Ex-Minnesotan turned Hollywood director on why Jason Statham is the perfect action star

When David Ayer yells “action” on the set, he means it. The 57-year-old filmmaker, who spent part of his childhood in the Twin Cities suburbs, has become one of the successful players in the thriller genre, with screenwriting credentials that include “Training Day” and the first installment of “The Fast and Furious” franchise.

 As a director, he’s responsible for 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” which grossed nearly $350 million at the box office, and 2024’s “The Beekeeper.”

“A Working Man,” in theaters Friday, reunites him with “Beekeeper” star Jason Statham, playing a construction worker who becomes a one-man wrecking crew after human traffickers kidnap a friend’s daughter.

Ayer spoke about his career and the action genre via Zoom recently from New Zealand, where he was preparing to shoot “Heart of the Beast” with actor Brad Pitt.

Q: How much time did you spend in the Twin Cities as a kid and what kind of films were you watching back then?

A: I went to Hubert Olson Middle School in Bloomington. My mom got a job in the area. I remember the winters were brutal. I was probably watching a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have at that age, like “Scarface.” Public television there was great. I got to see a lot of movies you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, like Japanese films. [Akira] Kurosawa became an inspiration. Those films taught me there were other ways to see the world.

Q: What makes a great action movie?

A: The secret ingredient is character. If you look at “Die Hard,” it’s about a guy trying to reconnect with his family. We really root for that. It’s the same with “Working Man.” Jason plays this everyman who is trying to connect with his daughter and help out this family that adopted him. He really has no choice but to go to war for them because no one else can help them. That’s a great setup.

Q: What’s a common mistake that bad action movies make?

A: A lot of it comes down to time management. How are you investing your resources? Our secret weapon was that Jason does his own stunts, so we didn’t have to shoot stuff twice with a double. It’s all him, all the time. So I would say the biggest mistake other films make is not having Jason.

Q: The screenplay is credited to both you and Sylvester Stallone. But you two didn’t actually write together. How did it work?

A: Stallone had a draft based on a novel [Chuck Dixon’s “Levon’s Trade”]. It’s not easy to adapt a novel and he really cracked the code. He did the heavy lifting in that regard. I came in and added a lot of the family and character elements so Jason could show his heart. It’s a little like the Pony Express. Each person gets the mail closer to Kansas.

Q: What is your writing process?

A: I’m in my office from 9 in the morning to 7 or 8 every night, even weekends. It’s brutal, but words show up when they show up, and if you’re not in front of a keyboard when it happens, you miss it.

Q: What about when you’re on set, directing? Is part of your brain thinking about the next project?

A: There’s always a couple ideas percolating in my head, simmering.

Q: The film that brought you to New Zealand reunites you with Brad Pitt, who also starred in your 2014 film “Fury.” That may be my favorite film that you’ve directed. What do you like about working with him?

A: He’s a technician, very deep into detail. I’m the same way. He’s relentless. He wants to know everything, has opinions on everything. Having a sparring partner at that level who can pull the A game out of me is a gift.

Q: Which actor would you most like to work with in an action film?

A: Bradley Cooper. Robert Downey Jr. He’s done action before, but he’s such a brilliant actor. I thought “Oppenheimer” was an absolute masterpiece.

Q: Is there a genre you’d like to work in that may surprise people? Like a musical or rom-com?

A: Both of those. I’m not even kidding. I’m fascinated with theater and performance. One of my favorite films is “All That Jazz.” I want to do a romantic film. There’s nothing more complex than the heart. That’s universal. We’re all trying to find love. I like post-European cinema, like [Roberto] Rossellini. And I like directors like Billy Wilder and John Ford, guys who forced creativity through a pretty structured system.

Q: What’s the greatest revenge film of all time?

A: “A Working Man.”

Q: What’s the second best? And don’t say “The Beekeeper.”

A: Well, since you’ve taken that off the table, I’d say “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” That’s a classic right there.