somehow becomes a major indie and critical hit in North America and now director Paul Schrader is packing his bags and heading to the same exotic locale.
Schrader – who famously wrote “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” and directed several great films like “American Gigolo” and “Blue Collar” – is writing and directing, “Extreme City” which is about an American man who travels to India to help resolve a kidnapping case for his father-in-law, only to get caught up the gangsters plot.
Schrader thinks the indie market in the U.S. is dying so why not explore a different region that’s still very healthy. “I’ve been getting indie movies made for 20 years,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “But I take a good look around and what I see is a barren, barren place — in terms of the financial community, in terms of audiences, in terms of distribution. It’s cold out there.”
If you haven’t seen Schrader’s directorial debut, “Blue Collar” with Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel, we strongly recommend it. “Affliction” in the ’90s was pretty damn great too. Schrader also directed “Adam Resurrected,” this year which has gotten strong praise so far from critics (we finally just got our screener, can’t wait) and we believe is getting a limited, NY, L.A., release this December so it qualifies for the Oscars.