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Filmmaker John Dahl returns from career oblivion with
Joy Ride.
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Steve Martin is in a nearby room talking about his latest film. A few floors away, Keanu Reeves listens to a reporter's question. The Toronto Film Festival has turned the Four Seasons hotel into a large-scale version of a popular Los Angeles restaurant. Schmoozing and stargazing overflow every room. Somewhere in between these celebrity faces, sits veteran director John Dahl.
Most moviegoers today don't know Dahl's name. Just 10 years ago, the praise for Dahl was loud and enthusiastic. His early films, Kill Me Again (1989), Red Rock West (1992) and The Last Seduction (1994) gave birth to the phrase neo-noir. Red Rock West was a low-budget thriller that invited comparisons to the classic film Double Indemnity. Dahl quickly found himself in high demand.
Later films like Unforgettable (1996), a murder mystery and Rounders (1998), a drama about high-stakes poker players, failed to meet expectations. Studios want every film to qualify as an "event." But Dahl is a director without a box-office hit, and directors who don't make money are quickly pushed off the A-list.
"It's easier to make independent films because you have fewer masters," Dahl says, speaking softly. There is less money, and there is less at stake." With his egg-shaped glasses and short cropped hair, Dahl looks like a college professor. His clothes are casual, and his demeanor is subtle. Dahl considers the state of his career carefully and politely.
"Independent films are for the filmmakers, for myself, more interesting to make because you're in control of the process. The down side is that there is no money, and everything is more difficult to do. So none of it is easy."
Dahl's latest movie, the road trip thriller Joy Ride, has sat on the shelf for close to two years. Reshoots and production delays kept the film out of theaters. Joy Ride's hiatus only fueled the rumors surrounding Dahl's shrinking profile. But the 45-year-old director is too young to be considered career dead.
In Joy Ride, Dahl pays homage to the 1971 Steven Spielberg thriller, Duel, with a highway suspenser about two brothers (Paul Walker and Steve Zahn) and a college friend (Leelee Sobieski) who find themselves the targets of a mysterious trucker, Rusty Nail. The chills begin after the brothers play a CB prank on a lonely trucker who is intent on getting his revenge.
Dahl bathed Joy Ride's cross-country tale in noirish colors. He worked hard to balance the film's thrills and humor. Early test screenings concluded that the film needed more tension, and Dahl chose to reshoot and create a new ending.
"One of the reasons this movie was delayed so long is that the original script was more of a character study than an action thriller," Dahl says. "We did a script reading, and the studio was not thrilled about the third act. We shot the film and felt there wasn't enough tension."
A decision was made to scrap much of the film's second half. An additional three weeks of shooting gave Dahl the material for a new third act.
"In a weird way, it would be great to make movies like that all the time," Dahl says. "You make movies in a vacuum. From the time you make them to the time you get the results of making them is so far away. If you do a play, you can watch it one night and tweak it. Plays are pliable, and movies are inflexible."
The new footage didn't prove good enough. It was decided to reshoot the climax and build a motel inside a soundstage. Schedules had to be adjusted. Two years passed quickly. The new ending made it into the finished film.
"The new ending didn't test as high as the previous ending, but it's more interesting and intellectual, and not as visceral," Dahl says. "The other ending has the guys engage Rusty Nail physically. I'd love to make a movie a year. I thought by this point I would have made 10 movies. But it's hard to make a movie."
The story behind Joy Ride is one about wood, metal, large sets and special effects. It's about things that require great deals of money. Leaning back on his sofa, Dahl continues to talk about ideas, inspiration and storytelling. He sums up his career philosophy matter-of-factly: His priority is to tell a good story.
Many directors fight to work in today's blockbuster mentality, and Dahl is no exception. Filmmaking is a commercial work. The struggle for Dahl is to find the financial freedom to make the types of movies he enjoys.
Dahl cut his teeth on no-budget movies like Kill Me Again, Red Rock West and The Last Seduction. He has never enjoyed a huge money maker. Red Rock West was the closest he ever came, and the art-house film was profitable simply because it cost so little to make.
Luck has been against him. Linda Fiorentino was a favorite for an Oscar nomination until The Last Seduction was disqualified due to the fact that it played on cable TV before opening in theaters.
Red Rock West continues to be his signature film: shadowy visuals, great use of landscape, psychological suspense. He has plans to make another low-budget movie and return to his signature style. He's paid his dues and honed his skills. All he needs now is a break.
Dahl is stoic. He should be. He's a survivor. His new film is out and playing in theaters. He's preparing his next project. He has a newfound understanding of the conflict between the business of film and a director's desire to tell an intelligent story.
Before leaving the room, Dahl promises he'll soon work again. There is time to triumph before Hollywood dismisses him altogether. There is time because he still has his passion for filmmaking.
"I'm looking forward to my next movie, which is a small independent film with no money. I don't think about the process. I get sucked into the story, and if the story is interesting, I go along for the ride no matter what it takes." ©
