Action-packed and thrill-filled movie “Big Game” introduces young Finnish talent Onni Tommila who stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Stevenson, Victor Garber, Ted Levine, Felicity Huffman and Jim Broadbent as a 13-year old who comes of age and courage in the most unexpected adventure of his life.
Tommila takes on the role of Oskari, a teenager ushered into manhood as their tradition dictates when they reach the age of 13. Oskari is then sent into the wilderness alone and must survive the wild creatures that roam at night, ultimately he has to hunt and bring home a prized beast before dawn to pass their family’s tradition. Just as he begins wandering into the wild, he hears a thundering sound and finds out that Air Force One, the US president’s plane has just crashed after a terrorist strike. Within minutes after the crash, Oskari is plunged into a desperate race to save not only his life but the President’s (Samuel Jackson) as well. Both fish out of water, forced to fight for survival in a world very different from the one they’re used to, they must work together to get out of the forest alive.
Oscar® nominee Samuel L. Jackson explains that playing the President was fun but that it’s the interplay between the President and the young hero that makes the movie, “There’s disappointment for my character as people have betrayed me. There’s disappointment too for Oskari, in realizing his father doesn’t have the faith in him to go out anddo what he’s supposed to do that night and between the two of them, they find a quiet strength that gets them going.”
Jackson believes the action provides the backdrop for a very human story about the relationship between a teenage boy and the most powerful man in the world. When Oskari first comes across the President, he feels he’s failing miserably at his task, but finds comfort in seeing that the President is just as scared as him. Oskari learns that it’s okay to be frightened and in trouble; the one thing that matters is what is he prepared to do about it.
Young Finnish actor Tommila found working with Jackson to be one of the the best experiences of his life. “The
first time I met him, I was quite nervous, but I got to know him and I found out that he is a nice guy!” he recalls. “It was great to work with him and he’s a really good actor.”
On filming the seemingly dangerous action scenes, Tommila shares, “I was on these cables being lifted up on the freezer and we went about ten meters in the air. That was fun! I was in the freezer and on the water to, but it was anchored so it wasn’t dangerous.”
Director Jalmari and his cast and crew have created an exciting film which will surprise and enthrall audiences and critics. Producing “Big Game” is Altitude’s Will Clarke who says of the movie, “Big Game has been a big film in every way, from developing the concept of an action adventure driven by a young hero from a culture rooted in nature pitted against the modern world through to handling the pure logistics of making a film of this scale in remote and demanding locations.
Further, Samuel Jackson notes that “If you like a good adventure story that has a heart and sympathetic characters on the inside of it, this is a great story to go and see.”
“Big Game” opens in cinemas tomorrow, May 6 from Pioneer Films.