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Tribune News Service

When David Ayer yells “action” on the set, he means it. The 57-year-old filmmaker has become one of the successful players in the thriller genre, with screenwriting credentials that include Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, the first instalment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
As a director, he is responsible for 2016’s Suicide Squad, which grossed nearly US$350 million at the box office in the US and Canada, and 2024’s The Beekeeper.
A Working Man reunites him with The Beekeeper star Jason Statham, who plays a construction worker who becomes a one-man wrecking crew after human traffickers kidnap a friend’s daughter.
Ayer spoke about his career and the action genre via Zoom recently from New Zealand, where he was preparing to shoot Heart of the Beast with Brad Pitt.


As a kid, what kind of films did you watch?
I was probably watching a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have at that age, like Scarface. Public television there was great. I got to see a lot of movies you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, like Japanese films. [Akira] Kurosawa became an inspiration. Those films taught me there were other ways to see the world.
What makes a great action movie?
The secret ingredient is character. If you look at Die Hard, it’s about a guy trying to reconnect with his family. We really root for that.
It’s the same with Working Man. Jason plays this everyman who is trying to connect with his daughter and help out this family that adopted him. He really has no choice but to go to war for them because no one else can help them. That’s a great set-up.
What’s a common mistake that bad action movies make?
A lot of it comes down to time management. How are you investing your resources? Our secret weapon was that Jason does his own stunts, so we didn’t have to shoot stuff twice with a double. It’s all him, all the time. So I would say the biggest mistake other films make is not having Jason.

The screenplay is credited to both you and Sylvester Stallone. But you two didn’t actually write together. How did it work?
Stallone had a draft based on a novel [Chuck Dixon’s Levon’s Trade]. It’s not easy to adapt a novel and he really cracked the code. He did the heavy lifting in that regard.
I came in and added a lot of the family and character elements so Jason could show his heart. It’s a little like the Pony Express. Each person gets the mail closer to Kansas.
What is your writing process?
I’m in my office from nine in the morning to seven or eight every night, even weekends. It’s brutal, but words show up when they show up, and if you’re not in front of a keyboard when it happens, you miss it.
I’m fascinated with theatre and performance. One of my favourite films is All That Jazz. I want to do a romantic film
David Ayer, director
What about when you’re on set, directing? Is part of your brain thinking about the next project?
There’s always a couple of ideas percolating in my head, simmering.
The film that brought you to New Zealand reunites you with Brad Pitt, who also starred in your 2014 film Fury. That may be my favourite film that you have directed. What do you like about working with him?
He’s a technician, very deep into detail. I’m the same way. He’s relentless. He wants to know everything, has opinions on everything. Having a sparring partner at that level who can pull the A game out of me is a gift.
Which actor would you most like to work with in an action film?
Bradley Cooper. Robert Downey Jnr. He’s done action before, but he’s such a brilliant actor. I thought Oppenheimer was an absolute masterpiece.

Is there a genre you would like to work in that may surprise people? Like a musical or romcom?
Both of those. I’m not even kidding. I’m fascinated with theatre and performance. One of my favourite films is All That Jazz. I want to do a romantic film. There’s nothing more complex than the heart. That’s universal. We’re all trying to find love.
I like post-European cinema, like [Roberto] Rossellini. And I like directors like Billy Wilder and John Ford, guys who forced creativity through a pretty structured system.
What’s the greatest revenge film of all time?
A Working Man.
What’s the second best? And don’t say The Beekeeper.
Well, since you have taken that off the table, I’d say The Outlaw Josey Wales. That’s a classic right there.


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American cinema

A Working Man director David Ayer on its star Jason Statham, Brad Pitt and action movies

Jason Statham as Levon Cade in a still from A Working Man, directed by David Ayer, who talks about the film and his next project with Brad Pitt. Photo: TNS

David Ayer at the premiere of Netflix film Bright in 2017, in Los Angeles. Photo: TNS

Isla Gie as Merry Cade (left) and Jason Statham as Levon Cade in a still from A Working Man. Photo: TNS

Hong Kong International Film Festival 2025 highlights: 12 must-see movies and programmes

Anthony Wong Chau-sang in a still from Valley of the Shadow of Death.

Lam Suet in a still from PTU (2003), one of four newly restored classic films screening in the Pan-Chinese Cinema programme at the Hong Kong International Film Festival 2025.

Hidetoshi Nishijima in a still from The Brightest Sun.

Natalie Hsu (left) and Fish Liew in a still from Pavane for an Infant.

Fernanda Torres in a still from I’m Still Here.

Vic Carmen Sonne in a still from The Girl with the Needle.

A still from Cadet.

A still from Chain Reactions.

Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in a still from Megalopolis.

A still from Kneecap.

A still from Seven Samurai (1954).

Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989).

Sakura Ando (front) in a still from 100 Yen Love (2014).

Warfare movie review: Civil War director Alex Garland dives into the reality of combat

Will Poulter in a still from Warfare. Photo: A24

Aaron Mackenzie (left) and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (centre) in a still from Warfare, co-written and -directed by Civil War’s Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza. Photo: A24

A still from Warfare. Photo: A24

How Legend of the Condor Heroes inspired Hong Kong film director’s Brave Archer trilogy

Niu Niu as Huang Rong and Alexander Fu Sheng as Guo Jing in a still from The Brave Archer 3.

Alexander Fu Sheng in a still from The Brave Archer. Chang Cheh’s 1977 film adaptation of Louis Cha’s novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes was the first in a series marked by plotting so dense as to make them confusing.

A still from The Brave Archer (1977), adapted from a book by Louis Cha.

Philip Kwok (centre) as Zhou Botong in a still from The Brave Archer 3 (1981).

Alexander Fu Sheng (front, left) in a still from The Brave Archer (1977).

From Seven Swords to Sword Master, how Chinese wuxia films got an update in 21st century

Lin Gengxin as Third Master in a still from Sword Master. Photo: Bona Film Group

Donnie Yen in a still from Seven Swords, Tsui Hark’s 2005 sword-fighting epic and one of three notable wuxia films shot this century. Photo: Handout

Martial arts master Lau Kar-leung (front) in a still from Seven Swords. Photo: Handout

Charlie Young in a still from Seven Swords. Photo: Handout

Chang Chen in a still from Brotherhood of Blades. 

Wang Qianyuan in a still from Brotherhood of Blades. 

Peter Ho in a still from Sword Master.

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

David Ayer, known for Suicide Squad and The Fast and the Furious, talks about A Working Man and why it’s the best revenge movie of all time


David Ayer, known for Suicide Squad and The Fast and the Furious, talks about A Working Man and why it’s the best revenge movie of all time.


Cinema

Hollywood

Asian cinema: Japanese films

European cinema