Director BRIAN SKIBA talks about taking us into the Old West with his new film, the rootin’ tootin’ shoot ’em up western DEAD MAN’S HAND.
It’s always a joy to chat with BRIAN SKIBA about his various projects. From Christmas movies to thrillers to horror to romcoms to action, Brian has proven his adeptness at storytelling in a myriad of genres thanks to a keen directorial eye and his ability to execute his vision as well as that demanded by the script itself. But now, Brian takes the bull by the horns and wrangles a genuine Old West Western with DEAD MAN’S HAND. And what a Western it is!
Characters are engaging and interesting. We’ve got the necessary and beloved tropes of good and bad, gunfights, saloons and “dance hall girls”, horses, and some beautiful vistas, not to mention themes that speak to relations between the White Man and the Native Americans, post-Civil War economic situation for returning soldiers, PTSD, and above all, the beauty of dreams and hope that protagonists Reno and Vegas carry with them to the bitter end.
Directed by BRIAN SKIBA with script by Corin Nemec, Kevin Minor, and Matthew Minor, DEAD MAN’S HAND boasts an incredible cast with each performance as good as if not better than the next starting with Stephen Dorff who delivers quite possibly one of the best performances of his career as Mayor Bishop. Joining Dorff is Jack Kilmer as Reno, Randall Batinkoff as Sheriff Winters, Camille Collard as Vegas, Costas Mandylor as Lucas, and in a real casting coup, three of the most popular cast members from Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” – Cole Hauser, Forrie J. Smith, and Mo Brings Plenty. If that trio doesn’t make you think “Western”, I don’t know what will given that Smith is an actual rodeo champion and Mo Brings Plenty is an Oglala Lakota while Hauser plays the quintessential cowboy Rip Wheeler on “Yellowstone”.
SYNOPSIS: Gunslinger Reno (Jack Kilmer) is headed west for a quiet life with his new bride. But when their stagecoach is ambushed, he kills an outlaw in self-defense. In a nearby town, Reno learns that the man he slays is the brother of the corrupt mayor, Bishop (Stephen Dorff), who vows revenge. After their card game turns into a bloody shootout, who will be left standing? Cole Hauser (“Yellowstone”) appears as a U.S. Marshal who becomes Reno’s ally in this pulse-pounding Western.
From a picture-perfect opening with blue skies and a lone stagecoach travelling a well-worn path across the desert, Skiba and his cinematographer Adam Biddle waste no time in immersing us in time, place and character as they take us from a widescreen vista zooming in to the intimacy of the passengers inside the stage and the wonderful light-hearted bonding of Reno and his new bride Vegas with some children in the stage with them thanks to Reno’s magic tricks. We immediately see Reno’s heart which sets the tone of film. But is it truth or fiction as the tables quickly turn when the stage is attacked by former Confederate soldiers and a gunfight ensues with Reno and Vegas defending the stage. We get a bit more insight into Reno when he stops one of the stage drivers from shooting at the Native Americans who appear post-shooting. A terrific opening that really draws you into the character of Reno and what makes him tick. And with Jack Kilmer’s baby face, you immediately start rooting for Reno. A great “prologue” to the story that is about to unfold once the stage gets to town.
The Western tropes are out in full force once the stage arrives in town as we meet the local Sheriff (Randall Batinkoff) who is the gateway introduction to the town and the logistics of “Mayor” Bishop and his dirty dealings. The authenticity is immersive with everything from the Old Western town itself to costuming and on down to spurs, footwear, and armaments. Commanding the screen, up on the porch, standing tall, totin’ a gun, hat pulled a little low over his left eye, nice rugged scruff on the face, and getting a “High Noon” moment with Kilmer’s Reno, Batinkoff’s Sheriff immediately puts us in a John Ford frame of mind. Adding to the power of this initial introduction to the town is the work of cinematographer Adam Biddle whose visual grammar plays into the power struggle of the good guys versus the bad guys, using camera dutching and light to constantly keep us in the action and metaphorically tell us who has the upper hand and when. One of the most dramatic examples of this is marked with the arrival of Hauser’s Marshall with a striking sun flare caught in the camera lens with an upward dutch toward the Marshall metaphorically giving a sense of “white knight” charging in to save the town folk or serving as a light of goodness that blinds the Sheriff. Very beautiful and very effective. And that’s just for a start.
The film takes off from there thanks to the perfect shooting location and powerful performances. Thankfully, Skiba uses all to their best advantage with staging. Gunfights are very well designed and executed.
But the real strength of DEAD MAN’S HAND comes with its casting and the performances elicited from each actor.
After seeing Dorff in “Old Henry” and how well suited he is to Westerns, I hoped to see him in a more period Western, and lo and behold, this is it. Dorff brings such intensity, grit, raw rage, and hatred to Bishop. He is riveting. The character gives new meaning to PTSD and Dorff dives into that emotional well head first bringing it all to the fore with facial expression which the camera loves. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with Jack Kilmer and his performance as Reno. There’s a joy in Reno that really grounds the film with hope for the future, not to mention his love for Vegas. You root for him at every turn. Forrie J. Smith is not only fun as the local barkeep and poker dealer, but really exudes that Old West saloon vibe. Love seeing Mo Brings Plenty who, as Mahto, maintains a calm, reasoned presence, much like we are used to seeing from Mo on “Yellowstone”, which is mirrored by Cole Hauser’s character as the Marshall. Hauser is, as to be expected, perfection as he brings reasoned tacit strength to the Marshall.
Editing the film himself, Skiba finds the perfect pace and balance which is further complemented by Steve Dorff’s scoring. Well suited to the story and the period, what sets this score apart is the instrumentation Dorff uses with the score and the individual motifs.
In this exclusive interview, BRIAN SKIBA and I wrangle all of these storytelling and production elements and more.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 07/07/2023
