Michael Keaton stepped up as producer, director and star of “Knox Goes Away” – despite its similarity to his 2013 directing debut “The Merry Gentleman.”
That little-seen arthouse release and “Knox,” he acknowledged in a Zoom interview, “Both coincidentally and ironically and weirdly, frankly, had to do with someone I would refer to as contract killers.
“It really is odd. I mean, it’s really strange, because I’m not particularly interested in making movies about that type of character. I don’t mind; it’s just this is what he’s chasing. And I just find that really odd.”
While Keaton’s John Knox is a troubled hit man, the script Keaton, 72, said, was irresistible. “It was complicated. And the truth is, it really has not much to do with that business.”
Early on the title’s meaning becomes readily apparent. Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden costar as Knox races against a ticking clock, enjoys a bittersweet reunion with his long-estranged son (James Marsden) and dodges a murder investigation.
“Because his situation was never written or described in the script, I always create a backstory for the character. Then as director I had to do ‘double duty’ to know what to do for the script and the story.
“In that regard, you say, ‘Well, what were the circumstances that that led to this unusual life?’ I guess you utilize some of your own personality traits — and then you just create the rest.
“There are things in John Knox that are similar. I mean, I hope, I think most of us have at least some kind of code.
“Now his is a bit twisted. He justifies certain things. But there’s this odd kind of decency. As a father he’s unfortunately estranged from his son — and I thought, ‘I don’t have that situation. It’s the opposite.’ So you just say, ‘What can I find in common here?’ Or, ‘What isn’t in this guy’s personality?’”
What’s definitely apparent is Knox’s capacity for extreme – and extremely fast – violence. As the filmmaker doubles in front of the camera, “I knew there was a lot going on,” Keaton said.
“This doesn’t have a huge budget. You only have a little time frankly. So you have to think practically and creatively. Turns out, I’m pretty good at that.
“I’m good at saving money, saving time. In this case, it was easier to do it myself. Me, the camera operator, but also my director of photography, the stunt coordinator and choreographer got together and started cutting it. So I was easier for me to do it when we got to shooting.
“It was easier and faster for me to do as much of it as I could. I wanted it to move, you know?”
“Knox Goes Away” opens March 15
