Hes directed six movies that have starred Seagal and worked on the TV seriesTrue Justicewith the big man.

Those are the kind of interviews I like to contribute.

I really enjoyed my chat with Keoni Waxman.

I blamed my phone, when it may actually have been my fault.

After that, my conversation with Keoni Waxman went like this.

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Im really excited for this.

Im a legitimate fan.

Ive seen every Steven Seagal movie.

I genuinely love them.

Steven is definitely a brand.

I want to start by asking about my favorite scene inMercenary: Absolution.

Its a scene that takes place in a club, and someone actually tries to intimidate Steven Seagal.

Are you talking about the scene where Nadia first comes to see him?

Yes, thats the one.

What I liked about that scene is that theres a building of anticipation.

Because we know whats going to happen when do they fight.

Were you conscious of building the anticipation towards that moment?

Why would anyone mess with a man like this?

Ive worked with him a lot; Steven is always very specific about how the fight has to start.

He wants it to come out of something that has a suspense build.

If you pull that off right, it feels like the drama is preceding the action.

And you know that those guys went to the wrong bar.

The response toAbsolutionseems to be really positive.

You guys have a limited theatrical run in the US.

I know theres been some buzz around the trailer.

He was very reflective about it, he plays this guy who does bad things to bad men.

Or hes Robert Mitchum.

But, hes playing that guy but he wanted to have some absolution.

So we said, why dont we take a stab at come up with some back story with you.

And why dont you build it up to its a personal thing?

And it felt different.

Do you think theres maybe been a shift, too, in how people view straight-to-video action films?

Oh, I think so, sure.

Well, you know, I agree.

And then you didnt have to go to the movie theatre, you could rent it on DVD.

So you had your A and your B movie titles.

But remember, film noir was a B movie title.

A lot of our favorite movies from the past are B movies.

The B side of a record.

I think that these VOD movies, these DVD movies, are now becoming acceptable like that.

I know my kids, theyll go to the theatre because its fun.

They watch it on demand.

They watch it on their computers.

Those actors, that money, those visual effects.

The stories arent very different, you know?

Because the story doesnt cost anything.

What costs is, the effects and the $20 million star and the this and the that.

So, I do see that that line and distinction has been blurred quite a bit.

Kind of fun to watch.

Just as respectful, just cost a little less to make.

Were still gonna put that in.

I feel like we have a broad idea of how big blockbusters come together.

Could you go through, roughly, the production process for me?

You mean just in general orAbsolution?

So, using that as an example?

Well, Steven has a huge following still.

Steven was one of the biggest stars around, and hes still a star.

So theres always demand for a Steven Seagal movie.

Im always getting called saying Do you have a Steven Seagal movie?

So, the genesis of them comes from the financial desire in the market.

From that point, at least for our pictures, we have a team that puts them together.

We have the same producers involved.

We have this amount of money, and they just sort of say go ahead and do it.

Theres a tremendous amount of freedom.

Byron, do you want to do it?

So, for us, its a very organic and fluid sort of production.

Its not always the case.

I have a couple of questions regarding locations, actually.

What countries are you guys most popular in?

Where are your biggest audiences?

Well, thats a good question, because Steven is big internationally.

The damsel is tied to train tracks, here comes the train, right?

But we have a go at go where we can do something interesting.

Because Europe has strong demand.

This movie is set in Ukraine.

Where did you shoot?

This was shot in Romania, which is where I am right now shooting a picture.

How helpful is that?

Oh, forAbsolutionthe club was fantastic.

Everything behind Steven had an Asian influence, all of the LEDs behind everyone.

We tried to put everyone in front of a different look, for the picture before.

The picture now, were trying to give it a whole different look.

Obviously, you go in there, you take a stab at find these great locations.

Theres wonderful locations anywhere you go.

You want to put him in an arena where people Oh great.

This is all part of the production value and all part of the film.

Whats your plan for if they turn on you?

Theyre all fans of action and theyre all fans of the genre.

Whats fun about it is, you get to think whats the best match ups?

Josh Barnett is, I mean hes a badass fighter.

Byron Manns been in a lot of Hong Kong action, he loves to get into his thing.

Vinnie Jones, hes a tough guy.

Theyre all happy to be there.

Youve mentioned youre in Romania shooting now.

What are you working on?

Im working on a film calledKilling Salazarand Stevens in it and its Steven versus Georges St. Pierre.

Im really excited about that.

I had no idea they were working together.

Im a big Georges St. Pierre fan.

We start shooting on Monday.

It should be fun.

And, finally, whats your favorite Jason Statham film?

Alright, Ill tell you right now, you know what Ive been watching?

I dont know if its a favorite but the one that Ive been watching isRevolver.

Thats a weird movie.

Yeah, its kind of cool though, right?

Yeah, Jason Statham, I love him.

WatchingRevolver, just checking that out, Im going wow man, this guy has got it.

Thank you, Keoni Waxman!

Mercenary: Absolutionis available digitally (on iTunes and the like).

Its also out on DVD now.