Director F. Gary Gray is taking a lot of pleasure in the fact that that his upcoming “Law Abiding Citizen†thriller is going to show moviegoers new aspects of both Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler.
“The chemistry between them reminds me of the on-screen chemistry you got with Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in ‘Silence of the Lambs,’†Gray says. The film has Butler as a man who goes on a stunningly planned spree of revenge after one of the men responsible for his family’s killing is set free in a plea deal — arranged by Foxx’s district attorney character.
“A lot of times when you hear Gerard Butler’s name, people go into how great-looking he is or how much of a ladies’ man he is,†Gray observes. “I think with this, people are really going to get a sense of how much range he has as a serious actor.†And they’ll get to see Oscar winner Foxx in a role that might previously have been considered “Denzel-like.â€
MEANWHILE: Gray has jumped on the Twitter thing in a big way, tweeting news bites, photos and video throughout production of the “Law Abiding Citizen†psychological thriller. And now he’s fallen into using the new medium as a marketing tool. With the picture in post-production, en route to an October premiere, Gray has announced his own contest in which the winner — the person who brings the most followers to Gray’s Web page — will get to come to the “Law Abiding Citizen†premiere complete with travel and accommodations provided.
“There’s been a great response from all over the world,†says Gray, whose credits range from “The Italian Job†and “Be Cool†to his unforgettable video for TLC’s “Waterfalls.†“It really is exciting, and you know what’s really funny? It wasn’t something that was planned by the head of marketing. It just kind of happened. You start to develop a digital kind of relationship with the Twitterers. It’s reciprocal.
“At any given time, you have access to thousands of opinions, and you can get constructive criticism — mostly constructive,†he goes on. “That’s pretty hard to beat. No middleman, no conduit. It’s not filtered. It’s raw, real time response. It’s important for artists to keep their fingers on the public pulse. This is an effective way to do it.â€
Gray has also been doing what might be called Twitter tutoring — answering followers’ questions about how to break into the movie business, about how to get cast in films, about writing, directing — in addition to queries about working with stars like Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Charlize Theron, John Travolta, Vince Vaughn and many more. “Last night, I had a marathon Twittering session, a little over two hours. That was OK, I was at home, I had a snack,†he says. “I didn’t actually plan it, not at all. It was just one of those things.â€