Exclusive Interview: Edward Drake on Guns Up

Guns Up has this wildly entertaining John Wick meets Nobody energy. What inspired the tone and style of the film?

The Incredibles and Shane Black movies. Shane captures the ways family love (and torture) each other, and how far they’ll go to protect their loved ones, like no other writer out there. The inspiration for the tone came directly from my personal journey. I wanted to tell a story that honored the people who taught me about loyalty and sacrifice. My grandfather and Bruce Willis were both fiercely dedicated to their families, and that theme of protecting your own, no matter the cost, is the heartbeat of Guns Up.  

Kevin James and Christina Ricci are such an unexpected but perfect pairing—what made you cast them in these roles, and how did they surprise you on set?

They were cast to not only subvert expectations, but to tie into the theme that any parent can be a hero. 

Kevin is a powerhouse. A great human and one of the strongest guys I’ve ever met. He’s known for his comedy, but I wanted the world see he can hang with the heavyweight action heroes. 

He brings a grounded sincerity to the role. He’s a dad being pushed to his limits. You believe he’d do anything for his kids, and that makes the action more impactful. 

Christina, of course, is one of a kind. Her talent for playing complex, slightly off-kilter characters brought a perfect blend of vulnerability and grit. She’s a great mom, and the ‘Alice’ character demanded an actor who can be warm one minute, and cut you down with a look the next. 

On set, they were the best kind of collaborators a dictator could ask for. They were game for the stunts and had great suggestions. I love that kind of collaborative spirit. I learned so much from both.

How do you approach choreographing action in a way that serves both tension and comedy?

I had the great fortune of hanging with members of Jackie Chan’s stunt team recently, and like Buster Keaton, they recognize action is an extension of the characters. We have to learn something about the stakes & characters in each fight, otherwise, action is just spectacle. I grew up watching Hong Kong action cinema. I did Gōjū-ryū for six years. A great martial arts sequence can be as funny as the best comedy, or as sad as a great tragedy. Every move, every gesture, every punch, and most importantly evey reaction, comes from a place of necessity. 

Our comedy often arises from the desperation of the moment. I wanted Kevin’s character to progressively fight bigger and bigger foes, and for each fight to have its own identity. 

Only one character in the film is a trained assassin; the rest are just normal people trying to get out of an impossible situation. The tension comes from the stakes. We know what they have to lose, and that emotional weight makes the action feel dangerous and unpredictable.

There’s a real sense of world-building in Guns Up—from the locations to the underworld it explores. How much of that world exists beyond the frame?

Before I wrote Guns Up, I wrote a ‘Ares’, which is Alice’s real name. Ares was full of the code, the families, the way New York and New Jersey are divided up. But I realized it was all world, no heart. So I wrote Guns Up, the story of Ray and Alice/Ares. 

I love a film with secrets. Secret worlds. Characters with secrets, protagonists afraid to show their true selves forout of fear that others won’t love them. The world of the film is one big secret. The only thing we know for sure is that this family loves and cares for each other. 

What was the most challenging sequence to shoot, and which scene are you most proud of?

The oner where Ray watches his wife fight for the first time. When we were rehearsing that scene, and Christina was kicking ass, the whole crew was in awe. I realized then that it was the entire shot. A husband seeing a new side of his wife. 

The most challenging? The club scene. It was a much, much bigger sequence but we were hit with torrential rain, which meant we couldn’t shoot outside without endangering the cast & crew. That was a non-starter. So I huddled with the HODs and cast. We came up wth the whole choreography for the fight on the day, shot by shot. Hong Kong style for life!

The runner-up is when Ray hears gunshots in the office and fears his daughter is dead. His worst nightmare is that his job as an enforcer could get his family hurt, and now he believes that has happened. When he gets to the office, he realizes something worse has happened… Because of Ray, his daughter is now complicit. I love this scene for the performances; Kevin and Keana Marie were bringing crew members to tears. I also love it because of how hard I had to fight to keep it in the film. 

How do you shift gears so smoothly between genres?

I love the nuance of each genre and was raised on a diet of Shane Black and Stephen Soderbergh. My favorite filmmakers float between genres, or create their own. Take Rian Johnson’s Brick. A coming-of-age murder mystery? It’s incredible. And it shows that singular voices will create their own visual language to fit the story. If the story is clearly a mystery, you research the genre. Make sure you’re building on, or subverting, what came before. 

I think what ties all my work together is a focus on characters who are tested and pushed to their limits. I love exploring what people do when they have everything to lose, regardless of the genre we’re in. 

What draws you to darker, morally gray characters and worlds?

My first memory is one of violence and confusion. We spend our adult lives trying to understand the forces that made us who we are. 

As a director, how do you balance tight storytelling with stylized world-building? Are you a planner or do you let the world evolve as you shoot?

Guns Up is a workplace comedy. The setting of the workplace just happens to be the East Coast underworld. 

The mantra I learned was… Plan. Plan. Plan. Then once you get on set, be ready to adapt. Embrace what you have. Lean into the circumstances. Through forces outside my control, the way I’ve made my films is in the tradition of Ernest Shakelton. When everything goes wrong? Figure it out and keep your family (read: cast & crew) safe.

Gasoline Alley was an atmospheric, moody noir that flew under the radar but built a strong cult following. What’s the story behind that film, and do you think it might get a sequel?

Tom Sierchio is the man to thank for Gasoline Alley. It’s all him. He was the original director, and when a twist of fate came a knockin’, I had the opportunity to step into the big seat. I loved that script and had championed it with the producers for a while, and I hope I did Tom’s work justice. 

Making the film was a chance to dive into the kind of atmospheric, character-driven noir films that I grew up loving. The story came from a place of wanting to explore the idea of a person living on the fringes of society, fighting to make a life for himself and be more than his past. The Jimmy character is driven by a strong moral code. His values dictate how he lives his life, not the law. 

Seeing Gasoline Alley go to #1 on Paramount in August was amazing. Devon Sawa’s one of a kind. I love that guy. I hope we can make another hard-boiled noir joint soon. 

I’d love to dive back into that world, but it’d have to be with Tom, Devon, Kat Foster, and Brandon Cox. They’re the beating heart of the Gasoline Alley. I was just the lucky guy who got to help them do their thing. 

The Detective Knight trilogy had a dark edge and thematic richness that fans still dissect online. Was that trilogy designed with a larger universe in mind?

It was like shooting a season of TV in one month. It was an honor and a privilege to direct Mr. Willis’ final performance. I’m flattered audiences are asking for more. 

What’s one scene or element from your previous work that you feel didn’t get enough attention but means a lot to you?

Great question. You never forget your first. Broil was a special story. Nels Lennerson gives a quiet, powerful performance that’s the secret weapon of the film. Without his strength, Timothy V. Murphy doesn’t have a great foil. 

I overwrote Broil. I overthought the story. It’s not a horror, it’s a gothic fairytale. Perhaps our marketing didn’t prepare audiences for the story in the right way. But my heart swoons every time someone tells me they loved it. 

Seeing Avery Konrad blow up has been so heartbreaking. She’s the best. Check out From for more Konrad. 

If you could direct any actor in your next action movie, who would it be and what kind of role would you write for them?

Mahershala Ali and Blade. My take on Blade would be The Raid, but in a club, where each level is a different level of a Dantean hell.

“Blade goes to Berghain…” coming to IMAX soon.

Are there any genres you haven’t touched yet that you’re dying to explore?

I’m going to out myself as an old man, but Master & Commander is one of my favorite films. My dream project is one set in that time period, on the high seas…  

With the positive buzz around Guns Up, is there potential for a sequel or even a connected universe?

If the cast wants to dive back in, I’m there in a heartbeat. 

What’s next for Edward Drake—any upcoming projects fans should keep an eye out for?

Starting a family. 

Thank you for your time, Edward. Don’t be a stranger!

Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. 

Check out out review of Guns Up and more interviews and reviews from the ‘Drake-Verse’ at Action Reloaded