David Leitch is far from a new figure in the film industry, but it is recently that we have been hearing this name more and more often. Let's understand the phenomenon of the success of the director of solid action films.
All fans of Fincher's club have known David Leitch for a long time (even if you didn't realize it), because he was Brad Pitt's stunt double (and also in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, “Troy” and “11 Friends”). Why he swapped safety cables for the director's chair – we'll break it down in today's article.
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Open materialLeitch's Passion for Martial Arts
At a young age, David Leitch (Wikipedia strongly advises not to confuse him with David Lynch) attended a performance by the Chinese Kung Fu theater, which greatly impressed him and made him fall in love with martial arts. But in Kohler (his hometown in Wisconsin) there was not a single sports section in this discipline, so he taught himself the basic techniques from magazines and books, training in the garage (as you can see, not only in Silicon Valley does everything start in this outbuilding).
His dedication and passion helped him get into the prestigious Dan Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts — the man who trained and choreographed stunts for many top-tier Hollywood stars such as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Denzel Washington.
After completing his training, David opened his own school.
Leitch is proficient in various forms of martial arts, including Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, and kickboxing.
From Martial Arts to the Art of Cinema – How Leitch Got to Hollywood
David Leitch often and successfully competed in American Eastern martial arts tournaments. At one such event, he met Chad Stahelski — a Hollywood stunt double who was already quite famous in the film industry after working with Brandon Lee on “The Crow” (1994). It was Chad who convinced Leitch to try his hand at stunt work.
His stunt debut was the forgettable action film “The Principal Target” (1997). Six years later, Leitch was invited as a second unit director on the film “In Hell” (2003), where he himself doubled for Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Together with Stahelski, in 1997 they founded “89Eleven” – a company that specializes in staging fight scenes and action design in film. That same year, they worked with the Wachowskis on the first “Matrix”, which brought success to everyone involved. To this day, “89eleven” is one of the most sought-after companies in Hollywood.
David Leitch served as stunt coordinator on the film “Tron: Legacy” (2010) and was second unit director on projects such as “The Wolverine” (2013), “Jurassic World” (2015), and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016).
Why Isn't David Leitch Credited as Director of “John Wick”?
The company “89eleven” quickly gained momentum and worked on high-budget projects, which were often noted for their well-staged fight scenes. For example, Leitch's team received two awards from the Screen Actors Guild for “The Bourne Ultimatum” in 2008.
Unsurprisingly, when offered the role of John Wick in 2012 by Thunder Road Pictures, Keanu Reeves immediately insisted on hiring the “89eleven” team to stage the action scenes, of which there were many planned in the future story about a hitman's love for his dog. Even in the very first version of the script, which Keanu adapted to himself along with screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the main character was a master of Eastern martial arts.
Reeves himself has repeatedly said in interviews that he admired the work of the Stahelski-Leitch duo and was confident that the world created by Kolstad would appeal to them. So when Stahelski proposed his candidacy for director, the producers were surprised, but the famous actor was not (by the way, Chad was Keanu's primary stunt double in “The Matrix”).
Officially, only Chad was listed as director on paper. But in reality, it was a collaborative effort. Executive producer Basil Iwanyk always referred to the direction of the first “John Wick” as their direction, their creative vision.
David Leitch's Solo Path
The unexpected and colossal success of “John Wick” (2014) and, oddly enough, “The Raid” (2012) showed the film industry that there was a huge audience demand for films with engaging, gripping, and, most importantly, predominant action design. So the question of whether the story of a Belarusian hitman would become a franchise was never in doubt. However, Leitch decided not to rejoin the project as director (he served as executive producer on the second part but then left the team entirely). He began developing his own project.
David is a big fan of graphic novels, so his next film, his first solo outing, was the adaptation of “The Coldest City” by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart, which we know as “Atomic Blonde”. The screenplay was written by Kurt Johnstad (“300”).
The lead roles were played by Charlize Theron and James McAvoy, and John Goodman was invited for a small but important role (this, by the way, is a kind of director's trademark; he will also invite top-tier stars for small roles, almost cameos, in his other projects).
From “John Wick” to “Blonde”, cinematographer Jonathan Sela (Sela will work on all of Leitch's films) and his neon-noir aesthetic — lighting schemes and color palette almost identical to the director's previous film. At the same time, the atmosphere of post-war Berlin on the eve of massive changes is conveyed very sensitively and individually.
In this film, we see another of David Leitch's signature touches: a complex fight scene in a confined space, shot as if in one take. Specifically in “Blonde”, it's the confrontation between Charlize Theron's character and a group of agents, which takes place in a typical Soviet communal apartment (lacquered wooden furniture, like in your grandfather's apartment, and carpets on the walls are present).
Despite the working and successful filmmaking formula and high critical acclaim, “Atomic Blonde”, though it recouped its budget, did not win public affection. Many noted script issues; for some, “Wick in a skirt” seemed too derivative.
However, this did not prevent the story of the triple agent from becoming a career springboard for David Leitch.
“Deadpool 2” and “Fast & Furious” – How Leitch Started Directing Blockbusters
David Leitch's big success was “Deadpool 2”. After “Atomic Blonde”, he was the most confident and solid candidate for the director's chair.
The task was challenging: not only to maintain the bar set by the already successful blockbuster but also to make the sequel far more spectacular than the previous installment. Here, Leitch not only handles it well but fully demonstrates his authorial direction.
He brings his signature touches to the already established style of the film. Take, for example, the famous powerful car chase – it's the same fight scenes in a confined space, but on wheels. Although the wide shots were done with CGI, the close-ups were staged in studios.
All scenes with Josh Brolin are imbued with that same neon-noir aesthetic we mentioned earlier. Leitch comes up with a fun and iconic cameo for Brad Pitt (with whom he has long had a good relationship), and casts Bill Skarsgård in a supporting role, with whom he had already worked on “Blonde”.
When it came to the spin-off of one of the most popular franchises today, “Fast & Furious”, where the story was to tell us more about Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the studios Seven Bucks Productions and Universal Pictures immediately invited David Leitch.
They noted that Leitch could not only stage spectacular scenes but also develop characters, and both Johnson and Statham were pleased with the choice (Leitch had previously been Statham's stunt double in “The Mechanic”).
Leitch envisioned this story in the spirit of 80s action films like “Lethal Weapon”, where the heroes' rivalry turns into cooperation, all set against a backdrop of massive shootouts. He wanted to give the spin-off its own flavor and strongly separate it from the main “Fast & Furious” storyline, primarily through lightness and humor. Remove the seriousness present in previous films and crank up the signature pomp to the max, bordering on absurdity.
But “Hobbs & Shaw” remains part of the racing franchise – it also raises questions about the importance of family, cooperation between law and crime, and unrealistic chases in very expensive cars. Additionally, we see Leitch's authorial hand – well-staged fight scenes, at times even unexpectedly brutal for the tone of the narrative, which strongly ties this film to “Deadpool 2”.
Ultimately, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” strengthens David Leitch's position as a director of spectacular cinema, helps him earn well and build connections, although, of course, we are unlikely to remember this film as something monumental in his filmography.
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Leitch's next directorial project is the film “Bullet Train”. Leitch casts his friend Brad Pitt in the lead role, whose persona after Tarantino's “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has finally shifted from a pretty boy to a brutal macho with a mysterious past, which was well reflected in the box office of Bullet Train.
“Bullet Train” is not just a quality action film with a solid and intricate script. It is the result of accumulated experience from previous projects. The film is no longer just a ballet of martial arts on noir backgrounds, interrupted by dialogue – here we see Leitch's qualitative growth, and that is what makes the film especially valuable to us.
The film itself sets a vibe of Takashi Miike, not only because the action takes place in Tokyo but also due to the narrative rhythm and character types.
The plot itself, with an abundance of interesting characters who each manage to go through their own arc in a short screen time, resembles an anthology structure. And the presence of Eastern European roots in the antagonist reinforces another of Leitch's authorial markers – someone is always connected to the “Soviets”.
David Leitch's Non-Directing Experience
David Leitch does not write scripts for his projects. I think this is due to the failure of the mockumentary film “Sledge: The Untold Story”, in which he acted as screenwriter for the first and last time. The film was intended as a parody of Hollywood behind the scenes, but no one appreciated the humor (3.8 on IMDb).
However, Leitch is successful as a producer. Under his guidance, “Nobody” by Ilya Naishuller was released, which is great because, in my opinion, the cinematic language of Ilya and David is very similar (their shared passion for juicy fistfights alone is worth it!).
He also produced “Kate” with Woody Harrelson and “Violent Night” with David Harbour. Leitch's influence can be felt in both films, but in “Night” they could have tried harder with the fight choreography; for such a renowned producer, they look a bit simplistic (6 editing cuts for one door kick? David, you should have hit them with sticks to make them work better!).
What Will David Leitch Treat Us to in the Near Future?
Currently, Leitch is working on the film “The Fall Guy” (“Stuntmen” – Russian localization) starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film will be a remake of the 1980s TV series of the same name, and the premiere is scheduled for 2024.
It's hard to predict what it will be like. The film will definitely tell us the story of a stuntman who works part-time as a private detective. Such a synopsis and such an actor involuntarily refer us to a film about another stuntman who also worked part-time, but on the other side of the law. Extensive evidence shows that he can play absolutely any character with absolutely any level of production complexity, so seeing him in Leitch's film is especially interesting.
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Open materialKelly McCormick, producer of “The Fall Guy” and “Bullet Train”, assured us that the upcoming film will be very personal for the director himself and will partly reference his own life.
Will “The Fall Guy” be Leitch's? Unlikely. But I think in 2024 we are in for a fiery and engaging action film with a star-studded cast and interesting authorial touches from David.
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