A Day to Die is an action thriller starring Kevin Dillon, Bruce Wills, Frank Grillo and Leon, and is directed by Wes Miller; Credits: Collider

The director of films like A Witch Story, Prayer Never Fails, and River Runs Red is back again with a fascinating action sequence, a Day to Die. 

Known for his short films like In Your Hands, Chapter One: The Date, and What a Wonderful World, director Wes Miller has made quite a name for himself. Now he brings A Day to Die, already released in theaters, as a story of a desperate officer looking to rescue his wife.  

The film stars Kevin Dillon in the role of the parole officer Connor who somehow has to accumulate $2 million to pay Tyrone Pettis, played by Leon, so that he can save his wife. He employs the help of some of his friends in the special ops association to command a heist in the bid for the ransom money. 

The director of the film described how difficult it was to shoot the film in the times of the pandemic and what it was like to work with theater masters like Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dillion, and Leon.

Sharing how he got inspired to work on A Day to Die, the director revealed that he was approached with the script for the film. At the time, he was wanting to shoot an action sequence, and when a friend brought the script to him, it was the perfect opportunity. 

He made sure the film was not straight-up action but also had much more "to infuse into." Being a former civil rights lawyer, he knew what he was getting into and used his knowledge to rewrite the script. 

He approached his friend with the altered script, and when they agreed on it, they decided to go ahead and shoot. However, the pandemic came about just then but they waited for a while and went back to production and shooting in 2021. 

Though it was difficult to shoot the film owing to the pandemic restrictions, the waiting period before the shoots was not necessarily bad. Still, the pandemic did mess up a few things. 

The director also shared his experience when it came to shooting with the likes of Frank Grillo, Bruce Willis, and Leon. Calling it an "amazing experience," Miller shared that it was "humbling," "inspiring" and also a "big responsibility" to work with these actors. 

He shared he was thankful for achieving this experience in his lifetime and that it was "wonderful" to work with these guys. He also said that it was a learning experience as he had wanted to shoot an action film for a while. 

The director made the small budget for the film work the best for his production as he stayed focused on getting the most out of his actors in each scene. Hence, he said that while shooting the entire film was a great experience, getting to work with Leon, Kevin and Frank was the most memorable of all the moments from the sets. 

Seeing the film transform from notes on a script to calling the action, rehearsing, and shooting was all a great thing to live through, according to Miller. He shared that he liked the "newness" of creating a thing that did not exist before, and it was rewarding to see it all come together.

Explaining what he meant when he said that being a former civil rights lawyer, he altered the script to his liking, the director shared the concept of the "bad guy" and the "good people" in the film. He said that all people come from "different walks of life" and hence several aspects matter when people make decisions. 

The director himself hopes to learn something great for the film but admitted that the film is still fresh in his mind there is only so much that he could learn from it. Yet he believes that working with the professional cast and the crew of the film has helped him grasp his craft better. 

He stated that as a director, the only thing that matters is the actors and that they rely on the director to guide them through the film. Thus, it is always important for the director to make sure that he is ready to lead and prepared. 

Wes Miller is presently working on a new film named d3 Mile Inn. The film stars Kelly Rowland, and the shoots are expected to begin soon. He is also looking forward to making another action film somewhere along the lines of Reservoir Dogs and Smokin' Aces. He expects to mold the film as a "character-driven action thriller."

A Day to Die is released in theaters and can also be watched on VOD platforms.