Along with a U.K. poster and French trailer, Lionsgate has released the first Wild Card image online, and it could easily be from just about any other Jason Statham action-thriller. That's how much his movies blend together, although this one is particularly amusing in that his character's name is Nick Wild. That puts it one step above his previous action films that could have been improved by naming the characters Jerry Mechanic, Howard Homefront, Billy Safe, Jack Blitz, and so forth. In Wild Card, Nick Wild (hoo-boy) is a Las Vegas bodyguard with a gambling addiction and lethal skills, but when he beats a mob boss' son in an act of revenge, he must fight against the criminal underworld.
That sounds painfully generic, but here's where it gets interesting: the film pairs Simon West—director of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic, and Stolen among other crappy movies (excluding Con Air)—and William Goldman, the writer of classic films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, and The Princess Bride. Goldman has kept busy with script doctor work, but this is his first credited screenplay since 2003's abysmal Dreamcatcher. I don't know how much rewriting has been done on the Wild Card script, but this triumvirate of Statham, West, and Goldman could be too nuts to pass up. Hit the jump for the image, U.K. poster, and French trailer. Wild Card opens January 30, 2015, and also stars Anne Heche, Sofia Vergara, Jason Alexander, Hope Davis, and Stanley Tucci.
Trailer and poster via FirstShowing.
And here's the official synopsis:
Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal professional skills and a personal gambling problem. When a friend is beaten by a sadistic thug, Nick strikes back, only to find out the thug is the son of a powerful mob boss. Suddenly Nick is plunged into the criminal underworld, chased by enforcers and wanted by the mob. Having raised the stakes, Nick has one last play to change his fortunes…and this time, it’s all or nothing. From two-time Academy® Award-winning writer William Goldman (Best Original Screenplay, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969; Best Adapted Screenplay, All the President’s Men, 1976).
