SYNOPSIS
In this Guy Ritchie-like action flick, JUDE ST. CLERE discovers he has a daughter by his junkie ex-girlfriend. He vows to take care of her and leave his shadowed past behind him. Completely broke and with his daughter starving, he reluctantly takes on one last job which quickly entwines him dead smack in the middle of a bloody mob war. Knowing that his chances of making it out alive are slim, he plunges in guns blazing…
Shaun Piccinino, a thirteen-year veteran of the industry and a versatile, award-winning martial artist, started directing commericals and films since the age of 17. Through now, he has earned credits listed anywhere from animation, make-up and editing and VFX, to becoming a producer, editor, writer and director with over ten years of experience in stuntwork, motion capture and fight choreography on such TV, film and video game projects as Deadliest Warrior, 24, Jinn, UFC: Undisputed 3, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Sleeping Dogs.
This year, Shaun stars in the upcoming home release of his latest collaborative film effort by Truly Indie Studios, Hectic Films and Cinescope Media, THE LACKEY, a new independent action movie which he co-directed with stunt performer and co-star Jason Sanders, and co-choreographed and wrote with his Kung Fu guru, Steve Pisa. The film also stars veteran actor Vernon Wells who also served as associate producer with Rachel Montgomery and co-star Guy Grundy. Other stars also include Lauren Parkinson, producer Rickey Bird Jr., Robin Steffen, Paul Wolverton, Alexandra Holtzman, D.T. Carney, Larry Parrish and Mark Magid.
Filming originally began in 2009, with just a few scenes shot to broadcast for promotional and funding use. Since then, THE LACKEY has made its way through several film festival accolades in 2012 at the SoCal Film Festival and the AOF Film Festival. The film earned eleven nominations ranging from best male performance to best screenplay and best fight choreography, of which it acquired four wins, including best in cinematography and audience choice.
With the acknowledgement and achievement Shaun has received with the film, I got to share a few words about how he came up with the idea for The Lackey, with which also, he ardently credits Master Steve Pisa for their creative and fruitful working partnership:
The Lackey was born out of my fondness of 70’s & 80’s action flicks, then later inspiration came in the form of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and then Guy Ritchie. My writing partner and Kung Fu Master (that’s right I said Kung Fu Master) started brain storming a cool littler action flick with a terribly flawed hero. We wrote the first couple scenes at the Kung Fu Studio actually. I’m a third-degree blackbelt under his tutelage and we’ve written six scripts together. Needless to say most of them have a ton of great action in them.
I should say The Lackey is also heavily influenced by the great Kung Fu movies as well. Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton also influencing the action.
Shaun is a fan of many genres. For THE LACKEY, however, he adheres to some of his favorite films which inspired his vision, including classics like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, and contemporary hit titles like Kill Bill, Snatch, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and the spaghetti western Mexploitation action thrillers El Mariachi trilogy-specifically, El Mariachi and Desperado, all which Shaun considers to be “dark, gritty, pull-no-punches” types of films. So, for a film with this type of stylized and gritty action, Shaun adhered to a convenient list of people he has worked with before, like Guy Grundy, Jeremy Dunn, Orlando McGuire and Sonny Sison. When asked about the casting process, he said the following:
The casting process was great, it was a mix of casting people we had worked with on other films and open casting through the internet. Vernon Wells was connected to us through a fellow cast member and we brought him on board that way. He is signed on for the sequel to play the lead villian.
With the sequel cat out of the bag, film goers and action junkies alike will get to see the first installment of this action franchise September 10, 2013 on DVD, VoD and Blu-Ray, courtesy of Cinema Epoch. For THE LACKEY, Shaun promises fans “An old school action flick with a surprising amount of heart. Plenty of guns, fists and ‘Do The Right Thing’ moments”. As for the sequel, here are the goods (with as few spoilers as possible):
Steve Pisa and I actually have two sequels currently being penned. The part two script is almost done…I can tell you the story opens up a lot and you find out a lot more about who the title character really is. In the first movie much about Jude St. Clere is a mystery. The sequels explore who he really is, and why he can kick so much ass! And also why he’s a raging alcoholic…
In terms of future plans, Shaun also mentioned he has a western script that is currently in development. In addition to this, he is also planning to make waves during this summer’s film festivals with a post apocalyptic zombie movie in which he starred as lead actor and produced called Phase Two.
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| From L to R: Steve Pisa, Orlando McGuire, Shaun Piccinino, Jeremy Dunn, Robin Steffen and Guy Grundy. |
I want to thank Shaun for taking the time to talk to me about The Lackey. Best of luck to you and Master Pisa, and the rest of the cast and crew!
Check out the new trailer below, or CLICK HERE if it fails to load. And be sure to follow the film on Facebook and Twitter, as well as the official website.
All photos are sourced collectively from Shaun Piccinino, IMDb and Facebook.
All photos have been used with exclusive permission from Shaun Piccinino.