Summary
Aaron Eckhart’s performance in Rumble Through The Dark is praised for bringing both physicality and emotional depth to his character, Jack Boucher. The film explores themes of redemption and the power of love between a mother and son. Despite facing logistical challenges due to the Delta variant and Hurricane Ida, the directing team had to adapt and make on-the-fly changes to the fight choreography, resulting in an improvisational and gritty feel to the fight scenes.
Rumble Through The Dark follows Jack Boucher, a former bare-knuckle cage fighter with heavy debts. In a final desperate play to repay the debts he owes, Jack will step back into the ring and fight against impossible odds. Jack finds an unlikely ally in Annette, a carnival hustler, as he tries to salvage the family home of his terminally ill foster mother.
Rumble Through The Dark is directed by Graham and Parker Phillips from a script penned by Michael Farris Smith. The movie is based on Smith’s novel, The Fighter. Rumble Through The Dark stars a powerhouse cast led by Aaron Eckhart, Bella Thorne, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Ritchie Montgomery, Joe Hursley, and Liz Fenning.
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Screen Rant exclusively interviewed directing team Graham and Parker Phillips about the new movie Rumble Through The Dark. Parker explains how Eckhart got involved in the movie and what they learned from their first feature, Bygone, that they brought into this movie. Graham reveals that elements of the fight choreography were built on the fly with very little time and praises Jean-Baptiste’s performance.
Graham & Parker Phillips On Rumble Through The Dark
Screen Rant: Graham and Parker Phillips, thank you guys so much for joining me. The film Rumble Through the Dark is absolutely incredible. I mean, we were just talking about it offscreen a little bit. But man, it’s raw, but this movie has a lot of heart at its core. Can you guys describe to me our main character, Jack, and working with Aaron Eckhart to bring that character to life?
Parker Phillips: Yeah. Who wants it, Graham? You or me?
Graham Phillips: You take it, big bro.
Parker Phillips: Okay. Yeah, I mean, Joe. First of all, thank you so much for the kind words. Casting the lead role in this was so integral to being able to pull off this film. Graham and I spent a lot of time with our producers, kind of banging our heads on the wall, trying to figure it out. And Jack, he’s on the other side of 50. He’s an aged bare-knuckle fighter, and to find someone who can really pull that off both physically and emotionally, that’s tough. And our producer, Cassian Elwes, lobbed out the name Aaron Eckhart. And I remember exactly where I was driving with my brother on the way to the gym, and Graham just looked at me and said, “Yes, he’s our guy.”
And we did what every director does. We sent him the script and hoped, and then a couple months later, he called us and read it, and he just got it. He got it on every level, and he felt like he could bring a lot of things that are personal to him to the role, which I think every director… You hope the actor finds something within themselves in the part they want to play.
It’s obviously a departure from their world, of course, but you want to make it as personal as possible. And Aaron immediately recognized all that he could bring to it. And yeah, the guy is the hardest worker in the room. He was an absolute pleasure to direct, and every day he was fully in character. If he wasn’t on-screen, he was doing pushups, lifting weights, or shadowboxing, and he stayed in it all 23 days of our shoot. So, yeah, we felt really lucky to have him.
Yeah, I mean, he absolutely disappears in this role. And that’s one of the questions I had for you is, what did he bring to the role that wasn’t on the page?
Graham Phillips: Well, one of the things that was really interesting is when we were talking to him, and he was very open and honest about this process. He’s like, “If I’m going to be honest with you, there’s elements of this role that scare me a bit because I don’t really know how I’m going to do this.” And the more fantastic actors that you meet, you start hearing these same sort of themes where the best roles that they do are the ones that kind of scare them a bit, that they don’t really know how they’re going to do it; they don’t know how they’re going to get to the other side.
And so, there was an unpredictability of volatility that came with it. When we were talking about if Jack Boucher was an animal, what would he be? He kept coming back to this hungry, starving coyote and the volatility that comes with it, where maybe they might not normally go after a certain type of animal, but they’re starving; they might just do it anyway, against all logic.
And he brought that volatility in a way that I thought was really special. And yeah, I mean, another element that he brought that I thought was so special and unique was, despite him wearing the years really well in the history of being a fighter for too long, you still get a sense of the boy that lives in him, which was so important for the heart of the story and his relationship with his foster mother. And I just thought he handled that with so much grace, and it was… Kudos to him.
I actually want to talk about that for a second because, at the core of this film, it’s really a story about the love between a mother and a son. Can you talk about that theme throughout the movie, Parker?
Parker Phillips: Yeah, I mean, I think that’s really why, initially, Graham and I were attracted to the story. When we picked up the book, obviously it excited us telling the story of a fighter, but it really was the love between, as you said, a mother and a son, no matter how they came to be. That really brought us into it. Graham and I have a great maternal figure in our life, we understand how powerful that can be. And then I think, just in general, stories of redemption, just the idea that everyone, and I think most humans, can identify with having regrets in their life. So, I think redemption stories bring up the question of, despite all the regrets you might have, how far are you willing to go if you’re given the chance to right those past wrongs?
And yeah, that was really important for us, and the casting of that role was really important, and we’re really proud of Amanda Saunders, who totally pulled it off. And those scenes with Young Jack are just so… You’re relying on so much of that actor to bring realism to those scenes, especially, as I said, when you’re shooting a film quickly. And she brought that motherly figure, and it was just one of those things where all you got to do is roll the camera and tell the actors really where to stand, and it makes our jobs a lot easier.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but Graham, you said this was shot in 23 days?
Graham Phillips: Yeah. Yeah, 23 days.
That is incredible. Absolutely incredible. Talk to me about what the biggest challenge was that you guys encountered while shooting Rumble Through the Dark.
Graham Phillips: Well, it’s funny. The 23 days didn’t happen consecutively. We got hit with the Delta variant right on day three, which was a real challenge. I mean, it was hard to keep anyone from getting it at that point, whether you were in full PPE or whatever. So, that was tough. It was like playing roulette every… You were like, “Okay, what cast members, what crew? Who do we have to work with today?” So, that was a logistical mess. And then Hurricane Ida hit, and most of our crew was based in New Orleans. And so, just things kept happening. And logistically, it was just really challenging to piece those 23 days together.
Parker Phillips: It was kind of like you would have these war meetings at the end of the week and you’d have to discuss, and I know a lot of films went through it. Who do we have next week? And then, how do we make the film without your grip, your best boy, or your gaffer? But as my brother said, it did extend the filming a little bit. But I think, one of the funnier stories, Graham, and it’s funny now that we got through it, was that we got hit by Hurricane Ida, and Aaron was staying at this house that had a tiny little stream around it. And we didn’t really think anything of it, and Aaron’s got a big truck.
And anyway, we rescheduled for two days of rehearsal for this fight that comes at the end of the film. And right before that day of rehearsal, Hurricane Ida hit, and that little stream that went around Aaron’s house went to a giant river. And even he, with his big truck, couldn’t get out. And so, he was trying desperately to be able to come for rehearsal and be able to join us, but he was stuck. And finally, we figured out a way to, when it died down a little bit, to bring a big rig in and drag him through the river. And the guy, such a study, finally made it to set. And at that point, it was the day we were supposed to start shooting, and we only had two hours before we had to start rolling.
And luckily, Aaron has a background in jiu-jitsu, and so Graham and I sat there with our director of photography, David Myrick, and our stunt coordinator, David Conk, and David Conk came to Aaron. He said, “What can you do?” So, Aaron talked us through all the jujitsu that he was really comfortable with given his background, and we just completely rebuilt the fight on the fly to really serve him and what he was able to do, which is a huge risk and I don’t really recommend it, but we were lucky because honestly, it was because of him, his preparation, his bravery, and us just all really working together that we were able to come up with something. And because of that, it became a very improvisational fight, and ultimately, I hope audiences think it works.
That’s so crazy. I was literally just about to ask you, for my next question, that all the fights in this look so gritty and real. And I guess that’s no mistake. But I wanted to talk about that because, the way that they’re shot and presented, they just look so real and gritty. But can you talk to me about working with the stunt team and stunt choreographer? Because now, I had no idea that that last fight was kind of improv.
Graham Phillips: Well, I mean, one of the things that was wild about the whole thing is that Aaron and Derek Russo play acts. They were so dedicated that they weren’t afraid to get dirty. And so, there’s a sense of—I mean, they’re really sweating in there, and they’re covered in dirt. At a certain point, the performance and hair and makeup and the special effects makeup, it all kind of blended into this tornado of just testosterone and intensity, and it just kept building. Thankfully, we shot it in consecutive order because it just kept building and getting caked on and caked on with the blood, the sweat, and the dirt.
And I think that there was a level of, obviously, when you’re dealing, it wasn’t fully improvised because you have to make sure that no one’s getting hurt. But there was, because it wasn’t as deep in their systems as might be typical for a fight—an 8 or 9 or 10 minute long fight—however long the fight ended up being, there was a sense of hypervigilance and hyperalertness going on throughout the whole thing that just made it seem like they were just so awake. That they weren’t quite ready to just relax and be totally comfortable with what they were doing. They had to be very precise throughout the whole thing. And I think it gives it a very dangerous feel, which was really exciting.
Absolutely. I actually want to talk about your cinematographer for a second, David Myrick. He captures this film as raw and beautiful. We talked about this a little off-screen. It’s very gritty, but it has this dreamlike quality to it. Can you talk to me about working with him as a collaborator and what he brought to the project that only he could add?
Parker Phillips: Yeah. I think he has a way of… A lot of times, my brother and I, a lot of the scenes we’re doing are emotionally charged. And the scenes that Michael, our writer, wrote are very intimate, and the characters are at a fragile breaking point in their arc. And so, to have a cinematographer who’s able to put the camera right next to him, who’s able to have the actors trust to let the camera breathe as they breathe, and so they can act as one, that’s so important. Because otherwise, ultimately it’s a dance, making a movie, and that person’s intruding on the room with these actors, and they’re part of the scene. And so, I think one of the great things that David Myrick has, apart from just being a technically very skilled cinematographer, is just being able to emotionally be there with the actors.
And for my brother and I, again, when you’re shooting a film quickly, a lot of times we’re inviting David Myrick to the rehearsal with us so we can all see it. And then ultimately, a lot of these actors, like Bella Thorne, Aaron Eckhart, or Marianne Jean-Baptiste, will make a decision that’s different from the way maybe my brother and I saw it in our original blocking or our original storyboarding. And I think, throughout my brother’s so-far-short career, we’ve learned to cast the best actors we can and then trust their instincts. And then it’s okay if we have to rewrite it on the fly. And that’s something Myrick is also very capable of doing.
You prep and you prep and you prep, and then, at the end of the day, you’re comfortable. Sometimes you just got to scrap it all and start over because someone did something brilliant and it’s emotionally true, and you just have to follow that until the end, because at the end of the day, truth is all you got. So, he really is great as far as that. I think that’s the highest compliment I can give.
Now, in talking about working with some of the best actors, Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste is fantastic, as Big Momma Sweet. Talk to me a little bit about the character and what she brought to the role that may have surprised you. I’m going with you, Graham.
Graham Phillips: Gosh. I mean, she’s just one of my favorite actors that I’ve ever gotten to work with. I’m also an actor, and I have to say, watching that scene, I was just so jealous anytime that Aaron got with her because she’s so good, and she comes from that theater background, and she has this way of sort of, in that vein, kind of listening with her blood. And she’s just so embodied, and she was such a great antagonist because she’s so principled and she’s so in her authority without having to do anything particularly maniacal from the beginning.
She’s just sitting back and having a beer. She’s so… And yet, there’s this danger just in the sense that she’s; it’s very much like the Godfather of the South, and I just thought she just did such a fantastic job. And, yeah, she really pulled it off. And she comes across as someone who follows her principles and is just running a business, and there’s almost a sadness that she has when she has to do what she’s got to do. And I don’t want to give too much away, but to our lead character, there’s a sympathy, there’s a sweetness of fondness that she has for him, and I just love that there’s sort of this bond that they have. It makes it so much more vital, I guess.
Incredible. Now, Parker, question for you. This is your guys’ second feature film. The first film was Bygone. What was something that you guys learned from Bygone that you were able to apply to this film, Rumble in the Dark, and then what is something that you learned from Rumble in the Dark that you’ll be able to apply throughout your career going forward?
Parker Phillips: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think the main thing that Graham and I learned is that we really wanted to tell a film, but really, we got to explore private moments with our characters. And I think that you can see that. We have a powerful scene that Aaron has in a motel room. It would be his low point, in screenwriting terms. We have a great scene with Bella. Bella Thorne plays a character who works for an outlaw carnival that travels the state of Mississippi. And so, she’s in her trailer alone, and she’s with this money that she’s discovered. We have this scene with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Big Momma Sweet’s just looking out on this beautiful Mississippi Delta sunset, and she’s just quiet for a moment, and it’s not necessarily clear what she’s doing.
Graham and I, our direction for her was, You’re sitting there, and you’re deciding where you’re going to place the odds for the fight tonight. And this is what you do. Every time you have a fight night, you go to the porch, smoke your cigar, watch the sunset, and decide where the odds are going to be. And I think that Graham and I just wanted to create a space where characters could… dialogue didn’t have to propel the scene, where they could really sit back and relax. And I think that’s something we brought to this film, and I think it’s something that I hope we will bring for the rest of our careers.
Incredible. Now, Graham, let me ask you, as a director, what messages or emotions do you hope audiences take away from Rumble in the Dark?
Graham Phillips: That’s a great question. I feel like there’s a sense of salvation at the end of this film. There is a sense of what the human spirit is capable of—fighting for the piece of themself that is innocent—and what they’ll do to fight for their family. And I think it really is a testament, more than anything, to the tenacity of the human spirit when faced with hardship, when love is on the other side and freedom is on the other side. And I hope that’s what people come away with. And the fact that Aaron Eckhart can fucking fight.
About Rumble Through The Dark
In the dark landscape of the Mississippi Delta, a bare knuckle cage fighter seeks to repay his debts in a final, desperate attempt to salvage the family home of his dying foster mother.
Rumble Through The Dark will be available in select theaters on November 3 and on VOD on November 10.