I AM RAGE

DIRECTED BY:  David Ryan Keith

WRITTEN BY:  David Ryan Keith  Stephen Durham

PRODUCED BY:  Stephen Durham   Lorraine Keith

MUSIC BY:  Drew Denton

STARRING:  Hannaj Bang Bendz  Marta Svetek

REALEASE DATE:  March 2023

DISTRIBUTOR:  Uncork'd Entertainment

An ancient cult embroiled in a sinister blood trade makes the deadly mistake of abducting a young woman with a violent, shocking past.

SHE WILL HAVE HER REVENGE

HOLLYWOOD COMES TO SCOTLAND

Interview Questions:

Co-Writer and Director David Ryan Keith for I Am Rage
Exclusive Horror-on-Sea interview

Q: Your film I Am Rage has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A: Audiences can expect a thrilling throwback to the action films of the late '80s and early '90s. I Am Rage offers a true popcorn movie experience, exploring familiar horror territory while delivering plenty of action for fans of both genres.

Q: What were some of your influences when writing the script for I Am Rage?
A: Making an independent film is always a battle against time and budget. I draw inspiration from successful films that started in the indie trenches and later transitioned into bigger studio productions. Growing up in the '80s and '90s, I’m naturally drawn to that era, and many of the script beats reflect my childhood movie experiences.

Q: What influenced the look and style of the film?
A: While I left much of the visual style to our DP, I did express strong preferences regarding lens choices, camera movements, and positions. This was my first time working with a DP, as I’m used to shooting my own movies, so it might not have been as creatively freeing for him! I love the tight, shallow depth-of-field look made popular by past directors and cinematographers, and I pushed to replicate that throughout the shoot.

Q: Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A: I actually rewrote the entire script from scratch. The initial concept didn’t align with my interests, and I was fortunate that the producers and original writer allowed me to reshape it. I added most of the horror elements. There was a struggle to blend action and horror, as the producers initially envisioned a straightforward action film.

Q: What were some of your favorite moments during filming?
A: Shooting the fight scenes was a real highlight. Growing up on Van Damme movies, I couldn’t pass up the chance to film martial arts sequences, even if they might seem out of place in this genre. Collaborating with our stunt coordinator to bring hyper-realistic moves to life was both amusing and satisfying.

Q: Did you face any challenges during filming?
A: Filming in Scotland during winter was brutal. We battled relentless cold winds, rain, and snow. The tight 18-day schedule for this kind of movie was grueling, and I’m deeply grateful to our dedicated crew and actors for pushing through despite the tough conditions.

Q: What makes I Am Rage stand out in the horror genre?
A: The fusion of horror and action sets this film apart from many generic indie offerings. I aimed to create a fun, engaging popcorn experience—something where the audience can switch off and enjoy 90 minutes of over-the-top revenge.

Q: What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A: I hope the audience has a great time! Despite its modest budget, I Am Rage packs in plenty of action and an outrageous premise. If nothing else, viewers will enjoy the revenge-fueled chaos.

Q: Do you have any other projects currently in the works?
A: Yes, we recently finished shooting a sci-fi action film in Scotland. It’s bigger in scope than I Am Rage and takes the action and martial arts elements even further. Moving from horror to action has been challenging but incredibly rewarding.

Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to write and direct their own film?

A: Start with short films. Learn from your mistakes before tackling a feature. Opportunities are rare for newcomers, so you need to create your own path. No one else will hand you the keys to this tough industry.

This movie knocked me flat on my a*s. As implied in the opener, some movies go well with beer. Not only does this film fit in that category, but I Am Rage is such a good one you will forget to sip your beer. Yup, it will make you forget to smoke your weed, too. Watch it a few times, and you may start flying right, but that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? This kind of movie excites the area of your face between the skin and the smiling skull. The screenplay by Keith and Stephen Durham does a brilliant job of wedding the horror with action, taking the best from both genres and leaving the gristle behind.

I was also impressed with the bullet train pacing and tight storytelling. It is remarkable how, with a snap of the fingers, the movie becomes a massive revision of the vampire genre without even mentioning vampires. With this hard-boiled method, the big reveal is delivered, and it is a doozy. It is amazing how a concept can be established quickly for this film and a possible franchise. Because I want more. It is a bloody, crazy, and utterly vicious flick, just like the one mother used to forbid.

“…trades on the celebration of the deadly female—a proud cinema tradition.”

I Am Rage trades on the celebration of the deadly female—a proud cinema tradition. The most exciting thing that ever happened in my day job (like costumed vigilantes outlaw film reviewers have to make their mutton somewhere) was speaking to Tura Santana on the phone. Santana broke cinema history by being the first woman on screen to kill a man with her bare hands in Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill! Bendz captures some of that same Promethium fire of female fury found by Santana.

The screen time runs rich with lots of violent stunt work, with Bendz beating cast members to a bloody pulp. Svetek is the leading heavy and gets the lioness’ share of back-breaking and neck-snapping. These two women hit hard over and over again. I also applaud the level of what they used to call the “comic-bookness” of the movie. This exists in a hyperreality that is both gritty and flashy simultaneously. The mix of American with British accents cemented a retro feel from shows of the 70s like Space 1999 and UFO. This atmosphere makes the gore all the shinier and sickening.

As you can tell, the visceral reaction to the film overpowers the intellectual reaction, creating that rare flick where the sum is greater than the parts. I Am Rage has that post-exploitation splatterpunk juice that sets your forehead on fire.

FILM THREAT - REVIEW

Original Article

So my father didn’t really teach me much in the way of life lessons but he did impart one piece of wisdom to live by… “Kevin,” he said, “you can never trust a man with three first names”.

It was with that in mind that I sat down to watch director David Ryan Keith’s latest project I Am Rage. Billed as a woman on a mission of revenge thriller from the team behind 2020 flick Army of One. Another female-driven thriller that I really dug and going by the trailer we were in for more of the same only dialled up to 11.

Erin (Hannaj Bang Bendz) is off to the countryside with her boyfriend, his brother and his brother’s new girl. While staying at the peaceful retreat our girls are about to meet ‘The Family’. Come to find out that this particular family are actually a part of an ancient Blood Cult, kidnapping folks and harvesting their blood to sell to mega-rich clients. It’s not long before the tables are turned and we begin to realise Erin is a psychopathic, unhinged rage beast due to years of abuse and torture. Soon the hunt is on. Question is… Who is hunting who?.

I am going to start by saying Hannaj Bang Bendz is somewhat of a revelation to me, she is not an actress I was familiar with but in this 1hr 30 odd runtime, it became pretty clear to me we could potentially be looking at a future badass leading lady action star. Equal parts Linda Hamilton mixed with Cynthia Rothrock and honestly I am there for all of it. Top all that off with the fact she is a Brit and that’s all she wrote, cast this lady in everything!

Of course, this is an ensemble so let’s dive into the blood family.

The Father of the family, Jamie Chambers, is someone I am familiar with having recently watched Morris Men (if you have not seen it, make sure you do). Chambers completely got the memo on this flick and played it as such, I was a big fan of this role for Chambers. And talking about people that got the memo, Marta Svetka as Margaret is great in the role and really plays it perfectly against Hannaj. Svetka plays a much-needed slightly over-the-top monster, bringing the charisma that perfectly compliments our rage beast hero, who is bringing all of the intensity and that dead behind-the-eyes look.

Some areas that the movie does falter slightly is the fact that we have a blood-harvesting B-plot that gets way more convoluted than it needs to be. Yeah okay, it pads the runtime and gives us some motivations. But we have allusions to our girl’s past and can see she is two seconds away from going nuclear, so when the family “Hard Target” Erin (shit, now I really wanna watch Hard Target). I was already there. It’s not a huge thing and does explain the family but there are a couple of scenes I just felt were going too much into it.

The fight choreography is damn good too with our core cast getting their licks in and selling the crap out of the action, helped along by the real-life combat chops of some of our stars.

I found I Am Rage highly entertaining. A really quick and easy watch that wastes little to no time getting into the action and then doesn’t let up throughout.

Steven Durham (director of Army of One and writer of I am Rage) has written a compelling and believable leading lady, put her smack dab in the middle of a slightly absurd situation whereby forcing her to use some extreme measures to survive that will have your heart bursting out of your chest (literally in some cases). David Ryan Keith assembled a team that somehow managed to make it all seem entirely logical to me. There is a bunch to enjoy in this movie and enjoy it I did.

I Am Rage is definitely one of those movies that will take you by surprise and remind you just how good independent cinema can be with a passionate crew and a damn fine cast.

**** 4/5

NERDLY - REVIEW

Original Article

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