PRODUCTION NOTES For additional publicity materials and artwork, please visit: http://lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/reprisal/ Rating: Rated R for violence and language U.S. Release Date: August 31st, 2018 (In Theaters and On Demand) Run Time: 89 minutes For more information, please contact: Liz Berger Lionsgate 2700 Colorado Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404 P: 310-255-3092 E: [email protected] 1 REPRISAL LIONSGATE PREMIERE Publicity Materials: http://lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/reprisal/ Hashtag: #Reprisal Genre: Action Thriller Rating: Rated R for violence and language U.S. Release Date: August 31st, 2018 (In Theaters and On Demand) Run Time: 89 minutes Cast: Frank Grillo, Bruce Willis, Olivia Culpo, Johnathon Schaech Directed by: Brian A. Miller Written by: Bryce Hammons Produced by: Randall Emmett, p.g.a., George Furla, p.g.a., Mark Stewart, p.g.a. SYNOPSIS: Jacob (Frank Grillo), a bank manager haunted by a violent heist that took the life of a coworker, teams up with his ex-cop neighbor, James (Bruce Willis), to bring down the assailant. While the two men work together to figure out the thief’s next move, Gabriel (Johnathon Schaech), the highly-trained criminal, is one step ahead. When Gabriel kidnaps Jacob’s wife (Olivia Culpo) and daughter, Jacob barrels down a path of bloodshed that initiates an explosive counterattack and brings all three men to the breaking point. Action legend Bruce Willis (the Die Hard series), Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, TV’s Kingdom) and Johnathon Schaech (TV’s Legends of Tomorrow) team up in the tense dramatic thriller REPRISAL. The film will be released in theaters and on demand by Lionsgate Premiere on August 31st, 2018. 2 INTRODUCTION The American Midwest: Working families struggle to keep their heads above water while corporations and economic difficulty keeps people down. Jacob Tasker (Frank Grillo) is on the front lines of this domestic battle. He is trying to do the right thing and provide for his loving wife Christina (Olivia Culpo) and young daughter Sophia (Natalia Sophie Butler). Jacob made a promise to his late cop father to pursue a less-dangerous career, so he works as a bank manager, while Christina’s job at a university health care center helps make ends meet. They’re average people living uneventful lives…until Jacob crosses paths with Gabriel Connors. Gabriel (Johnathon Schaech) is a man leading a double life. His father is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and Gabriel, a responsible son, makes sure his dad is comfortable while paying for hospice care. However, Gabriel has a dark side, one driven by his own desire to get ahead: He is responsible for a violent string of masked robberies that have foiled the FBI and local authorities. By happenstance, Jacob’s bank is his next target. After Gabriel bursts in, kills an innocent guard, steals thousands of dollars and races off on a motorcycle, Jacob is wracked with guilt over his inability to stop it. Confiding to his gruff but amiable neighbor, a smart ex-cop named James (Bruce Willis), Jacob realizes there were clues left at the scene that the police aren’t moving fast enough on. As James utilizes the deductive skills he honed from over 20 years on the force, he and Jacob figure out what the thief’s next moves are. There are dangers that Jacob and James aren’t counting on when they set out to catch a thief. First, an armored car – and two unwitting security guards inside it – are involved. Then $300,000 and a high-speed chase figure into it. Finally, there’s the gritty desperation of Gabriel, whose need to get that money back – and help his ailing father – has obliterated his sense of right and wrong. As an FBI agent named Fields (Colin Egglesfield) closes in on Gabriel, Christina and Sophia become pawns in Gabriel’s game, James is haunted by his past, and Jacob is forced to see that a counterattack can have deadly consequences. CHARACTERS ON THE EDGE The emotions in REPRISAL are rooted in the financial and familial tumult many Americans have experienced in recent years. “REPRISAL is really a two-handed story,” says director Brian A. Miller. “We follow the path of Jacob Tasker, who is going through a real tragedy, having lived through the trauma of an intense robbery. He’s a person trying to set things right. But after tracking the man who murdered his coworker in cold blood, the hunter becomes the hunted.” “Gabriel, the perpetrator of the robbery at Jacob’s bank, has put together a very expansive and elaborate way of committing these crimes,” says Miller. “In order to figure out the criminal’s next move, Jacob partners up with his next-door neighbor, James, who’s a former law enforcement officer – and together, these two work to reverse-engineer all of the pieces of Gabriel’s past crimes.” The REPRISAL cast was up to the challenge of making the story a flesh-and-blood thriller. One is a true icon: Bruce Willis, who’s combined action landmarks (Die Hard and its blockbuster sequels, as well as 3 Armageddon, The Fifth Element, Sin City, RED, Looper, and the Expendables movies, among many others) with dramatic performances in films (In Country, Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and more.) Willis is matched with one of today’s most dynamic actors, Frank Grillo (Warrior, The Grey, End of Watch, Zero Dark Thirty, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wheelman, TV’s acclaimed action-drama Kingdom). Backing them up is acclaimed actor Johnathon Schaech (star of Marauders, Arsenal, TV’s hit DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the miniseries Texas Rising) and Colin Egglesfield (Vice, Bad Moms, TV’s Rizzoli & Isles). As Jacob’s wife, newcomer Olivia Culpo (American Satan) jumps into the action-drama genre with gusto, guts, and grace. “Working with Bruce Willis is like a dream come true,” says Schaech. “When I was growing up and wanting to be an actor, Bruce transcended it all. He’s built this amazing career and made incredible films, and truly defined what an action hero is for generations of people.” Adds Culpo, “Working with Bruce was so inspiring. His charisma on set is unlike anyone else I’ve ever been around.” Grillo credits Willis with bringing him onto the REPRISAL team. “One of many reasons why I took this role was because Bruce was part of the film,” Grillo says. Grillo has built up his own solid body of work as an actor and, now, a producer, through his production company WarParty (which he began with writer-director Joe Carnahan, his collaborator on the action- dramas Pride and Glory and The Grey). The New York-raised Grillo says he focuses on both the physical and mental aspects of his intense performances. “For all my roles, I create a bible for whatever character I’m playing – otherwise, behaviorally, you can find yourself in a no-man’s land,” says Grillo about his process. “Jacob Tasker is a guy living beyond his means. Like many Americans, Jacob was doing well for a while – he has a nice house, a beautiful wife, a great kid. His young daughter has diabetes, and as the story starts the family is caught up in hospital bills and mortgage bills. It’s the kind of American story that we’re very familiar with in real life.” Another thing that appealed to Grillo about the character of Jacob in REPRISAL was the chance to portray a person with a gentler side to him. “Jacob is a regular guy, and I don’t get to do many roles like that,” says Grillo. “He’s a good guy, kind of an average Joe. He then gets into a situation that alters the course of what had been his conventional life, which has had some issues. Then he’s forced to become something that he never thought he was capable of being.” “There’s a real journey Jacob makes,” says Grillo. “By the end, he’s a much different human being, but he’s better for it.” Grillo’s solid professionalism and constant striving for truth was one factor that helped boost the entire REPRISAL team. “Frank exceeds all expectations,” says Miller. “His talent and professionalism are just phenomenal. He elevates every person on this cast and on this crew to want to step outside of their comfort zone. You never know how far you’re going to get in life until you really exceed your expectations, and that sums up Frank. He’s a phenomenal talent.” 4 The teaming of Grillo and Willis was a true high point for Miller. “There’s a scene where Bruce and Frank, playing James and Jacob, are building an ‘investigation wall’ of the crimes in a basement, and it was one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever had the opportunity to work on,” says Miller. “Watching these two great actors go head-to-head became like a game of one-upmanship for them. It was great.” Says Egglesfield, “When I heard I was going to be working with Frank Grillo, I was excited, because there’s something about certain actors that when they come onscreen, they’re just magnetic. Frank definitely has that.” “But there’s also an approachability to Frank that invites you in — you can feel what he’s really going through,” Egglesfield continues. “As an actor, it’s terrific to do a scene with someone as talented and experienced as Frank. It makes getting up in the morning that much more exciting when you know you’re going to be acting toe-to-toe with Frank.” Schaech, who has portrayed heroes, villains, and everything in-between in films including Acts of Violence, Arsenal, and Marauders, seized the challenge of playing Gabriel.