Who else in Hollywood, other than Clive Owen, has the creative range and fortitude to play both a melancholy, reluctant hero (Children of Men) and a carrot wielding expert killer (Shoot ‘Em Up) in the span of one year? No one, that’s who.
Clive Owen is the type of actor who seems to enjoy his work and always delivers, whether he is doing a thematically rich and heavy drama or a feather-light action movie. He always brings something fresh to the table. With that in mind, his next project just announced by Showblitz sounds especially exciting. The film, which is titled Recall, was written by Paul Schrader (Raging Bull) and will be directed by Harold Becker (Domestic Disturbance), is “the story of a NSA agent trying to piece together the events of a botched hostage rescue operation… As Owen’s character begins to recall events and unearth the truth, he finds he can trust neither his fellow soldiers nor his own mind.”
Schrader and Becker have worked together in the past on City Hall. While neither have worked much since the 90’s this project seems right up both their alleys. A script about a man’s gradual decent into paranoia and psychosis seems perfect for Schrader in particular. Even if the general description does little to excite you the fact that it’s written by the same guy who penned Taxi Driver ought to be enough to get anyone interested.
Both writer, director, and star have shown that they aren’t afraid to go to dark, difficult, and challenging places with their work in the past. Let’s hope they don’t pull any punches this time around and bring us something truly interesting and unexpected. Recall begins production in the spring, so we’ll know soon enough.