The Bricklayer and the History of Renny Harlin’s Career

Summary

• Renny Harlin is a Finnish director who has achieved international success, particularly in the action genre.
• Harlin’s career includes hits like
  Die Hard 2
  and
  Cliffhanger
  , as well as flops such as
  Driven
  and
  Cutthroat Island
  .
• Recent projects like
  The Bricklayer
  show Harlin’s resurgence in American cinema after a shift to Chinese cinema.

Not many Finnish directors have become American household names, but Renny Harlin is one of them. That is, in terms of directors not named Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, or Steven Spielberg’s ability to become household names. If anything, it’s a group of one, as Harlin is arguably the most internationally successful Finnish filmmaker, at least when it comes to box office reliability.

Fortunately for film fans, particularly those with an affinity for the action genre, the man has directed many films over the course of nearly 40 years. That’s an impressive duration, and it’s a career that’s produced a number of winners, such as The Bricklayer, the action film starring Aaron Eckhart, which is now trending on Netflix. But we’ll get to that later. For now, let’s start at the beginning.

Like Many Successful Auteurs, Renny Harlin Started in Horror

Harlin’s first film, which he also co-wrote, was a little Finnish actioner called Born American. Originally intended to be a Chuck Norris vehicle, he backed out and was replaced by his son, Mike. It wasn’t a worldwide hit, but it opened a very important door for Harlin…the door to American cinema.

The first American project under his belt wasn’t a major one, but it was interesting. Produced by Charles Band for Empire Pictures (before Band started Full Moon Productions), Prison is a unique slasher. Led by none other than Viggo Mortensen, it’s a revenge tale where an undead man, executed for a murder he didn’t commit, seeks to exact vengeance on the warden who oversaw his demise.

Prison was released in March of 1988, at least in the United States, but it didn’t make much of a splash at the box office. Come August of the same year, however, Harlin helmed the financially successful slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, which reached $50 million at the box office on a $13 million budget.

After the success of The Dream Master, Harlin’s talent became a bit of a hot commodity. And, to that point, he was the director slated to helm Alien³ before creative differences led to him being replaced by David Fincher in his directorial debut. That said, the latter had a notoriously difficult time getting the final result in line with his vision and probably wouldn’t have minded too much if Harlin had remained at the helm. But, all’s well that ends well; Fincher has had a legendary career, and, on Harlin’s end, he was swiftly snatched up by 20th Century Fox.

Renny Harlin Had to Survive a Box Office Flop

On paper, crafting a project around the divisive stylings of Andrew Dice Clay was a fine idea. After all, Eddie Murphy’s comedy had proved controversial from time to time, yet Beverly Hills Cop was the highest grossing film of 1984. The often-insufferable (even for those who liked his comedy) The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, however, faced a different fate than Axel Foley’s first adventure. That means critically as much as it means commercially. It could have substantially derailed Harlin’s career, but thankfully, it was being edited at the same time as his next film (literally just one week): Die Hard 2.

While Die Hard 2 isn’t quite as successful a narrative as the first film, it’s not too far behind. Harlin’s proclivity for tight pacing is an asset to the film, just like the shift to an airport locale. McClane seems a little more rough around the edges, but that’s not a fatal flaw (if anything, it’s logical considering what he’d been through at Nakatomi Plaza), even if it can make the film seem like there’s not a pleasant character in sight.

Renny Harlin Directed Another Action Hit and Another Flop

What better movie to follow the fist-pumping Die Hard 2 than with the equally grandiose Cliffhanger? With a fully-in-his-element Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow rocking a terrible British accent (and having the absolute time of his life), Cliffhanger is a ’90s action classic. Not to mention, it was one of 1993’s most profitable films, regardless of genre—no wonder it’s getting a legacy sequel, though without the participation of Harlin.

The same can’t be said of 1995’s Cutthroat Island, which was and remains a Hollywood cautionary tale after making $10 million at the box office against a $98 million budget. Really, it performed so poorly that it’s incredible Disney ended up giving Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the green light. That said, as a film, even one that killed its studio, Cutthroat Island has its moments and was the first of two films Harlin made with then-wife Geena Davis. Fortunately, their film the following year was a bigger success, both critically and commercially.

Renny Harlin Worked With Shane Black and Super-Smart Sharks

One year after Cutthroat Island, Harlin reteamed with Davis for the Shane Black-penned The Long Kiss Goodnight. Co-starring Samuel L. Jackson and Brian Cox, this spy movie may not have set the box office alight, but it certainly has gained a worthy and devoted cult following.

The same could be said of Harlin’s 1999 aquatic rollercoaster ride Deep Blue Sea. As it stands, save for perhaps Cliffhanger or Die Hard 2, this sharkfest is the ultimate example to show a layman regarding Harlin’s style. To paraphrase the poster’s tagline: “Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.” and an absolute blast from front to back. Not to mention, if cinema history has a greatest death scene….

Renny Harlin’s Decline and His Move to Chinese Cinema

While Deep Blue Sea scored both solid reviews and a respectable box office tally, that late ’90s success would not continue throughout the aughts. And that started with his reteaming with Stallone via the big-budget flop (in every sense of the word) Driven.

To say Driven damaged Harlin’s reputation as a moneymaker in the studios’ eyes is an understatement; hence, some of his work from the aughts (the underrated Mindhunters and Cleaner) went straight to video after at most extremely limited theatrical runs. But, after that racing film, Harlin was given the reigns to Exorcist: The Beginning, a retooling of Paul Schrader’s superior Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Essentially, Harlin made it a more widely appealing film, at least ostensibly, since it’s not as if The Beginning was a success.

The aughts also had Harlin helm the cheesy The Covenant, the borderline unwatchable 12 Rounds (the second film John Cena made with WWE Studios after The Marine), and the entirely forgettable The Legend of Hercules. Thankfully for fans of that IP, another Hercules film was released later in the year. After The Legend of Hercules bombed in 2014, Harlin shifted focus. Specifically to Chinese cinema, first with the Johnny Knoxville and Jackie Chan led Skiptrace. Then came Legend of the Ancient Sword and, lastly, the well-reviewed Bodies at Rest.

Renny Harlin’s Resurgence, The Bricklayer, and What Comes Next

After seven years away from American cinema, Harlin returned with The Misfits. Unfortunately, the Pierce Brosnan-led heist film is nothing to write home about, but it does show that Harlin can still have some fun behind the camera. The same year, he also directed the Finnish film Reunion 3: Singles Cruise.

2024 looks to be Harlin’s true reintroduction to domestic cinephiles, as he’ll be the helmer of not one but four of the year’s releases. First up, and the only one released at this point in time, is The Bricklayer. Starring Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev as CIA agents solving the case of multiple murdered foreign journalists. Like other recent under-the-radar Eckhart actioners, it’s a well-made entertainer with a fully-devoted performance by its lead. In other words, it’s arguably Harlin’s best film since the late ’90s. After its release earlier this year, it found a second life on Netflix, which is great for both Eckhart and Harlin.

Now to the other three. When Harlin became attached to the reboot of 2008’s The Strangers, the resulting product was far more than one’s average horror film. Why? Because it’s so long (about four and a half hours, to be exact) that what was once a single film became an entire trilogy.

All three films will be led by Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch, and, believe it or not, all three movies will, at the time of writing, be hitting screens in 2024. The first is The Strangers: Chapter 1, which will be released on May 17. In other words, 2024 is a big year for both The Strangers fans and those excited to see Harlin again helm what will hopefully be another successful project. Harlin’s latest film, The Bricklayer, is streaming now on Netflix.