Walter Hill in ‘Warriors’, the sequel to ‘Alien’ with Sigourney Weaver and what’s wrong with all those ’48 Hours’ comedies

80-year-old American director Walter Hill can claim to have invented at least two cinematic genres: the street gang movie with the 1979 action thriller. fighters – and the 1982 Eddie Murphy/Nick Nolte Buddy Cop hit 48 hours. As a producer, Hill was behind Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking sci-fi horror blockbuster. abroad and its derivative franchises, including three aliens Sequels and directed by Scott Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Alliance (2017).

But Hill’s first love is the western. Researched the life of Wild West legend Jesse James (1980 long knightsWild Bill Hickok (1995) wild account) and Geronimo (1993 Geronimo: an American legend) and turned to Akira Kurosawa YojimboThe inspiration for Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western a handful of dollarsIn 1995, during the Prohibition era last man standing.

It is therefore fitting that this year in Venice, where he will be honored with the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award, Hill will present his latest equestrian opera.

for a dead dollar Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan and Benjamin Bratt star in this classic Old West tale about two rivals, treasure hunter Max Borlund (Waltz) and outlaw Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), who find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum. of the specter on a quest to find and return. Rachel Kidd (Brosnahan), the wife of a wealthy Santa Fe businessman (Brat), who fled an abusive marriage to find a new life in Mexico.

for a dead dollar The premiere will take place in Venice on September 6 without competition. Quiver Distribution will release the film in North America with Universal Pictures, which will be released in several international territories, including the UK, Australia, Italy and Japan. Myriad Pictures will handle worldwide sales.

hill spoke the hollywood reporter Before Venice about its cinematic heritage, the “biblical” appeal of the western and 48 hours– The style of buddy comedies is wrong.

for a dead dollar It is his first film in six years. [since 2016’s The Assignment]And this is another western. What’s in the western you can’t put down?

Well, that’s a tough question, really, in the sense that any of us really know why we like the things we like? I can say this. As a child, my brother and I used to go to the movies every weekend. He enjoyed musicals, comedies and everything in between. But the western was my favorite. I have always admired its elegant simplicity. I’m very interested in people living in primitive conditions, facing complex problems that they have to solve on their own terms, without recourse to the government or a higher authority.

Also, when I was a kid, my mother, who was the very definition of a good Christian woman, sent me to Sunday school and church, which I attended until I was 15. I didn’t like it then, but now. I think it was a good idea to send it to me. Because even then I knew that Bible stories were beautiful. And when it comes to westerns, being outdoors with cowboys and horses is like walking through the Old Testament. These are Old Testament stories. You get the feeling that these are stories that can be understood in the Old Testament. I think it shows what Freud and the Jesuits said: Give me a child under five and he will be mine forever. They accepted me, they accepted me before, westerns accepted me.

Westerns are still being made, but they’re not as dominant a genre as they used to be.

When I was a kid, westerns were all the rage on TV and in movies, though they were still on the wane. It is interesting to speculate on the decline of the West. I think mainly the decline has to do with the fact that modern audiences no longer feel connected to this classic American agrarian landscape. I grew up a city boy, but my parents were very much in touch with his agrarian background and of course my grandparents were. But I think it’s now a foreign country for modern audiences.

Also, I think the western genre was overrated. They just played. The third is that the western, of all film genres, is the easiest to parody. Mel Brooks changed things for us [with Blazing Saddles]. I don’t mean it destroyed. But now we see them differently. I don’t want the film’s financiers to hear this, but I think there is a distance between the West and modern audiences. There is still room for them and some are under construction. There are people interested in them and I think there’s an audience there. but you won’t make it best weapon technical team.

Despite best weapon It’s like a western, a western with planes.

You still have your main character, Maverick! Yes, exactly.

Venice will give you a lifetime achievement award, the opportunity to reflect on your work. Is there a film of yours that you are most proud of?

Well, you shouldn’t, because that would offend everyone you worked with. My old standard answer was that my favorite movie was the following. But you know there’s obviously a lot more to the rearview mirror than the front windshield, and it changes your perspective. I’ve really been trying not to think about past movies because I want to do another couple. I still feel good, I’m not ready to stay at home reading magazines, I want to go out and do another movie or two. But, you know, there aren’t many 80-year-old directors working there.

But to answer your question. I would say my favorite work experience was definitely in a western. Working conditions are much better. You are in the middle of a beautiful country, surrounded by horses. In urban movies, you’re constantly fighting the city, fighting to find parking for the crew, fighting traffic and noise. With westerns, you usually go to a place where you own the place and can do whatever you want, pretty much on your own. So I guess my answer is westerns. And if you ask me what my favorite western is, I would say Jeff Bridges and wild account, where he performed truly remarkable. Bill Hickok was not an easy man to play with. And I thought you did a great job. I am very, very happy to hear that Jeff has recovered and is back at work.

The first movie I saw was yours. fighters. It was on television and I must have been 10 or 11 years old. It scared and fascinated me in equal measure.

A few months ago they invited me to go to the film festival in Bologna and showed me fighters In Piazza Maggiore, on one of those giant outdoor football stadium screens. They had 7,000 people there. and they showed it fighters. I shot this movie about 40 years ago and haven’t seen it since. I was wondering how this would happen. And played very well! The audience had fun, screaming and screaming. the right direction. I couldn’t believe it. 42, 43 years ago we did this movie for a nickel, it wasn’t such a big budget. We just met in New York. And play again. So I don’t know, the more you do these things, sometimes the less you know.

Another movie of yours that catches my attention. 48 hours, not just because it was a great movie, but because you essentially created a new genre: the buddy cop movie. Is it true that the original cast was supposed to be Clint Eastwood and Richard Pryor?

Every movie has these fickle arguments. When we were starting, I went upstairs and I saw Clint and he was at it, playing a doomed character. But before we finished the script, he was doing a Don Siegel movie. escape from Alcatraz, so he was already going to take a prisoner. And if he played a cop, he was already Dirty Harry in another franchise. So it didn’t work. So (we) write the prisoner as colored. I told the studio we should go after Richard Pryor.

That was a few years before the movie was made. The studio didn’t respond, so I went and did a few more movies. Then they called me: would you do a movie with Nick Nolte? Of course I did. I didn’t know Nick, but I really liked his work and thought he could play a cop. Eddie intervened at the last minute. We wanted someone who was fun but could also play hardball. We all knew Eddie was funny. Saturday night live, but we didn’t know if she could handle the acting part. Turns out that wasn’t a problem.

Did you know at the time that you were making a movie that would be so influential?

No, we didn’t. Obviously I was happy it turned out to be a success. Getting the director right means you’ll keep working. It’s a very fake movie. I admit. And I take the old Oscar Wilde saying that imitation is flattery. However, I believe that much of what is perceived as imitation is somewhat incorrect. 48 hours. The real secret of the movie was that these guys weren’t friends. They really didn’t like each other and said it all the time. Finally, only after being tested by fire and testing the character of both parties do they come to respect each other, a weary but mutual respect. I thought that was what gave the film its dignity, so to speak. But a lot of people thought it was a formula: make the two guys talk a lot. one black and one white. or variations on it.

48 hours it was your only movie The director continued, but you did everything. aliens movies, one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all time. Sigourney Weaver will be in Venice again this year [with Paul Schrader film Master Gardener]. There’s a chance the two of you can get together and plan for Ripley’s return. aliens 5?

We filmed a few years ago with Sigourney. But that’s when aliens I was still at Fox. The Disney people are in control now. aliens, expressed no interest in following this path. I had an idea for a good story with the character Ripley and Sigourney. But I hope to see you in Venice.

Are there any young directors working now that you look up to?

Well, I can’t say that, because then I’ll offend everyone I don’t name. I only talk about dead directors.

Who were the most influential directors for you? He met and worked with Sam Peckinpah, one of the greatest Western directors of all time.

Yes, Sam and I were good friends. and you see in the end for a dead dollarwe have loyalty [1950s Western director] Bud Boetticher, who made some great westerns. Buddy and I were friends, I didn’t know him as well as I knew Sam, but we were friends for the rest of his life. But my influence is very diverse. Everyone always mentions John Ford. Yes, sure, but I have a picture on my desk. [he turns the camera to show a large black and white photo of a director with a small insert of two more]. The biggest painting is by Luis Buñuel, one of my favorites. A small insert is by Wim Wenders and Sam Fuller, both of my favorites. Vim is still alive, so I think I broke my rule there.

You know, when I got here, I didn’t know anyone in Hollywood. I arrived with a battered suitcase and a cardboard box. Like many people who come to Hollywood, I was young, stupid, and broke. But there was always a sense that there were people who could, within this really rigid system, tell valuable stories and tell them in a unique way that expressed their personality. And I never stopped believing that. But what do I know? I’m just an old man who makes westerns.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.