Liam Hemsworth teams up with Gladiator star Russell Crowe in a new project from William Eubank, Land of Bad. The film, which also stars Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, and Milo Ventimiglia, follows Kinney (Hemsworth) and his team of soldiers as Reaper (Crowe) helps them survive the jungle after a mission went awry.
It is the typical visual feast for fans of ‘90s Hollywood action films which aims to honor and revisit the genre that made a lot of action stars globally popular. Hence, fans can expect a lot of gunshots, explosions, and hard-hitting scenes.
Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe’s Land Of Bad Is Set To Change The Game Of Hollywood Action Movies
Land of Bad starring Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe has received generally favorable reviews and ratings from early screeners. It takes pride in its generic military thriller appeal which attempts to make the audience feel nostalgic. Indeed, a review from industry insider Jeff Sneider claimed that it could restore the former glory of Hollywood action films.
In an interview with WorldFilmGeek, director William Eubank talked about Land of Bad and what compelled him to write the script.
“We really wanted to make a fun exciting sort of ‘90s throwback, just really pulled out the stops and had a lot of fun.”
When asked about his inspiration, he mentioned the 2001 film Black Hawk Down helmed by Ridley Scott. Indeed, Hemsworth’s movie is filled with the formulaic elements of a ‘90s action thriller.
“I love so many of them. I just love movies like Black Hawk Down. Obviously, it’s Ridley again, but I’m such a Ridley fan. Just movies that really have that fourth dimension like stuff flying through the camera and awesome explosions and characters that you actually sort of can laugh with a little, and you want them to get out of that.”
Eubank also spoke of Russell Crowe’s performance in the film, claiming he was so committed to his character and the details of his work. In fact, he even outshone the Hemsworth brothers in terms of delivery.
Land Of Bad Director Shares Behind-The-Scenes Stories
William Eubank revealed in his conversation with Agents of Fandom how he revised the script for Russell Crowe’s Land of Bad after meeting real JTACs or Joint Terminal Attack Controllers.
“It was so wild that it kind of changed my perspective on what we were trying to do, and it gave me a little bit better understanding of who some of the guys are and how they would really be. And so, I don’t know, it was just a real sort of weird experience.”
Additionally, the director revealed they shot the film in 42 days in Australia, and one of the issues they encountered was the abundance of rain in the country. Since it was set in a jungle, they also found it challenging to find a shelter. They were also pestered by leeches, which he recalled was a wild experience.
Land of Bad will be released in select theaters on February 16, 2024.
