Well, folks, Jeff Speakman is making a comeback.
If you’ve seen my review of The Perfect Weapon, you probably already know why this is a big deal for me.
For my money, Speakman should have been one of the major martial arts stars of the 1990s. At least as big as Seagal. But after The Perfect Weapon, Speakman disappeared into the direct-to-video dustbin and left me and lots of other fans wanting more.
But after a twenty-year break from Hollywood, the Ed Parker protege is returning to feature films with a supernatural thriller based on the Joe Lansdale novel Lost Echoes.
In an interview over at Art of One Dojo, Speakman, Lansdale, and director Chef Joe Gatto said they are working closely with one another and are trying to raise $250,000 over at Kickstarter. Lansdale is adapting his novel, Speakman is starring, and Gatto is producing and directing.
Lost Echoes is about a guy named Harry who is plagued by visions of past traumatic events that are triggered by certain sounds. Overwhelmed by his affliction, Harry turns to alcohol.
Until he witnesses a fellow drunk named Tad kick a couple of guys’ asses in a bar one night. Turns out Tad is dealing with his own traumas. It also turns out Tad is a martial arts master and agrees to teach Harry. As Harry gets a handle on his life, the two men are thrust into a murder mystery they have to solve.
That plot and the fact that it’s an adaptation of a Lansdale novel make this quite a departure from Speakman’s past work, but he sounds very committed to the project and it also sounds like it has a lot of personal meaning for him.
Speakman talked about surviving throat cancer and how that experience radically changed his outlook on life. He sees the story at the center of Lost Echoes as a chance to deliver a message about the power of self-sacrifice and service to others. He sees the movie’s philosophy as an extension of his martial arts philosophy: it’s not about who you can beat up but who you can help.
Lansdale, who is also a lifelong martial artist and instructor, seems determined to protect the project from outside interference. Which is why they’ve gone the crowdfunding route. I’m paraphrasing, but he said he doesn’t want some suit he’ll never meet telling him what his own story is about. If the movie fails, at least it will fail because of the choices they made.
And I can respect that, but if I’m being completely honest, I’m keeping my expectations for this in check.
As I mentioned earlier, Gatto is a chef by trade and has only made a couple of short films. And those shorts might be good. They might even be amazing. But this is a feature film, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’d have more confidence if this were in the hands of someone with more experience.
But Gatto had some encouraging things to say about the look he wants for the film. He talked about wide angles, deep shadows, soft tones, and wanting the movie to look like an old-school noir instead of the flat, glossy digital crapola that makes so many new movies look fake.
Which all sounds good to me. It sounds like the director wants to make a real movie. Something that looks like a movie and not something that looks like it was shot against green screen, so I am encouraged by that despite some reservations.
So, yeah, I’m tempering my optimism and excitement, but I’m also genuinely pulling for Speakman and company to get a win here.
Not because I expect these guys to recreate The Perfect Weapon–I know that’s not gonna happen, and wanting it to is just a recipe for disappointment. But I am excited that Speakman seems to have found something he really believes in.
So I just wanted to spread the word and let other martial arts movie fans know that this is out there. I hope the movie gets made. I hope Gatto knows what he’s doing. And I hope Jeff Speakman–and us fans–finally get the comeback he deserves.
If you want to support the Lost Echoes adaptation, here’s the link to their Kickstarter.
What are your thoughts on Speakman returning to feature films? Are you excited, or do you think it’s too late?
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