Doug Liman Never Does Things the Easy Way

Flashy festival premieres are usually a big deal because of who’s attending. But in January, Doug Liman made news because of the fact that he wasn’t going to show up for the unveiling of his latest film, a remake of “Road House,” at SXSW. The reason? The veteran director was mad that Amazon MGM Studios, which was releasing the action movie, wouldn’t put it out in theaters, instead sending it straight to Prime Video. Liman wasn’t just going to boycott his own premiere, however—he took to Deadline to publish an open letter blasting the studio. “My plan had been to silently protest Amazon’s decision to stream a movie so clearly made for the big screen,” he wrote in the trade publication. “But Amazon is hurting way more than just me and my film. If I don’t speak up about Amazon, who will? So here we go.” Declaring Road House “fantastic, maybe my best,” Liman laid out his version of what happened—how he originally agreed to make the film for MGM for a theatrical release, but that when Amazon acquired MGM, those plans changed. “Amazon said make a great film and we will see what happens,” Liman asserted. “I made a great film. … [But] contrary to their public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas. … Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas, and then they turned around and are using Road House to sell plumbing fixtures.” Liman’s essay, which you really should read, hardly contains the ravings of a lunatic. Yes, he’s angry, and feeling more than a little betrayed, but his arguments for the importance of the theatrical experience are reasonable and layered. Still, this sort of public condemnation is rare, especially if you don’t want to burn bridges in a very insular industry. Not surprisingly, Liman’s missive generated plenty of headlines and conversation: What the hell is he doing?  Ultimately, the director decided to attend the SXSW premiere after all, although he didn’t appear on stage alongside his stars, who gave him shout-outs. “I also want to thank our incredible director, he’s in the audience tonight,” Jake Gyllenhaal told the packed crowd, later adding, “He’s so brilliant and this movie is, too.”  All the behind-the-scenes drama risks overshadowing this new “Road House,” but for those who have followed the 58-year-old filmmaker’s career, it’s par for the course. Few modern directors have so often flirted with disaster, his movies’ on-set and post-production issues becoming news stories before the actual film even makes its way to viewers. Aspiring auteurs should probably not emulate his volatile approach—even if his track record remains surprisingly solid despite (or because of) that chaos. It’s indicative of Liman’s M.O. that, although he's been responsible for several hit films, you may not remember that he directed them. “Swingers,” “Go,” “The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Edge of Tomorrow”: Those are all his. If that’s a surprise to you, that’s partly because, unlike other filmmakers (especially action directors), he lacks a demonstrative visual signature. (By comparison, you can spot a Michael Bay or Michael Mann movie from just a scene or two.) In addition, he doesn’t have the high profile that many of his peers do—you tend to think of the stars in his films before you think of him. Put it this way: Because Jon Favreau is now a hot-shot director thanks to “Iron Man” and “The Jungle Book,” many mistakenly think that he starred in, wrote and directed “Swingers.” Nope, Liman was behind the camera for that one. He’s the farthest thing from a journeyman or a for-hire hack, but he has enjoyed a certain degree of anonymity for such a successful filmmaker. Unfortunately, when you do hear from Liman, it tends to be because storm clouds are gathering around his current project. At the time that “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” was getting ready to open, all the gossip was about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Were they having an affair? Was he cheating on wife Jennifer Aniston?!?! But for the studio, the bigger headache was that the action-comedy was way over budget and delayed. Those issues became so well-known that the Los Angeles Times did a piece about a month before the film’s release documenting how Liman was driving his producers crazy—and how he had established a reputation for doing this on all his projects.  “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” producer Akiva Goldsman noted in the article, “The truth is, Doug is a madman. [But] I think he has the ability, which is not insignificant, to have a movie coalesce around him. Actors want to work with him, and studios want the product that exists with his name on it.” Veteran film producer Frank Marshall, who worked with him on 2002’s “The Bourne Identity,” which launched that Matt Damon franchise, said of the experience, “I stepped into territory I’ve never been in before in 30 years. I’ve always had a respect for the line between a producer and a director. And I had to step over that line into somet