When watching an action movie, there are certain details that will always let you know that you are watching the work of John Woo, and one of those prime indicators is birds. The filmmaker loves to employ feathered friends as elements of production design, often shooting them flying in slow motion amid dramatic scenes and shootouts. But what is it actually like to work with the avian actors on set?
I recently learned about that particular aspect of the John Woo experience while speaking with Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy earlier this month during the Los Angeles press day for The Killer – which is now available to stream with a Peacock subscription. I asked the stars about what it was like to work with birds on the production of a Woo movie, and after Sy emphasized that they were a real presence on set, Emmanuel detailed the impressive professionalism of the animal handlers. She explained,
They’re very good. And the handlers, they really know their birds. There was one day, one of the handlers was like, ‘Oh, he’s in a bit of a bad mood today.’ Like, he knows the personality of this bird. And I thought that was really lovely. And you know, obviously working with animals is always unpredictable, but they were so good.
To an amateur, the attitude of a bird may seem indecipherable – but I think anyone who has ever owned a pet for a long time can understand this. Animals don’t “think” in the same way that we do, but if you’re around them long enough, you can start picking up on minutia in their behavior that gives you an insight into where they are mentally.
It wasn’t just the birds and their handlers that made an impression on Nathalie Emmanuel in the making of The Killer, however; she was also very aware of their significance in the iconography of John Woo’s work – and by extension, cinema history. When it came time to film one of the director’s signature moments, the actor got an extra special charge out of it:
It’s kind of fun as a fan of John Woo to be doing anything that we’ve come to associate with him. So there was definitely a moment where there was a slow motion shot of me walking and birds and I was like, ‘Oh! [Laugh] It’s happening. It’s happening right now! I’m in a John Woo movie. This is… Okay.’ And I definitely got excited by all of that good stuff.
A remake of the beloved, classic action film of the same name from 1989, The Killer stars Nathalie Emmanuel as Zee – a professional assassin living in Paris who only takes on targets who are criminals. When he is given a job by her handler (Sam Worthington) to take out everyone at a local club, she takes it, but she ends up sparing the life of a singer (Diana Silvers) who is injured and blinded during the job. As Zee deals with the fallout from the incomplete job, she is hunted by a police inspector named Sey (Omar Sy), but he comes to see her as more of an ally than a foe as conflict intensifies.
The Killer is the biggest movie to hit streaming this past week, arriving after more than a decade in development, and you can stream it right now. To learn about all of the exciting films set to be released between now and the end of the year, check out our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.