He had great ideas for creating that concept.” I told him I wanted a throwback to the classic noir pictures and he got it right away.
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I don’t think I could have delivered this style of movie without his understanding. “Our director of photography, Jonathan Sela, is a rock star. Gray credits two more key members of the production team with helping create the atmosphere he envisioned for the film.
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He’s a storyteller who understands how to visually deliver a world.” “It’s another to have a creative partner who has the ability to fulfill the dream with his own great ideas incorporated. “It’s one thing to dream up this world,” he says. Seeing his vision so painstakingly realized was gratifying for Gray. There are a lot of brick and earth tones, which worked well for the muted palette of film noir.” Because it’s an older city, it has an almost European color palette. It has a lot of history and a lot of texture. Philadelphia is fantastic in that respect.
The architecture and scope of the buildings translated into a visual style for me. “I drew a sense of color and mood from the city. Philadelphia itself helped define movie’s look, according to Hajdu. I thought that was perfect given the subject matter.” We were not afraid to grab the long shadows or use high contrast. “We took some of the classic elements of film noir and introduced them into a very modern movie. “The premise of the movie dictated a unique style,” says the director. Gary Gray worked closely with the film’s production designer, Alex Hajdu, to develop a signature visual style for Law Abiding Citizen that takes its inspiration from the city and reflects some of the story’s complexity. The place tells a whole story unto itself.”į. It was a fascinating experience, right down to the smell and the cold. While we were filming, we’d have to stop so inmates in shackles could be led through by guards, and then we would start filming again. “I’m not somebody who’s used to jails, just as Clyde Shelton isn’t. “We were in a functioning prison,” says the actor. Shooting in Holmesburg proved to be a powerful experience for Butler. It could be a ’40s movie, this could be The Big Sleep, and Holmesburg really lent itself to that timeless feeling.” This movie could take place almost at any time if you didn’t see modern vehicles in it. “Holmesburg is almost medieval,” says Foster. Built in 1896, and recently partially reopened to house overflow from other prisons, Holmesburg is the antithesis of a modern prison with its crumbling brick walls, archaic structures and rusting cells. Holmesburg Prison was closed in 1995 after riots killed two wardens, but it may be better known as the site where infamous medical experiments were performed on prisoners. I would make another movie here in a heartbeat.”įor critical scenes that take place behind prison walls, the filmmakers secured a notorious location. “The city was really excited to have us here, and I was charmed by Philadelphia. “When you come to such a big city, you can feel that you’re just going to be a drop in the ocean, but you’re not in Philadelphia,” the actor says. We lit up the whole street leading down to City Hall one night and it took my breath away. “It has so many great views and angles that no matter where you are it looks amazing. “Philadelphia City Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen in America,” says Butler. Philadelphia’s iconic City Hall, whose singular silhouette has been one of the defining images of the Philadelphia skyline for more than a century, figures prominently in the action. “We’re calling the look of this movie ‘neo-noir.’ I don’t think Philadelphia has ever been photographed the way we’re photographing it.” “It was also important to us to have a place that was graphically stark and unusual,” he adds.
It feels like a place where you know you can get a little bit lost. The city offered the filmmakers several unique attributes, says Foster. This movie is all about justice, so it made a lot of sense for us to come to the place where a lot of these issues were first considered.” The Founding Fathers spent a lot of time there. “It’s the seat of English common law in America. “It was a very specific choice on our part,” says producer Lucas Foster. Originally set in Los Angeles, the events of the story took on special significance when the setting was changed to Philadelphia. The film is being released by Overture Films on October 16, 2009.Ī quintessentially urban story, Law Abiding Citizen needed the backdrop of a great American city for its intricately woven tale. Gary Gray, is a new thriller starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler.