Hollywood Stars Hit South Alabama

by Abbey McNeely

UM Students from lower Alabama found their summers to be more exciting than they expected with the arrival of the cast and crew of the Hollywood film Tokarev (prounounced Toke-ah-rev). Most notably, Nicolas Cage and Danny Glover star in this mafia based film. Throughout June and July, downtown Mobile was filled with explosions, gunshots, and interested spectators. According to press releases and crew statements, the film stars Cage as former Irish mafia member Paul Maguire. Maguire has moved on with his life and become a prominent part of the community, until his daughter is kidnapped by Russian mafia members, and he is forced to dive back into his dark past. Tokarev has often been compared to box office hit Taken, but the crew assured us that there is an exciting twist that makes Tokarev something Hollywood has never seen before.

Tokarev is Spanish director Paco Cabezas’American debut. He hosted a Q and A session at downtown Mobile’s Crescent Theater along with a showing of his most well-known Spanish hit, Neon Flesh. At that session, he stated that Mobile stood out to him because the city had such a strong culture, and he was happy that the public were as excited about this movie as he was to make it. He also displayed his skills in action films, allowing the audience to get an idea of the kind of shots they will see in Tokarev. Neon Flesh was a fairly low-budget action film (only costing around $1.3 million) but definitely delivered thrills. The audience that recieved the privilege of seeing it left the theater excited for what Cabezas' next work would bring.

He chronicled the experience making Tokarev through his twitter account, stating things like “Film: the only profession where they not only let you destroy a police car, but applaud you for it” and “Rolling Tokarev with Andrzej Sekula #ILikeItWhenTheyPointShotgunsAtMe”.  Cabezas seems to have developed a close connection with the cast and crew, as every picture is all smiles.

The crew and cast of Tokarev all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their stay in south Alabama. Many crew members spoke to locals about reccommendations for food and activities on their days off. They recieved many stories of the delicious wonders of Wentzell's Oyster House and Foosackly's.
Cage managed to have some fun personal time, being spotted in his hotel pool with his family and a fireworks shop on the fourth of July. Cage didn’t give interviews while in town, but stated to a reporter (despite interference from a security guard) that he was enjoying his stay, and was happy to meet the people. He recieved a heavy dose of Southern hospitality!

Cage pauses during some well-deserved pool time with his son to take a picture with a local resident

It is certain that the people of Mobile were happy to welcome these Hollywood professionals to their home, and crew members have assured us many times that they would like to come back and shoot other projects in the port city. It looks like lower Alabama will soon be on the Hollywood map!

Tokarev is set to be released in 2014. It is likely that there will be a special premiere in Mobile. Watch out at The Crescent Theater's website and facebook page for more details to come!