Taglines: Justice is swift. Vengeance is faster.
A stint in prison usually has one of two effects on a man – it either breaks him down or makes him stronger. For Driver (Dwayne Johnson), a 10-year sentence proved the latter. His strength was not just fueled by time, but also by a hunger to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his own imprisonment.
Untouchable on the ‘inside,’ he made plenty of enemies in prison – men who were counting the days until his release so they could exact their own revenge on the outside. Now, on the day of his release, he is hell-bent on reaping vengeance upon the four men responsible for his brother’s murder. With a list of names and addresses in hand, he sprints out of the prison gates and is immediately on his mission.
No regard for witnesses. No finesse to the acts. One down. Check. Within hours of Driver eliminating the first name on the list, two men are on his trail – Cop (Billy Bob Thornton), a veteran police officer just days from retirement, and Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a young egocentric hitman with a flair for the art of killing. The hunter is now also the hunted.
Without hesitation, Driver methodically continues down his list while the mystery deepens surrounding his brother’s murder and who might have tipped off those responsible to their robbery plans. With each killing, Driver finds himself face to face with Cop or Killer and he evades them every time. Killer wants Driver now more than ever – he’s finally met a worthy opponent. Thus begins a do or die race to the list’s finish with new details in the decade old murder emerging along the way…hinting that Driver’s list may be incomplete and his life in further danger.
It was a fateful day a few years ago when writer / producer Tony Gayton approached his brother, and Faster co-writer, Joe Gayton with the thread of an idea. “I remember imagining a guy in prison on the day of his release getting a speech from the warden then just breaking into a sprint out of the prison gates and going straight to kill someone,” recalls Tony Gayton. “I liked the idea of this introduction where you have no idea who this guy is. He turns out to be the hero out to get revenge for his brother’s murder but he could very well have turned out to be the bad guy.” On that day, the character that would come to be known simply as ‘Driver’ was born.
“(Driver) is like a shark – he has a clear mission,” notes Joe Gayton who also serves as Executive Producer on the film. “It was apparent at this early stage that his determination would provide for a true, high-octane adventure.”
As the screenplay evolved, what emerged was not just an action film but also a character study and exploration into the minds of three men – the other two main characters known simply by the monikers ‘Cop’ and ‘Killer.’ But Driver’s mission was at the story’s core and finding the right actor to portray him would be the first target.
The script soon made its way into the hands of superstar Dwayne Johnson who, after spending a few years exploring other genres, was anxious to get back to action. “The story and the characters really spoke to me,” recalls Johnson. “It is a very simple and distinct storyline, yet all the characters are layered with complexity and complication.”
With character comes motivation and Johnson took special note that Driver’s motivation is very raw and doesn’t require suspension of disbelief. “If something important to you is ripped away leaving you with nothing, the only thing you have left is the ability to make those individuals pay. There are many different ways a person can respond when they lose everything but his response is still reality-based at its core. For Driver, the response is ‘You took everything I had, now you pay.’ When he gets out of prison, it’s safe to say you should put the kids to bed.”
The Gayton brothers couldn’t have imagined a more appropriate or capable actor to flesh out their vision. “There are not a lot of actors who can truly pull off the big brooding presence of this role,” says Tony Gayton. “Dwayne is perfect for this.”
With Johnson, and producers Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer of Castle Rock Entertainment, now on board the project found its way to CBS Films in February 2009. The studio fast-tracked the film bringing on director George Tillman, Jr. and producer Bob Teitel of State Street Pictures, whose credits include Soul Food, the Barbershop series, Men of Honor and Notorious. Johnson could not have been happier with the choice.
“I was thoroughly impressed with Bob and George,” compliments Johnson “They got the tone and understood the characters. George was certainly the right director for the movie.”
The director was equally thrilled to work with Johnson whom he had met on another project five years earlier. “I’ve always been a big fan of Dwayne’s. As a guy you can’t help but look at him and go ‘I want to be that guy!’ And to work with him on his return to the action genre, on a role that feels written just for him – that’s something I had to be a part of.”
Though this would be Johnson’s return to the genre that made him a box office heavyweight, Tillman notes that the film also allows audiences to see him in a new kind of role, “unlike any other he’s done before, namely playing more dramatic elements.”
Aside from Dwayne’s attachment, and the intriguing title, Tillman also responded to the material as a throwback to action films of the 70s. “70s action films have cool heroes but those same heroes also have a dramatic essence; they are complicated characters. I think audiences today yearn for a more sophisticated action film where they can relate to the characters since people are by nature complicated.”
Bob Teitel had a similar reaction to the material’s nostalgic factor. “It felt like a movie you don’t really see these days – where the lead character has a presence that immediately commands the audience’s attention and they instantly follow him on his journey. It’s only along that journey that the audience learns more about the character.”
Along this journey, the audience doesn’t just learn more about Driver but also of the other two men who are on his trail…
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Faster (2010)
Directed by: George Tillman Jr.
Starring: Carla Gugino, Dwayne Johnson, Maggie Grace, Moon Bloodgood, Billy Bob Thornton, Courtney Gains, Xander Berkeley, Aaron Behr, Jeff Daniel Phillips, John Cirigliano, Jonna Walsh
Screenplay by: Joe Gayton, Tony Gayton
Production Design by: David Lazan
Cinematography by: Michael Grady
Film Editing by: Dirk Westervelt
Costume Design by: Salvador Pérez Jr.
Set Decoration by: Jan Pascale
Art Direction by: Andrew Murdock
Music by: Clint Mansell
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, some drug use and language.
Distributed by: CBS Films
Release Date: November 24, 2010
