''Fast Charlie'' is a 2023 American

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

film directed by

Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian filmmaker. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama ('' Newsfront'', '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'', '' The Quiet American''); thrillers (''Dead ...

and written by

Richard Wenk Richard Wenk (born 1956) is an American film screenwriter and director best known for his work on ''The Expendables 2'' (2012), ''The Equalizer (film), The Equalizer'' (2014), and ''The Magnificent Seven (2016 film), The Magnificent Seven'' (20 ...

, based on the 2001 novel ''Gun Monkeys'' by

Victor Gischler Victor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction. Career Gischler's debut novel ''Gun Monkeys'' was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel ''Shotgun Opera'' was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into It ...

. It stars

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

(in his final film appearance), and Morena Baccarin. It premiered at the 2023

Mill Valley Film Festival The Mill Valley Film Festival is an annual American film festival founded in 1977. History In October 1977, Mark Fishkin, Rita Cahill and Lois Cole organized a three-day film festival. It featured three film tributes, Francis Ford Coppola's ''T ...

on October 7, 2023. The film was released in select theatres and video on demand on December 8, 2023.

Premise

For twenty years, Charlie Swift has been a fixer and

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...

for a mob boss named Stan. After a rival boss puts a hit on Stan and his crew, Charlie is the sole survivor. Charlie decides to avenge his friend and teams up with Marcie, the ex-wife of a mobster he killed.

Cast

Production

In June 2009,

's 2001 novel ''Gun Monkeys'' was optioned for a film adaptation, with

Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including '' Diagnosis: Murder'', ''A Nero Wolfe M ...

writing the script and

Ryuhei Kitamura (born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Biography Early life Kitamura was born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, where he attended a sch ...

set to direct. In 2018, producer Dan Grodnik discovered the project, acquired the underlying rights and brought in

to direct (Noyce had directed ''

Blind Fury ''Blind Fury'' is a 1989 American action comedy film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, Terry O'Quinn, Lisa Blount, Randall "Tex" Cobb, and Noble Willingham. The screenplay by Charles Robert Carner is a loosely ba ...

'' starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

for him in 1989). Both

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

and

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...

expressed interest in starring but the film didn't come together until

signed on. In March 2022,

and Morena Baccarin joined the cast. Filming began in April 2022 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. ''Fast Charlie'' was the last film to star Caan, who died on July 6, 2022. In the same month, Brosnan posted photos of Caan on the film's set.

Release

The film premiered at the 2023

on October 7, 2023, while the film was released in select theatres and video on demand on December 8, 2023, by

Vertical Entertainment Vertical Entertainment is an American film distribution and production company founded by producers Richard B. "Rich" Goldberg and Mitch Budin in 2012. History In 2012, Rich Goldberg & Mitch Budin founded Vertical Entertainment, a film distribut ...

Reception

References

External links

* {{Phillip Noyce 2023 action thriller films 2023 crime thriller films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films American action thriller films American crime thriller films American films about revenge Films about contract killing in the United States Films about organized crime in the United States Films based on American crime novels Films directed by Phillip Noyce Films set in New Orleans Films shot in New Orleans Films with screenplays by Richard Wenk Vertical Entertainment films