Matt's Movie Reviews Podcast · Matthew Pejkovic

#664 - 'Mexicali' director Luked LaFontaine

·39 min·2 clips

Luke says Brent Foster became an absolute monster in jiu-jitsu and the fight was shot mostly in long takes.

1. Matt's Movie Reviews Podcast #664 centers on Mexicali, the action thriller directed by Luke LaFontaine and released March 13 in US theaters and on video on demand. 2. Host Matthew Perkovich speaks with Luke LaFontaine, whose background in action choreography, swordsmithing, and second-unit work makes him central to the film’s action design. 3. The episode asks what happens when Luke LaFontaine moves from choreography to directing a feature film. 4. Luke says Mexicali began as Jesse V. Johnson’s script The Farmer, which was inspired by research into cartels pressuring avocado growers in Mexico. 5. He says Johnson found a real case of a farmer pushing back against cartel pressure, and that that story was turned into an action script with Jesse’s own changes. 6. Luke says Scott Adkins was considered for the lead about two years earlier, but scheduling prevented that version from moving forward. 7. He says Jesse later returned with a producer’s plan for more action films and asked Luke to direct one. 8. Luke says he did not start out desperate to direct, but decided he had enough experience, opinion, and vision to take the job. 9. He says Ehud Bleiberg approved the move and greenlit the project, which fast-tracked once the cast attracted immediate interest. 10. Luke says he felt lucky to have the cast that came together quickly for his first feature. 11. Luke says he has known Brent Foster for years through Ron Bleck, martial arts circles, and early stunt work together. 12. He says Foster’s fight training spans Jeet Kune Do, Silat, Muay Thai, taekwondo, boxing, and jiu-jitsu, and that Foster held back from too many early film offers. 13. Luke says Life After Fighting helped audiences recognize Foster as an action lead, but that Foster also impressed him as a serious dramatic actor. 14. He says the opening sequence in Mexicali shows Foster fighting a series of different opponents with different styles, including kickboxing, boxing, flashier movement, and jiu-jitsu. 15. Luke says he built those fights around the idea that a multi-skilled martial artist creates a pleasant challenge rather than a problem. 16. He says the Foster-versus-Gavin Teragawa grappling scene was rehearsed quickly, then shot with long camera moves so the audience could see the transitions and submissions. 17. Luke says he wants sword fights to tell a story between adversaries, not just trade fast motions or “marching band” stick twirling. 18. He says good sword choreography should show real technique, clear spacing, and camera framing that respects what the actors are doing. 19. The conversation stays practical and enthusiastic, with Luke moving between production stories, martial arts detail, and film-history references. 20. People interested in action choreography, martial arts training, and sword-fight design would likely follow this episode closely; viewers looking for plot spoilers or character analysis alone might skip it.

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