Bang (Jack Kesy), one of the most feared hitmen, questions his violent life after a near-death experience. Seeing a future beyond bloodshed, he wants out—but his crime boss (Peter Weller) won’t let go without a fight.
That's the premise of the aptly titled Bang, a must-see new action movie that's now in Select Theaters, Digital and On Demand. Earlier this week, we had the good fortune to sit down with Peter Weller for an extended conversation about his role in the action-packed thriller.
Before wrapping up our conversation, we asked the screen icon about returning to perhaps his most famous role, RoboCop, in the hit RoboCop: Rogue City video game, as well as how it's added to the character's enduring legacy.
Admitting that RoboCop's impact didn't always resonate with him (and standing by his decision to walk away from the franchise), Weller tells us in the video below that the way the movie's themes have stood the test of time means a lot to him.
"You know, it's only when some years go by... there are two facts about this. I remember once that Dean Martin said, 'The best thing I did was join Jerry Lewis, and the best thing I did was leave Jerry Lewis.' So the best thing I did was do RoboCop, and the second best thing I did was leave RoboCop to do Naked Lunch. After perspective and time go by, you see a movie that you did that lives and lives and lives, and like Bogart said, 'You're lucky if you make three.' Bogart probably made eight or nine, and maybe I'll be lucky if I make three that outlive me, but the questions that I get asked...it's great that Rogue City ignites the RoboCop ideal again."
"If it makes them go see the film, which will live on and on and on, because Verhoeven made it about resurrection. And loss. Loss of identity, loss of family, and the tragedy of being ripped off. Not for goods, but for who you are. The third thing is the backstory, the opera goes on, is Reganomics. Whether or not Regan did good things or bad things, that whole idea of privatising everything so that money can run...it's back to the MI6 and the CIA. That wasn't created for espionage...yeah, it was, but what the Dulles Brothers wanted was capitalism. To run capitalism. It wasn't democracy everyone was after, it was to run the money, man."
"That theme that permeates RoboCop...people bring it up again and again. The thing I'm grateful for seeing with Rogue City. Okay, that's a game. Good guys, bad guys. But it gets people to see the movie, and when people go back to see it after 30 years, they get out of it those themes of resurrection, of family, of loss, of economics, not just the shoot 'em up or the laughs. Those are great and make it entertaining, but it's not just the games, but the themes of it."
"I'm pleased as punch. I couldn't say that about 25 years ago. I couldn't care less. I was just moving on, but now, when it comes back to me at a Comic-Con or in an interview or some wonderful director or actor walks up to me that I admire and says, 'You know, that movie stays with me,' I'm grateful for it. I'm really grateful for it. I'm so thrilled I got to be part of a movie that is that resilient to this day."
These are fascinating insights from the actor, and it's great to hear the level of gratitude he still has for RoboCop nearly four decades after first playing Alex Murphy. The movie has indeed stood the test of time and remains a beloved classic.
In the video above, you can hear more from Weller on how he approached his villainous role in Bang and the way his doctoral work factored into his take on Morgan Cutter. He also opens up about how preparing for this movie wasn't all that different from researching and writing his book, Leon Battista Alberti in Exile: Tracing the Path to the First Modern Book on Painting.
You can watch the trailer for Bang, and our interview with Jack Kesy, in the players below.