Charlie Countryman
| Charlie Countryman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Fredrik Bond |
| Produced by |
Albert Berger Craig J. Flores William Horberg Ron Yerxa |
| Written by | Matt Drake |
| Narrated by | John Hurt |
| Starring |
Shia LaBeouf Evan Rachel Wood Mads Mikkelsen Rupert Grint Melissa Leo Vincent D’Onofrio |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | Roman Vasyanov |
| Editing by | Hughes Winborne |
| Studio |
Bona Fide Productions Voltage Pictures |
| Distributed by |
Ascot Elite Entertainment Group VVS Films |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,650[1] |
Charlie Countryman is a 2013 romantic comedy action film directed by Fredrik Bond, written by Matt Drake, and starring Shia LaBeouf, Rupert Grint, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen and Til Schweiger. The film premiered on January 21, 2013 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.[2] The film was released November 15, 2013 in the United States[3] and is set to be released on 14 February 2014 in the United Kingdom.[4]
Plot
Charlie Countryman (LaBeouf) is just a normal guy until he meets and falls in love with Gabi (Wood), a Romanian girl, after he sits next to her father on a air flight that resulted in his death. But Gabi is married to Nigel (Mikkelsen), a violent and mentally unstable crime boss with a gang of thugs at his disposal. Armed with little more than his wit and naïve charm, Charlie endures one bruising beatdown after another to woo Gabi and keep her out of harm's way. Finally, his exploits of blind valor create such a mess that he's left with only one way out: to save the girl of his dreams, he has to die.[5]
Cast
- Shia LaBeouf as Charlie Countryman
- Evan Rachel Wood as Gabriela "Gabi" Ibanescu
- Rupert Grint as Carl
- Mads Mikkelsen as Nigel
- Til Schweiger as Darko
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Bill
- Melissa Leo as Kate Countryman
- Vanessa Kirby as Felicity
- James Buckley as Luke
- Montserrat Lombard as Madison
- Lachlan Nieboer as Ted
- Adrian Pavlovschi as Pedrag
- Cosmin Padureanu as Bosko
- Cristian Nicolae as Craig
- John Hurt as Narrator
Production
Pre-production
In the early development, Shia LaBeouf dropped out of the project and the title role was briefly given to Zac Efron before LaBeouf returned to the project in August 2010.
Filming
Filming took place between May and June 2012 and filmed on location in Romania.
LaBeouf reportedly tripped on acid while filming acid scenes. According to LaBeouf, he had to trip on the acid to really get into the head of his character and to emulate some of his acting heroes. "There’s a way to do an acid trip like Harold & Kumar and there's a way to be on acid. What I know of acting, Sean Penn actually strapped up to that electric chair in Dead Man Walking. These are the guys that I look up to."[6]
Reception
Charlie Countryman has received negative reviews from critics, as it currently holds a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews. Viewers of the audience have been slightly more generous.
Wood criticised the US censors for insisting that a scene be cut in which her character receives oral sex from LaBeouf, while taking no issue with the many violent scenes:[7]
- "The scene where the two main characters make ‘love’ was altered because someone felt that seeing a man give a woman oral sex made people ‘uncomfortable’, but the scenes in which people are murdered by having their heads blown off remained intact and unaltered... [Society] wants to shame women and put them down for enjoying sex, especially when (gasp) the man isn’t getting off as well... Accept that women are sexual beings, accept that some men like pleasuring women. Accept that women don’t just have to be f**ked and say thank you. We are allowed and entitled to enjoy ourselves."[8]
References
- ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=charliecountryman.htm
- ↑ "Berlinale Competition 2013: Another Nine Films Confirmed". berlinale. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=65620
- ↑ http://www.filmdates.co.uk/films/5610-the-necessary-death-of-charlie-countryman
- ↑ Bettinger, Brendan (February 12, 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood & Mads Mikkelsen Join Shia LaBeouf in THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN". Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ "Shia LeBeouf Really Tripped On Acid For ‘The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman’". The Inquisitr. August 29, 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ The Big Issue no.1080, December 2nd-8th 2013.
- ↑ Quoted in The Independent, "Evan Rachel Wood attacks ratings body for cutting cunnilingus scene from new film". Thursday 28th November 2013.