Michael Jai White has been an electrifying presence in action movies for decades, and he brings that power to the screen again in his new movie As Good As Dead. Directed by R. Ellis Frazier and written by White himself, As Good As Dead was produced by White's production company Jaigantic Studios, and can currently be seen in theaters and on digital platforms.
In As Good As Dead, a kid named Oscar (Luca Oriel) in Nogales, Mexico begins to learn martial arts from a mysterious man named Bryant (White). However, after a video of Oscar using his skills in an MMA tournament goes viral, some old enemies of Bryant's from his time as a DEA agent track him down. With Oscar and his family also targets, it is up to Bryant to stop them.
Screen Rant speaks to Michael Jai White on the making of As Good As Dead, the influences on the film's story, and some of his larger goals with his production company, Jaigantic Studios.
Screen Rant: You wrote As Good As Dead as well as starred in it. What can you share about how it came about, and the genesis of the film?
Michael Jai White: Well, it's a story I've had in my head, and I ultimately wanted to do this in the Latino community. I have a great love for the Latino culture, and I wanted to do a story that could pretty much be told anywhere, but I wanted to do that here.
Did you film As Good As Dead in Mexico?
Michael Jai White: Yes I did.
You also take on something of a mentor role for the kid in the movie, Oscar. In crafting that story and having the element of being on the run from organized crime, were there any big influences you took in how you plotted the story?
Michael Jai White: Oh, yeah. It's a story I had in my head, and it's kind of the message that our heroes come in different packages, and ultimately, doing the right thing is the right thing no matter what. And, I wanted to do a thing where even though it was a martial art story, I wanted a mark of my brand to be that if you take the martial arts and the action out of it, there would be a compelling story by itself, and I think this hits that.
The martial arts in As Good As Dead is a bit of a change-up from a lot of fight scenes you've done in the past, which have been predicated on a lot of karate and MMA elements. Your fighting style in this movie felt very reminiscent of the use of Keysi Fighting Method in The Dark Knight trilogy. What was the methodology of crafting the fighting style that you use in this movie?
Michael Jai White: That's very astute of you, because it absolutely did come from The Dark Knight's fighting style. It's the Defence Lab Method, and my entrance into that was with the folks who did The Dark Knight. Michel Quach developed it into what you've seen that I highlight in this movie, so it's very unique kind of system, and a very fun, new type of fighting method. So, that's what I really wanted to highlight in the movie.
In doing the fight scenes and all the gunplay in the movie, were there any injuries in the making of As Good as Dead?
Michael Jai White: No, I mean, there are ways nowadays that you don't really have to fire your weapon on set. It's come to a point with CG that you can do things and not have to do much of live firing. So, that's to keep everything ultimately safe.
How would you say As Good As Dead and your role as Bryant felt different compared to other movies or characters you've portrayed in the past like the Never Back Down movies or Blood and Bone?
Michael Jai White: Well, being that I'm still a moviegoer and a patron, there's certain formulas that I think myself and the audience grows tired of. I don't want to see the same movie over and over. It's not what I want to watch or what I want to deliver by any means. Sometimes those tropes that you recognize, I may have a different spin on those, where you think the movie's going to go one direction, but it goes somewhere completely different. I personally enjoy movies that are going to deliver something that is unexpected, and I think that's my goal and one of the things that people are coming away with watching this movie.
What would you say were some of the standout moments or experiences for you in the making of As Good As Dead, or Nogales, which was the working title?
Michael Jai White: Yes, Nogales in reference to the town that he disappeared into. It's a story that's actually very close to me, because my oldest brother kind of inspired it. My brother moved from the states into Mexico, and started a family there. My character's name Bryant is my brother's name, and he was intended to be my language coach, because I wanted to do part of the move speaking Spanish. Sadly, my brother passed away from COVID about a month before we started filming, so this portrayal is very deep to me, and it's in homage to my brother's memory.
One of the stand-out things is that we got a cast that I think is extraordinary. Luca Oriel and Guillermo Iván play brothers in this movie, and I couldn't have cast people better than them in those roles. That really stood to me and I thought I was very lucky being able to work with those guys.
Bryant's relationship with Oscar in the movie feels somewhat akin to Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown where you were taking on a mentor role. Are mentor-type characters something that you're interested in further going into?
Michael Jai White: Well, I just want to do movies where you feel that there's a slice of life, and that's who I am. I am a mentor and an instructor, and those of us who learn in martial arts, it's about more than just kicking and punching and fighting. It's way of life that most people in the martial arts tend to do, because it was done for them. So, I wanted to craft a movie that you feel that you're watching real life unfold, and that's really part of it. Some of those things you might see in other films, like you mentioned Never Back Down 2, where he's the reluctant teacher, but that was a different character and different circumstances. I hear it a lot, and it's quite intentional that this movie has some elements of The Karate Kid and Equalizer.
Speaking of those, is there any possibility that we might see more of Bryant after As Good As Dead?
Michael Jai White: I hope so. I crafted it in a way where a sequel is a definite potential.
After the release of As Good As Dead and the upcoming release of The Outlaw Johnny Black, what else is coming up from Jaigantic Studios?
Michael Jai White: There's a number of things. Marvel's Midnight Suns was also just released, where I play Blade in the game. So, those who always wanted to see me in the Blade construct can do that in this game. I also have a martial arts and fitness app called Dojo that's also out now.
About As Good As Dead
Bryant, a man with a mysterious past, moves to a small Mexican border town to start over and live the simple life. While there, he reluctantly befriends a troubled local teen who recently lost his morning and is being recruited by a local street gang. To keep him on the straight & narrow, Bryant takes him under his wing and introduces him to martial arts. As the story unfolds, we learn Bryant is more complex, running from a violent past. As it catches up to him, he is forced into a life-and-death struggle to clear his name, save the boy and get back all he left behind.
Check out our other interviews with Michael Jai White here:
As Good As Dead is now in select theaters and on digital outlets.