Movie-making has always been a crazy business, but it’s probably never been quite as crazy as it is now, especially when it comes to distribution. Take Fire with Fire, a new thriller starring Bruce Willis, Josh Duhamel, and Rosario Dawson. It sounds like a pretty decent idea for a thriller: “After witnessing the brutal murders of a convenience store owner and his son, firefighter, Jeremy Coleman (Duhamel) barely escapes with his life. As Jeremy is placed in a witness protection program, his new identity becomes compromised, forcing him to take an offensive course of action against the crime syndicate in order to get his life back and protect the ones he loves including U.S. Marshal “Talia Durham” (Dawson)…”
Budgeted at more than $20 million, and with a pretty stellar cast (especially considering Willis’ recent success with Looper and Dawson’s high-profile work in front and behind the camera this year), you’d think the thriller would be guaranteed a theatrical release; plenty of other smaller works get at least a few screens. But for some reason, Fire with Fire is going straight to DVD and Video and Demand…and in the process, has secured a dubious distinction: it has become the second-most pirated video on the internet, right behind The Campaign and right in front of former pirate-champ The Amazing Spider-Man.
An earlier release in the U.K. probably didn’t help matters, and the VOD release makes it particularly easy for high-quality copies to be captured and broadcast on torrent networks all over the net. Ironically, the popularity of the lead actors in new material is probably part of the problem as well: Fire with Fire actually sounds interesting enough to watch, but–for some, anyway–not compelling enough to pay for.
There are no reviews available yet–admittedly, not a good sign–but here’s the trailer. Warning: this is one of those annoying “coming attractions” that tells you way too much about the movie, including (it seems) the fate of Rosario’s character. So…be warned:
Fire with Fire will be available on November 6, Video on Demand or on DVD/Bluray. Enjoy.
