With his two most recent films, “Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado” and the brand-new “Without Remorse,” filmmaker Stefano Sollima has definitely presented his idea of what makes a good action film. His focus on realistic violence and nary a quip to be found have quickly become staples of his output. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, we talk to Sollima about his style of filmmaking and what lies ahead for the world introduced in his latest film.
For those unaware, “Without Remorse” is the latest Tom Clancy novel-turned-film and tells the story of John Kelly (played by Michael B. Jordan), a Navy SEAL that finds himself on a quest for revenge after the Russians ambush his team and someone very close to him. The film is the first in what Amazon is hoping will be a new franchise with Jordan’s character eventually going on to star in a film version of the popular novel and video game series, “Rainbow Six.”
In this interview, we speak with Sollima, who is probably best known as the director of “Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado,” about his work on “Without Remorse,” what he prefers realistic action to “John Wick“-style gun-fu, and the possibility of a greater Amazon Tom Clancyverse, with a potential John Krasinski appearance down the line.
One of the more obvious things you’ll notice in “Without Remorse” is how different the action is when compared to films like “John Wick.” This is something that Stefano Sollima thinks is necessary and better for his brand of storytelling.
“It’s not that I don’t like the action [in ‘John Wick’-type movies], I don’t like action when it’s for itself. I don’t like when the action is detached from reality,” the director explained. “I don’t like superheroes. I like heroes, a human being that is pushed over his limit. Reality, I feel, is much more interesting than fiction.”
He added, “I think it’s a question of taste. I like action when it is grounded and more as it is [in reality].”
Some of that desire for reality comes from Sollima’s past as a cameraman/journalist for TV news, where he was embedded in warzones. And he’s brought some of what he’s learned from that career into his filmmaking style.
“For a reporter, it’s really important to report what you’re living and what you’re seeing without dirtying it with your point-of-view, without your moral judgment,” he said. “You just have to step back and just describe what is happening. So, we’re trying to be accurate, honest, in good faith, and not judging anything that we’re watching. This is more or less what I do with movie-making.”
Sollima added, “I’m not afraid to go into different worlds. I want to study them…I need to know everything about it, like a journalist does…I never judge a character.”
Of course, you can’t talk about Tom Clancy films and TV series without mentioning the most famous character, Jack Ryan. And since Amazon is the studio behind the current “Jack Ryan” TV series, starring John Krasinski, and is distributing “Without Remorse,” is there a chance we could see a crossover? Sollima thinks it could be a cool idea.
“It could be an eventuality. It could be cool, even though we designed and we developed the project to be in its own universe,” he said. “But who knows? It could be in the future.”
You can hear our full interview with Sollima below:
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