While some films like "Godzilla" and "Star Wars: Episode I" drown both plot and excitement in a sea of mind-numbing effects, there is one director who knows how and when to utilise them best. He is Renny Harlin.
Back in 1985, Renny was in his native Finland raising finance for his action thriller "Arctic Heat", (released in the US as "Born American"). With only a budget of around $1m and a tiny crew, he managed to produce a US-style action film that belied the meagre financing behind it. While not a great success it gave him the "courage to come to America" and pursue his career in film direction.
His first US production was directing "Prison" for Charles Band's Empire Pictures, responsible for the likes of "Re-animator" and "Ghost Town". Not only did Harlin "struggle to get hired" for "Prison", he also rates it as "the toughest film I ever made." Here he learnt the art of creating convincing special effects from household items like rubber bands. Despite this, the film boasts some top-notch sequences, while retaining good tension.
The end result was enough to convince New Line Pictures to hire him to direct "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master". Again, working with a low budget he produced impressive effects, which led to the film achieving the biggest ever August box office opening in the US.
The ability to squeeze the most out of budgets and putting it on the screen without swamping the audience stood him in good stead for the big league. Both "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger" combine his trademark moments of visceral excess while keeping the excitement up. And he's pushed this further by utilising CGI in "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and "Deep Blue Sea" with incredible results, but without relying on it alone to satisfy an audience. Renny's latest film, "Driven", is set in the world of Indy car racing and he uses CGI to create some truly stunning crashes and racing scenes.
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