Recon
LOGLINE:
Four American soldiers set out on the grueling ascent of an Italian mountainside in the closing days of World War II. Haunted by their evil sergeant’s cold-blooded murder of a young woman and with only an old Italian man of uncertain loyalties as their guide.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
RECON was the culmination of a life spent trying to understand. Understand why men like my grandfather, a simple man, who served honorably in World War II, would never discuss his heroics with an eager, wide eyed, eight-year old boy.
Understand why the larger than life image of Steve McQueen as Captain Virgil “Cooler King” Hilts in John Sturges iconic THE GREAT ESCAPE or Jim Brown’s selfless death in THE DIRTY DOZEN resonated in the dark of those movie theaters in Boston, MA so loudly in my mind.
Understand why in high school and later college novels like; “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Catch-22,” “The Naked and The Dead” and “The Diary of a Young Girl,” helped shape a morality as bold as the type printed on the book’s pages.
And eventually understand that those black and white morals are extremes, not reality. That, in the shades of grey that exist between, lays the truth. That killing and murder are two very different things and when we lose sight of it — as we have — we risk losing everything.
Understand that when I first read “Peace” by the wonderful and gifted Richard Bausch, that I had finally found a way to pay tribute to my grandfather and every other man and woman who served their country, people and family in the greatest conflict our world has ever seen.
Understand, finally, what a veteran of World War II meant when he once told me, “He who saves a life, saves the entire world.”
— Robert Port 09.10.20
SYNOPSIS:
A thriller set in the mountains of Italy at the close of World War II. Adapted from the critically acclaimed New York Times best seller “Peace” by famed author Richard Bausch, and based on a true event – RECON tells the story of four American soldiers in World War II, who after they witness a vicious murder of an innocent civilian at the hands of their platoon Sergeant, are sent on a reconnaissance/suicide mission lead by a local partisan, an elderly man whose indeterminate loyalties add to the terror and confusion that engulfs the Americans as they are hunted by an unseen enemy.
Recon centers around young men in the midst of war. The action occurs over the course of one long day between four soldiers placed in a crucible, as they debate both their fates and that of life itself. Each has a different perspective, liberal, racist, uncertain – a metaphor for the America both of 1945 and 2020.
As the soldiers fight amongst themselves, they realize they are being both hunted and haunted by a mysterious sniper and the specter of a burning question – is their Italian guide, this old man from the village, a fascist sympathizer who wishes to lead them to their death? As they struggle to make it off the mountain alive, these American soldiers face the worst that war can offer men… and through this each finds their own peace.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:
RECON is a feature film written and based on author Richard Bausch’s best-selling novel “Peace.” The story was based on a true event of Bausch’s father, who was instructed to kill an Italian soldier after a recon mission. Bausch’s father decided against it, and a story was born.
Writer and director Rob Port read about Bausch’s book before it was released and called his agent to secure rights. “I always loved and was fascinated with World War II. My grandfather fought in the war, and so I grew up with a lot of his stories.”
Port reached out to Maury Povich, who signed on immediately to support Port’s direction as Executive Producer, and Rick Dugdale joined as producer.
“My grandfather fought in the war, and I always envisioned one day making a story about World War II,” Dugdale said. “Looking at Rob’s adaptation and the vision that he wanted to make was very much in line with the story I wanted to tell.”
Povich was also moved by the story and the purpose. “After Pearl Harbor, there wasn’t a soul in the United States who didn’t believe that we should respond by joining the effort against Japan and Germany.”
Dugdale helped get the production off the ground in British Columbia, Canada, where the film was shot in the winter, depicting severe weather conditions endured in Europe during World War II. The weather showed up as a surprise character in the film, with the production battling below zero temperatures in the mountaintops of the Canadian bush.
“Despite the cold, the scenery was beautiful,” said Italian acting legend Franco Nero, who plays Angelo. It was like we were really there, not just making a movie. Hiding, wondering, cold as hell.”
Visual Effects Supervisor, Peter Mattsson explains the challenge in post-production as they had to build all the jets and tanks in post.
“I’ve always found wartime dramas to be especially moving for me because the stakes are so high. It’s always life and death,” adds actor and executive producer, Alexander Ludwig. “It’s always interesting to explore the humanity behind something like that.”
Ludwig adds, “A lot of this film is about characters dealing with two sides of themselves and trying to find themselves through the journey.”
While the storyline focuses on the men fighting the frontlines, Port also weaves in a storyline showing the impact on the wives of these military men. Christie Burke, who plays Greta, talks about her experience with working on the movie. “RECON definitely gave me immense insight into what it was like to be an unarmed, vulnerable woman during World War II,” she says. “But even that doesn’t (allow me to) fully grasp what these women went through.”
Production Designer Tink took a big picture approach to setting up the camp, creating depth with placement of the tents nestled between the mountain landscape. The production also tried to hone in on specific details that would help set the story in World War II Europe. “There was a lot of research for what the regiments were in Monte Cassino at that time – their vehicles, their wardrobe, the graphics, and the equipment that they had,” Tink said.
Sound designer Ken Skoglund’s approach with sound design was to create an emotional claustrophobic feeling that played throughout the movie as an undercurrent to continue the suspense throughout the storyline. “Anything can happen at any time, they don’t know who is the enemy, who is the friend.”
Bausch is thrilled seeing his book come to life on screen. “I think it’s a stunning piece of work,” he said. “Every single frame of it is beautiful, I could not have been happier. There are sections of it where I think it’s going beyond the book.”
“The story explores the themes I find most important in life – morality, friendship, love, life and death. And I just wanted to honor Richard’s work.” Port added, “The most important is morality because without it, it’s like being lost in the woods without a compass.”
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
ROBERT PORT – WRITER, DIRECTOR
Robert Port is a writer, director and an Academy Award winner for his film TWIN TOWERS; a documentary about Detective Joe Vigiano, an elite New York City policeman who was killed during the tragic events of 9/11. TWIN TOWERS was also screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and has emerged as one of the most compelling short documentaries in recent memory.
Port’s numerous network and cable drama series (Executive Producer/Writer) credits include; “ICE” (Direct TV), “Training Day” (CBS), “Agent X” (TNT), “Eye Candy” (MTV), “Ironside” (NBC), “NYC 22” (CBS), “Numb3rs” (CBS). He currently is writing two television dramatic pilots one for TNT based on the book “The Hunt” by New York Times best-selling author Tim Lebbon and another for NBC/Universal on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s elite Air Five search and rescue unit.
RECON is Port’s feature film debut, which he wrote and directed.
RICK DUGDALE – PRODUCER
Rick Dugdale is the President and CEO of Enderby Entertainment, an independent film finance and production company founded in 2006 by Dugdale and his filmmaking partner, Daniel Petrie, Jr. Dugdale oversees all aspects of Enderby Entertainment’s business, finance and production and spearheads the company’s relationships with its worldwide community of financial partners. Dugdale is currently in post-production on 92, a thriller shot entirely remote without even a handshake during the global pandemic of 2020.
Prior to that, Dugdale produced The Intrigo Anthology – three films shot back to back, based upon a series of European best-sellers by the immensely popular Swedish author Håkan Nesser. Shortly before this, at the start of 2017, Dugdale produced the upcoming film NIGHT HUNTER starring Henry Cavill, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alexandra D’Dadario and Stanley Tucci.
Prior to The Intrigo Trilogy, Dugdale produced the psychological thriller AN ORDINARY MAN in collaboration with actor/producer Sir Ben Kingsley and writer/director/producer Brad Silberling. As Enderby’s CEO, Dugdale also greenlit and financed the film, which features outstanding performances by Kingsley and Hera Hilmar. AN ORDINARY MAN had its U.S. premiere at the 24th annual Austin Film Festival in October of 2017. Before this, Dugdale produced and financed the thriller BLACKWAY, the first film collaboration involving Alfredson, Enderby Entertainment and world-wide distributor Electric Entertainment. The film featured a remarkable cast headed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles, Alexander Ludwig, Hal Holbrook and with Ray Liotta in the title role. Directed by Daniel Alfredson, Blackway was adapted for the screen by Joseph Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and upon the novel “Go with Me” by Castle Freeman, Jr. The film was feted with a gala world premiere at the 72nd Venice Film Festival ahead of its 2016 release. Previously for Enderby, Dugdale produced DAWN PATROL, starring Scott Eastwood, Jeff Fahey and Rita Wilson, and ROSEMONT, starring Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif and Michael Gross; both films were directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. Dugdale also produced About Cherry starring Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Heather Graham and Dev Patel, co-written and directed by Stephen Elliott. For Tony-Seven Films, Enderby Entertainment’s genre film division, Dugdale served as executive producer on THE SPEAK, VILE and 5 SOULS and as producer on A HAUNTING AT SILVER FALLS, NO TELL MOTEL and BLOOD SHED. Dugdale also served as executive producer on Tony-Seven Films’ first sequel, the upcoming A HAUNTING AT SILVER FALLS 2. Dugdale is particularly proud of Enderby Entertainment’s involvement with the Austin Film Festival and Conference. In 2012, the Austin Film Festival announced the addition of a new “Enderby Entertainment Award” to the festival’s screenwriting competition. The new award is open to feature screenplays in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced with a budget under ten million dollars. Finalists and winners are selected by Dugdale and Petrie.
RICHARD BULLOCK – PRODUCER
Richard Bullock produces and manages all kinds of film and television projects. Working with budgets from zero to 50 million dollars, he is very accomplished at ‘putting the money on the screen.’ Bullocks’ 30 years in the entertainment industry are unique. He has worked extensively in many different formats: feature films, short Films, MOW’s, TV series, TV commercials, webisodes and more. In addition to dozens of shows in Vancouver, Bullock has worked in Los Angeles, Texas, Boston, Saskatoon, Budapest and, his all-time favorite, Hawaii.
Further setting him apart is his experience working in Hollywood at Studios, Networks and Talent Agencies. The latter instilled in him an appreciation and understanding of the arduous process a project can go through before being green-lit and how hard people we may never see on set worked to get us there. Bullock enjoys working with writers and directors to optimize the script and schedule in order get the most from the budget. He prioritizes the flow of information to all departments and puts an emphasis on building crews that understand the process of filmmaking and feel valued and respected for their important role in the production.
Mr. Bullock is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America, Director’s Guild of America and the Director’s Guild of Canada. A Southern California native and graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, he lives with his family in West Vancouver, BC.
MAURY POVICH – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Maury Povich began his successful broadcast career as a news reporter, anchor and talk show host 60 years ago and counting. Povich is the only person in the history of syndicated television to have back-to-back-to-back successes. This string of success spans 30+ years, beginning with the groundbreaking Fox newsmagazine “A Current Affair” (1986-1990), Paramount’s “The Maury Povich Show” (1991- 1998) and “Maury” (1998-present). Povich’s broadcast journalism roots took hold in his native Washington, D.C. where he began as a street reporter, which led to news, talk and sports programs on Metromedia’s WTTG-TV (now Fox). He was the original host of a two-hour daily live news talk show “Panorama,” which became a television staple for those working on Capitol Hill and in the White House. It was the only midday news program in the nation’s capital before the advent of the 24- hour cable news networks. During the tumultuous 60’s and 70’s, Povich covered the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, riots in Washington following the death of Martin Luther King, Jr, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and the historic events of Watergate. Povich heads MoPo Entertainment which produces original programming content and won an Academy Award in 2003 for Best Documentary Short TWIN TOWERS, of which Povich was an executive producer. In 2007, Povich launched the journalism award-winning “Flathead Beacon” a newspaper and an on- line daily in the Flathead Valley area of Montana.
His company, Flathead Beacon Productions, also publishes a quarterly lifestyle magazine “Flathead Living” and has a marketing productions division Bigfork Web Development.
RICHARD BAUSCH – AUTHOR
Richard Bausch was born in Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was educated in the public schools in and around Washington, D.C., and after two failures to maintain a standing in college, served a stint in the Air Force, after which he returned to university studies, first in Virginia and then at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. He is the author of eleven novels and eight collections of stories, including the novels “Rebel Powers”, “Violence:, “Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America and All the Ships At Sea”, “In The Night Season”, “Hello To The Cannibals”, “Thanksgiving Night”, and “Peace”; and the story collections Spirits, “The Fireman’s Wife”, “Rare & Endangered Species”, “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “The Stories of Richard Bausch”, “Wives & Lovers”, and the recently released “Something Is Out There”. His novel, “The Last Good Time” was made into a feature-length motion picture, directed by Bob Balaban, starring Armin Meuhler-Stahl, Maureen Stapleton, and Lionel Stander, released in April 1995, and “Peace” was awarded the 2010 Dayton International Literary Peace Prize.
EDD LUKAS – CINEMATOGRAPHER
Edd Lukas’ passion for film earned him credits in the camera department on high profile films such as JAMES BOND: CASINO ROYALE and ATONEMENT. He has twice been recognized by Variety as one of their ‘Up Next-Cinematographers to Watch’ and his short film WHIPLASH won the jury prize at Sundance in 2013. The feature was developed out of this success and went on to win multiple Academy and BAFTA awards. Lukas now splits his time between London and Los Angeles. His credits include 28 feature films (Nancy Drew, Acts of Violence, The Gallows, The Party’s Just Beginning) distributed by Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and Sony etc. Lukas has shot narrative, commercial and music videos across North America, Europe, Asia and South America-working with such reputable brands as Gillette, Budweiser, Chrysler, Newsweek and GQ. Lukas is well versed using film as well as all digital formats. He holds two MA degrees; one from the London Film School (where he was the youngest ever graduate), and one from the prestigious American Film Institute – where he specialized in Cinematography – again as one of the youngest in his class.
ABOUT THE CAST:
ALEXANDER LUDWIG
Alexander Ludwig made his screen debut back in 2000 at only 8 years of age, and has proceeded on a star-making trajectory ever since. His major breakthrough as a young actor came when he starred in RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN where he played the leading role of Seth alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. After this, he starred as the villainous antagonist Cato up against Jennifer Lawrence in the hugely successful worldwide blockbuster, THE HUNGER GAMES. Playing the villain in the year’s biggest movie was a hugely exciting opportunity for Ludwig and he more than delivered as he put on a captivating performance which won the “Best Villain” gong at the Teen Choice awards.
Ludwig then went on to star in films with some of the world’s most expert and prolific actors such as Anthony Hopkins in Enderby Entertainment’s BLACKWAY and Mark Wahlberg in LONE SURVIVOR. He has received critical acclaim for his performance as Bjorn in the global hit TV show, “Vikings”, in which he has taken over the mantle from Travis Fimmel as the leading actor in one of television’s biggest shows. A talented musician and recording artist in his own right.
SAM KEELEY
Sam Keeley is an Irish actor who began his acting career in the Irish film THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP directed by Rebecca Daly. He was chosen for this role after attending an open casting in his home town of Tullamore in County Offaly, Ireland. Shortly after this, Keeley was cast as Desmond in Paulo Sorrentino’s THIS MUST BE THE PLACE starring Sean Penn and Frances McDormand. Both of these films opened to great acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then Keeley’s career has blossomed as he, in a hugely confident manner rare for young actors, carefully selected only the scripts which impressed and attracted him the most.
Keeley shone in the leading role of “Raw”, a hugely popular Irish original television series. He then played the part of Conor Harris in the feature film WHAT RICHARD DID directed by Lenny Abrahamson which was released to great acclaim in 2012. Keeley was cast in his first feature lead role in the Sci-Fi sequel MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT. More big roles followed as Keeley was cast as Charles Ramsdell in Ron Howard’s epic IN THE HEART OF THE SEA alongside Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy and then played alongside Bradley Cooper in the intense drama Burnt. Keeley very much enjoyed his major role in the Netflix original film THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE where he starred alongside Jamie Dorman. Most recently, Sam Keeley played the leading role opposite Ellen Page in the hyped thriller THE CURED which is set to release in cinemas worldwide imminently.
FRANCO NERO
‘Cinematic Icon’ is not too grand a title for the Italian acting legend, Franco Nero. Born into the family of a strict police sergeant in Parma, his inclination for acting had already become obvious in his teenage years when he began organizing and participating in student plays. After a short stint at a leading theatre school, he moved to Rome where he joined a small group of friends for the purpose of making documentaries. A year later, the handsome face and piercing blue eyes of Nero were noticed by John Huston, who chose him for the role of “Abel” in THE BIBLE. But success came after he got the role of the lonely gun fighter, dragging a coffin, in one of the best spaghetti-westerns of all time; Sergio Corbucci’s DJANGO.
In 1967, Joshua Logan cast him in the film version of the musical Camelot opposite his now wife, Vanessa Redgrave, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award. In the early 80s, Nero was chosen for the role of the white ninja, Cole in ENTER THE NINJA (1981) and in 1990 as terrorist General Esperanza, opposite Bruce Willis in DIE HARD 2. He then went on to be part of successful television mini- series’, such as “The Pirate” (Warner Bros), “The Last Days of Pompeii” (CBS), “Young Catherine” (TNT) and “Bella Mafia” (CBS).
Recently, Nero famously made a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED, where he reprised his role from the original Django. He has recently appeared in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, LOST CITY OF Z and THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES. Nero’s career is truly remarkable, having appeared in over 200 movies worldwide and a career that has spanned five decades.
CHRIS BROCHU
Chris Brochu is one of the most exciting and multi-talented young actors working today. Born into a talented family, he and his siblings were all successful child actors on the biggest networks, Nickelodeon and Disney. With his prodigious acting talent and musical acumen, Brochu was a working renaissance man from a very young age. His major television breakthrough came in the hugely popular “Vampire Diaries” where he played the major dramatic role of Luke Parker, his brooding performance delighting the international audience. His career continues to ascend and he has since had major roles in feature films such as SOUL SURFER, DAWN PATROL and a leading role in the upcoming comedy BAJA.
Chris Brochu is also a talented musician whose soulful voice and technical guitar playing has led to him releasing studio albums and EPs alongside his acting career.
About Brainstorm Media
Founded in 1995, Brainstorm Media is a full-service U.S. film distributor and production company. Recent releases include THE WOLF HOUR starring Naomi Watts, IDEAL HOME starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan, Shirley Jackson’s WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, WORKING MAN starring Peter Gerety and Talia Shire, THE CUBAN starring Louis Gossett Jr., Ana Golja and Shohreh Aghdashloo and RAVAGE starring Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Bruce Dern and Robert Longstreet. Brainstorm’s upcoming releases include the Italian thriller INTO THE LABYRINTH starring Dustin Hoffman and Toni Servillo.