Die in a Gunfight
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- Andrew Barrer
- Gabriel Ferrari
- Adrian Politowski
- Tom Butterfield
- Harry White
- Mark Gordon
- Martin Metz
- Alexandra Daddario
- Diego Boneta
- Justin Chatwin
- Wade Allain-Marcus
- Billy Crudup
- Emmanuelle Chriqui
- Travis Fimmel
| Die in a Gunfight | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Collin Schiffli |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Magdalena Górka |
| Edited by | Amanda C. Griffin |
| Music by | Ian Hultquist |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million[1] |
| Box office | $31,395 |
Die in a Gunfight is a 2021 American romantic crime thriller film directed by Collin Schiffli and written by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. It stars Alexandra Daddario and Diego Boneta. It is described as an updated version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
The film was released in the United States on July 16, 2021, by Lionsgate.
As told by the Narrator, in third person omniscient:
In 1964 New York City, Tarleton Rathcart and Theodore Gibbon settle their rivalry through a Gentlemen's Duel. This results in Theodore’s death, initiating a feud between the families.
Benjamin Gibbon often gets into fights. He seeks meaning in his life, due to depression. Ben falls in love, ceasing his troublemaking ways, but love escapes him. This causes a return to his disruptive habits. Now 27, Ben has renounced his family’s wealth, but has regular communication with his parents.
Mary Rathcart, was expelled from every private school in town. However, her most severe indiscretion was having fallen in love with Ben. Upon their discovery, her parents forbid her seeing Ben due to the family feud. Defiantly, she continues to see Ben. When her parents find out, she is sent to boarding school abroad. Mary writes Ben letters, Ben calls Mary, but neither ever gets a response from the other. Mary’s father, William, having interfered, unbeknownst to either. Consequently, Mary stays in Paris, now, years later, she returns.
Upon learning of Mary’s return, Ben, along with his inseparable friend Mukul, crash a party at the Rathcart estate. They are confronted by Mary’s parents, reminding him they have a restraining order against him. Threatened with police, he promptly leaves.
Due to a scandal brought upon by Pamela Corbett-Ragsdale, William hires Terrence Uberahl, who hires Wayne McCarthy, to kill her. William previously hired Terrence to watch Mary while abroad, unexpectedly falling in love with her. He uses this incident to ask for Mary’s hand in marriage in exchange for killing Corbett-Ragsdale.
Ben follows Mary but runs into Wayne and his wife Barbie. Ben tries to avoid them, but Wayne is persistent, and they fight. Ben awakes at his apartment with Mary. They talk, becoming obvious that they never stopped loving each other, making plans to marry immediately.
Terrence sends Wayne to intimidate Ben from contact with Mary. He arrives at Ben's apartment with Barbie, only to find two unknown goons. A scuffle breaks out, killing Barbie in the process. Unbeknownst to Wayne, the goons have been hired by Terrence to get rid of him once he had killed Corbett-Ragsdale. Wayne goes to the cinema to mourn. He is confronted by one of the goons. Wayne swiftly dispatches him and realizes that he worked for Terrence.
Determined to secure Mary’s hand in marriage, Terrence kills Corbett-Ragsdale. Meanwhile, Echo, the other goon, informs Terrence that Mary and Ben are to marry. Terrence confronts Ben, and Wayne shows up with William in tow. Wayne is shot by police, enabling Terrence to shoot Ben. Mukul fights Terrence, but Mary shoots him dead.
The film concludes with Ben and Mary driving into the sunset. Presumably to Mexico, just as they had planned years before.
Cast
- Alexandra Daddario as Mary Rathcart
- Diego Boneta as Ben Gibbon
- Justin Chatwin as Terrence Uberahl
- Travis Fimmel as Wayne McCarthy
- Emmanuelle Chriqui as Barbie
- Wade Allain-Marcus as Mukul
- Billy Crudup as narrator
- John Ralston as William Rathcart
- Michelle Nolden as Beatrice Rathcart
- Stuart Hughes as Henry Gibbon
- Nicola Correia-Damude as Nancy Gibbon
- Renée Willett as RNG anchor
Production
The script was listed in the 2010 edition of the Black List, a survey of most-liked unproduced screenplays.[2] On December 8, 2010, it was revealed that Zac Efron was attached to star in and produce the film through his own production company Ninjas Runnin' Wild.[3] On April 26, 2011, Efron was confirmed to play the lead, Anthony Mandler being set to helm the film, which at the time, would have been his directorial debut.[4]
After it went through development hell for nearly seven years, on September 25, 2017, it was announced that Josh Hutcherson and Kaya Scodelario were attached to play the lead roles, Helen Hunt and Olivia Munn took supporting roles, Collin Schiffli being tapped for the director's chair.[5] On January 29, 2018, David Dastmalchian joined the cast.[6] On September 6, 2019, Diego Boneta and Alexandra Daddario signed on for the project.[7] On September 7, 2019, Travis Fimmel was added to the main cast.[8] On November 15, 2019, Wade Allain-Marcus joined the cast, replacing Dastmalchian.[9]
Principal photography took place between November 13 and December 13, 2019, in Toronto.[10]
Release
In April 2021, it was announced that Lionsgate had acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[11] It was released in theaters and through video on demand in the United States on July 16, 2021.[12]