Interview Exclusive: Elliott Montello on Reckless and Scott Adkins

1. What first pulled you into filmmaking — was there a moment or influence that made you think, “This is my world”?

Elliott:
Around 1996, I was at a yard sale and saw a VHS tape of the behind-the-scenes Michael Jackson Thriller featurette. I was a big fan of Jackson back then, so I bought it with my pocket money and watched it that night. I was hooked.

The magic of the set, the prestige, the camaraderie, and the collective nature of making something really cool together completely hooked me. I told my parents the next day that I wanted to work in the film industry.

2. Before Reckless, what experiences or projects shaped the filmmaker you are today?

Elliott:
I’ve been in the film industry full-time since 2007 — right after I was heroically ejected from film school and politely shown the door.

I started at the bottom as a film loader and 2nd AC on shows like Doctor Who and Skins in the UK, then worked my way up to camera operator and eventually Director of Photography. Along the way, I picked up a few weird film side quests. I had a stint as a stunt performer — because getting set on fire is cool — and worked in the art department, mainly because they get to play with guns and swords all day and sneak off for ciggy breaks whenever they like. I even ended up acting in a few things at different points.

After years of union studio work as a below-the-line crew member, I realized that creative input is basically zero and not welcomed. So I got disillusioned and pivoted into directing music videos, commercials, and eventually indie films, where my mantra is “Best idea always wins.” Because at the end of the day, it’s a collaborative piece of art — and if you’ve got a cool idea, let me know. The job of a good director is to surround themselves with good, talented people to make the vision come to life.

I later moved back into the studio world to 2nd unit direct on action movies, which was the perfect mash-up of camera and stunt chaos. It taught me how to plan big sequences fast, execute under pressure, and match another director’s vision and style.

But the biggest thing for me as a director is empathy. I came up through the trenches, so to speak. I’ve watched directors overshoot coverage, burn out crews, and ask for the impossible without understanding the cost. I’ve also been the crew member getting quietly thrown under the bus. So now I try to direct the way I wish I’d been directed — prepared, decisive, and never asking someone to do something that would’ve made me roll my eyes when I was in their shoes.

3. How did Reckless first land on your radar, and what made you say yes to directing it?

Elliott:
It was early October 2024. I’d just spent two months in the UK directing commercials and was planning to head back to North America to see my kids for Halloween. Then at 1:30am, my phone rang. It was my producer mate Matthew Robert Kelly.

“Where are you?”

“England, but I’m about to leave in a week to go see my kids for some trick-or-treating.”

“Stay there. You’ll see your kids in December. I’ve got a movie for you. We’ve got Scott Adkins and Vinnie Jones… are you in?”

The script at the time was set in the US and felt very different to what it eventually became. But I knew we could flip it and make it unapologetically British. I told him, “If you let me make it like Chopper meets True Romance through the lens of Baz Luhrmann — funny, hyper-stylized, loud, and colourful — then I’m in.”

He didn’t hang up. So I guessed that was a yes.

4. Scott Adkins has a huge presence in the action world. What were your first impressions of him as a collaborator?

Elliott:
The first call was basically a mutual vibe check. It’s always a gamble for an established actor to roll the dice on a first-time feature director — especially one whose resume consists of so many different departments in the industry.

So we talked it through. I filled him in on my background and made it clear I wasn’t walking in with ego at all. I was walking in collaborative, but with my own vision clearly communicated. I wanted to know exactly what he needs from fight scenes, how he likes action covered, and where we could push style without losing clarity.

It was also helpful that I’d watched a ton of Scott’s YouTube breakdowns on how modern Hollywood butchers fight scenes — and honestly, I agreed with him on pretty much everything. So thankfully, we were already speaking the same language. Less chaos, more impact, and no cutting every half-second like we’re hiding a stunt double. We need to see it’s Scott doing all these stunts and fights.

5. When you and Scott first sat down to talk about the character, what clicked creatively between you?

Elliott:
When we started digging into the character, that’s when it got fun. Scott’s built a career being the lethal, hyper-skilled and competent guy in the room. So the idea of getting him to play a charming, slightly bumbling disaster felt fresh. Same physical ability — just wrapped in worse decision-making.

It was a gear we’d seen a little bit in Accident Man, but we wanted to push it further and make it more ridiculous. We both got excited about that.

I was also keen for Scott to use his own Birmingham accent. I’d only ever heard him use a kind of East London accent in some movies and an American in others. So I wanted just him — because it would inject his character Devon with authenticity. There’s something inherently great about a dangerous man who sounds like he grew up down the road from you.

6. Scott is known for bringing a lot of physical storytelling to his roles. How did you tailor the character and action to his strengths while still making it your own film?

Elliott:
Okay, so this is a funny story. The original script had zero hand-to-hand combat. It was all gunfights. So Scott asked me if we could flip that, because let’s be honest, he knows what his fans want — which is a fair point.

My only issue was that his character Devon is meant to be a regular bloke… so why does he suddenly know kung fu? I said, “Give me a day to figure this out.”

Then I called him back. “Okay, I have an idea, but you’ve got to stay with me and hear me out. Before prison, Devon can’t fight at all. But inside, there’s a guy called the Bishop of Belmarsh (played by Mark Strange) who keeps trying to have his way with you in the showers. So you teach yourself martial arts from a ‘Kung Fu for Dummies’ book to defend your honour. What do you think about that?”

There was a moment of silence. Then Scott burst out laughing. That’s when I knew we were onto something.

7. Was there a moment on set where you thought, “This is why Scott Adkins is Scott Adkins”?

Elliott:
The first time I met Scott in person was at East London Studios, walking straight into one of his fight rehearsals for Reckless with stunt coordinator Jude Poyer.

I gave him a quick bro hug. Then I just watched him casually throw a double spinning roundhouse like it was a warm-up stretch. It was honestly incredible to see up close. The precision, the control, the economy of his movements. Nothing sloppy. Nothing wasted.

He knows exactly what he wants out of a beat and exactly how to execute it. Watching him work, you realise very quickly that this isn’t just action choreography — it’s craftsmanship.

8. Every director-actor partnership has a rhythm. How did you and Scott build trust and communication throughout the shoot?

Elliott:
Early on, I did something which I thought was either brave or deeply unwise — I showed Scott my painfully stupid short films I made as a late teenager. No-budget fight scenes, wildly average choreography, and endings that inevitably collapsed into some kind of dick, fart, or bumming joke because I couldn’t think of a proper way to finish it.

I’m happy I did this, because it turns out we share the exact same 14-year-old-boy sense of humour. Which is either a strength or a warning sign.

On day two or three of the shoot, he said, “This feels like we’re teenagers again making a film with our mates, telling jokes we wouldn’t say in front of our mums and that probably only we find funny.” That pretty much nailed the vibe.

Every morning, Scott, myself, and writer Stu Small would sit down, go through the script, and just throw jokes at each other. If all three of us cracked up, it went in. It was a very scientific process.

I also loved how game Scott was with improv. I’d quietly feed other cast members surprise lines just to see how he’d react, and he’d roll with it instantly — sharper, funnier, and usually filthier than planned.

By the end of it, it didn’t feel like a job. It felt like we’d accidentally built a very professional excuse to behave like idiots — and we immediately wanted to do it all again on another movie.

9. Looking back, what was the most personally rewarding part of making Reckless, either creatively or emotionally?

Elliott:
I put a lot of myself into this film — to the point where people who know me have said, “This is the most Elliott Montello thing you’ve ever made.” So I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.

My music video and TV commercial background definitely bleeds through, especially in the music choices and the stop-frame animation sequences. Those actually started as a stylish workaround I had to come up with for budget limitations — and ended up being better than what was originally on the page. There ain’t nothing like financial panic from a line producer breathing down your neck to spark creativity.

I also wanted to tip the hat to classic British gangster films — especially the early stuff from Guy Ritchie — the kind of loud, funny, kinetic crime movies I grew up on that don’t seem to get made much anymore.

At the end of the day, I’m just an entertainer. I want people to feel something — ideally joy and laughter — and if we managed both, then I’ve done my job.

10. After this experience, how do you feel Reckless has changed you or influenced the direction you want to take in your future films?

Elliott:
I’ve always been a sci-fi fan at heart. I worked in a few good ones, such as Netflix’s Lost in Space. But much of my career in a directing capacity has been in action films — probably because big explosions and high-octane stunts are easier to come by than intergalactic world-building on a budget.

But I’d never really tackled comedy in a feature before. Getting to blend action with almost slapstick comedy on this film has been an eye-opener.

Reckless has given me the confidence — and the excitement — to really lean into this genre mash-up on future projects. It’s already shaping the movies I’m lining up to direct for the rest of the year.

Honestly, I can’t wait for people to see what’s coming next.

Check out more interviews at Action Reloaded and Review of Reckless is now available to read at Action Reloaded