Take Cover !! The New Scott Adkins Action Thriller Is Coming To UK Digital And DVD In October!
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Carl Roberts 
The Scott Adkins action thriller Take Cover is coming to UK digital download and DVD in October. Watch the trailer here!
Signature Entertainment is proud to present the UK trailer and artwork for Scott Adkins’s action thriller Take Cover, releasing on Digital Platforms and DVD on 14 October.
PREMISE
Scott Adkins has got no cover, no backup, and no way out in this claustrophobic action thriller. Sam Lorde has spent a lifetime killing people. After a hit gone wrong, he finds himself disillusioned and lacking purpose, deciding to retire as a hitman. His final job, however, results in him being a target himself. With little to no cover, he must fight with everything he has to survive.
CAST
The film stars Scott Adkins (One More Shot), Jack Parr (Peaky Blinders), Alice Eve (Bombshell), Madalina Bellariu Ion (The Young Pope) and Billy Clements (Meg 2: The Trench). Take Cover is written by Joshua Todd James (Pound of Flesh) and directed by Nick McKinless (The Iron Grip).
NICK MCKINLESS STATEMENT
When we started this film I half-joked that we were making DIE HARD on a budget! The classic Bruce Willis film has similarities to TAKE COVER including a high-rise building, bad guys galore, a feast of ac on and humour and an evil British antagonist. That reference would at least inform the cast and crew from the get-go about what type of movie we were making so we were all on the same page. It’s a fun, 80’s style action movie and a genre that I enjoy to this day and one I think is sadly missing in today’s movie market.
Of course, the structure of TAKE COVER is different as is the overall scale but I believe we pulled off something unique and entertaining that harks back to a more fun moviemaking experience. With my background in stunts and action, it was important that the action elements were visually exciting but also fed into the storyline. One thing I cannot endure is action for the sake of it. Action should be fun and stylish but it should not be there just for the sake of creating action set pieces. Each fight, fall, bullet hit or explosion is in TAKE COVER for a reason.
EXAMPLES
For example, the tracer fire was added in VFX for each of the sniper bullets coming from the tower opposite. These tracers were not random. Each one was discussed at length and changed according to their visual and emotional impact within the scene. Without the tracer, you have a very different look to the action in our film. The same goes for sound design. Each bullet hit was enhanced with sound FX and this included whether or not you would hear the ‘crack’ of the bullet from the building opposite or not. Each whizz, crack, and bang was added specifically to heighten moments when it was required.
THE BLACK HOLE
Perhaps our two biggest set pieces and the trickiest to bring together in the final mix were the drone sequence and the parachute escape. The drone was a complete CGI build and that also included building the outside of the hotel. We went through a ton of design ideas for the drone but I’m glad we eventually went with a concept that I’d been wanting to implement. I’d always loved the robots in THE BLACK HOLE and Maximillian was the most fearsome and scary by far. We took the basic design, cut off the bottom, added rotor blades, thickened up the body, added a midi gun and hey presto we had MAX 1 (MAXI). Although only seen briefly we love our drone and the part it plays in the film. I even love it when the drone (SPOILER) is finally destroyed and ‘clunks’ comically off the side of the building to its final destination crashing into the ground below.
THE PARACHUTE SEQUENCE
The parachute sequence was even trickier. And to get the right effect we had to use Scott himself rather than a stunt double. Scott is phenomenal at martial arts and physical action but heights are not his favourite thing. However, after much cajoling, Scott did the jumps on the green screen himself and I’m sure some of that initial scream is real! He did great and it’s his acting and fear that sell this in the final sequence. Even this parachute jump had to have a hint of fun for me. So I added something to the parachute the audience will definitely enjoy and remember. As well as the Beirut joke finally paying off.
EASTER EGGS
Like many fans of movies, I really enjoy ‘easter eggs’ in film and I have put a lot of them in here for the geeks like me out there. Here are a few:
• After Ken and Sam finish off the wave of mercenaries in the underpass sequence there’s a post in the far left of the frame that shows a poster for LUCKY BASTARD IRISH STOUT. That poster is mirrored later for good reason…
• When Ken is waiting for Sam to arrive off the private plane he is reading an ACCIDENT MAN comic book. (Scott Adkins made two Accident Man movies)
• When Ken asks Mona for Lily’s phone security code to access the keypad she tells him, 51-5-0. 5150 is the police code in the USA for a crazy person and it’s also the name of the first record VAN HALEN (my favourite band) made with new singer Sammy Hagar in the mid 80’s.
• When Sam asks Ken why he put his gun in the safe and he replies, “I wanted to put it in a SAFE place”. This joke was not in the script. Jack Shaw and I workshopped this on set that morning to come up with something funny in a tense situation. I think it worked-it made the trailer!
• The artwork on the walls is designed by storyboard artist James Iles.
• The silk sheet joke when Sam first walks into the bedroom and says, “Make sure you don’t shit the bed again”, was also not in the script. Scott and I went back and forth with ideas to get rid of a dead spot in the scene.
• When Sam says to Tamara, “When I get out of this and I will, I’m coming to get you” is a direct reference to RAMBO 2 when Stallone offers the same kind of threat.
• The white t-shirt that Ken wears might resemble a t-shirt John McClane wears in DIE HARD.
• Just as Sam steps to the edge of the building he walks past a framed picture that says, “LUCKY BASTARD”, which relates to the start and now the end of the film as Sam prepares to put trust in the one person he actually gives a shit about – Ken.
UNDERLYING MEANING
And therein lies the underlying meaning of TAKE COVER. Sam is trying to find himself and his faith. And a reason for all the killing besides money and a cushy lifestyle. Instead, he now realises that life is about caring and protecting those you love. Something he eventually achieves by caring for Mona’s daughter Milena.
I’ve directed music videos, commercials, 2nd unit action on huge Hollywood movies. And of course my own short films and mini projects. TAKE COVER is the culmination of all my experience in making movies since the 90s when I just wanted to be nothing more than a working stuntman. Now as a director, I feel I am finally home and ready to explore the filmmaking experience more than ever. I dare you NOT to laugh and have fun when you watch TAKE COVER. If nothing else, we got lots of smiles and laughter and that is what life is all about.
Take Cover is released on digital download and DVD on October 14th.
Source: Signature Entertainment
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
