William Kaufman‘s (Sinners and Saints, Daylight’s End) singular heist thriller The Channel is all set to hit this July 14.
Written and directed by Kaufman, and starring Clayne Crawford (Finestkind, “Lethal Weapon”) and Max Martini (The Tender Bar, “The Purge”), The film centers on a desperate criminal, his unstable brother, and their motley crew of ex-Marines as they seek refuge after a failed bank robbery with a deterinate FBI agent hot on their trail.
Commenting on the film, Kaufman said that as a filmmaker he has always been fascinated by action thrillers and that he and his partner Paul Reichelt quickly decided that they wanted to try their hand at creating a savage, dangerous and bloody heist film:
“But if we were going to go down that familiar path, we needed to try and tackle it for a different perspective. That’s why the story isn’t about the bank robbery… In fact, the heist happens in the opening minutes of the film. My focus as I set out to write it, would be about the criminals, the two Sheridan brothers from the Irish Channel and how their choices affect themselves and those they love, as they desperately try to escape the consequences of their actions. All this set in a world where violence is never sexy and cool, but instead, brutally ugly, and absolutely terrifying … To me this film, in many ways is a love letter to the films of my youth. An unapologetic, dark, violent tale about the cost of living with the consequences of the choices we make, and how they affect ourselves and the people we hold dearest.”
In anticipation of The Channel set to release in Select Theaters and On Demand on July 14, CinemaChords caught up with the film’s Director Kaufman who explained how he went about creating a film that would stand out in such a crowded sub-genre, how he shaped characters who perform heinous deeds whilst at the same time triggering the audience’s empathy, and how the film raises vital awareness about the impact of PTSD. (We also interviewed Max Martini and Clayne Crawford here).
