Adam Beach on 'Diablo' and 'Suicide Squad'
The Old West is coming back to the movies.
That's right, film fans, the Western is becoming a big screen sensation all over again with two terrific 2015 releases, "Bone Tomahawk" and "The Hateful Eight," blazing new paths for the genre with the latter as a horror/Western hybrid and the latter injecting the style with wicked Agatha Christie style.
The Western boom is showing no signs of slowing down in 2016. Feb. 19 brings the release of "Forsaken," which features the father/son team-up of Donald and Keifer Sutherland. And, this month saw the release of director and co-writer Lawrence Roeck's "Diablo," which takes psychological thriller approach to the story of Jackson, a troubled Civil War veteran on a bloody quest to rescue his wife from mysterious captors.
Starring Scott Eastwood as Jackson, "Diablo" surrounds its star with an ensemble that includes screen legend Danny Glover, "The Hateful Eight" co-star Walton Goggins and Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach.
Discussing the durability of the genre with the Asbury Park Press' "Fan Theory" podcast, Beach said that “when it comes to the Western genre, it’s the land of the free, it’s the building of America, it’s the foundation, it’s that one cabin on the land. It’s the Native Americans balanced with the land and also living off the land.
"There was this true kind of belonging to live a certain lifestyle we can’t live right now unless you’re a cowboy in Montana ranching cattle. But back then, that was your life, and time in itself. That’s why with Westerns, when you watch them, they’re so slow and very dynamic with its views because when they were going somewhere it took them three days! To walk to school took half a day. That’s the beauty of it, the independence, this family-oriented lifestyle, It’s who we are.”
A member of the Saulteaux tribe who grew up on the Dog Creek First Nation Reserve in Manitoba, Beach co-stars in "Diablo" as a leader of an American Indian tribe who crosses paths with Eastwood.
The two actors have known each other for around a decade, with Eastwood having made his big screen debut in "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006). Beach earned critical acclaim for his work as Iwo Jima hero Ira Hayes in the World War II drama directed by Scott's father, Clint Eastwood.
"We were a rambunctious crew that just had a hell of a time exploring the psychological warfare on the battle of Iwo Jima and how horrific it could be," Beach recalled. "The loss of friends and seeing this horrific battle is pretty intense. So in that intensity, you can really become close to someone.”
Following "Diablo," Beach and Eastwood will reunite for the Aug. 5 release "Suicide Squad." The latest entry in the rapidly expanding DC Comics cinematic universe, the David Ayer-directed film features a “Dirty Dozen”-style team-up of villains including the Joker (Jared Leto), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith). Beach co-stars as Slipknot, while Eastwood's role remains under wraps.
“When people watch it, it’s going to be something different," Beach said of "Suicide Squad." "It’s going to fit in the realm of the comic book movie universe, but here you get the insight into these villains. And, what we wanted to show is they’re still human beings, they still have emotions. And, how are you going to get them to do the job you’re asking them to do?”
DIABLO
WHEN/WHERE: Now playing in select theaters and available through video-on-demand services
INFO: 83 minutes, rated R
Stream the latest episodes of Fan Theory on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
Be sure to follow Fan Theory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.