Los Angeles based acquisition and distribution company, Saban Films, has become known for their “name-driven-cast genre films.” A few of their most notable titles being Skiptrace starring Jackie Chan, King of Thieves, Wrong Turn (2021), The Vault and City of Lies starring Johnny Depp. It’s their latest crime thriller, Mob Land, that is currently garnering attention thanks to the film’s A-list cast comprised of John Travolta, Ashley Benson, Kevin Dillon and Stephen Dorff.
The official description reads: Deep in the heart of Dixie, in a small town struggling with the ravages of addiction, a local sheriff (Travolta) tries to maintain the peace when desperate family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) robs a pill mill with his reckless brother-in-law, Trey (Dillon). But the supposedly easy score takes a violent turn, alerting the New Orleans mafia’s revenge-seeking enforcer Clayton Minor (Dorff), who then threatens Shelby’s wife (Benson) and her daughter. With its unpredictable twists and turns, Mob Land is a heart-pounding, action thriller.
There are many things that stand out about Mob Land, one of them being the cinematography by Nick Matthews. Some of Nick’s other credits include Spoonful of Sugar, Cuck and At the Frontera. To learn more about how the film was shot, we spoke to Nick more in-depth below.
How did you get into cinematography? Was it always something you wanted to do?
I’ve been writing and telling stories ever since I was a little kid. I never studied cinematography formally and due to a strict religious context, I didn’t set foot in a movie theater until college. As a result, my path to cinematography started with falling in love first in literature—the likes of Flannery O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka, among many others. Storytelling felt fundamental as a vehicle to explore and empathize with the human condition in all its paradox, tragedy, brokenness, injustice, beauty, and transcendence.
I got into filmmaking after I discovered the magic of holding my family’s camcorder in my hand and how freeing it felt to make little films with my friends in high school. I still feel that rush when I go on set. I devoured so many books and interviews and online forums as I tried to teach myself about lighting. I made films in the non-profit space while shooting personal projects on the side, before I eventually decided to make the leap to Los Angeles and freelance about 10 years ago.
For me, cinematography feels tactile and sensual. It’s a way to use light, color, and atmosphere to build the vernacular of a visual world—to affect the meaning and emotional tenor of the story as the audience experiences it. This journey has taken me to some of the most sublime places in the world and brought me alongside some of the most profoundly talented people I’ve ever met. I feel that I’ve learned from every actor, director, and technician I’ve collaborated alongside.
How did you get connected to Mob Land?
Nicholas Maggio and I connected on Instagram because of a mutual appreciation of one another’s work. Based upon his work I knew he was a brilliant and intimidating photographer. There’s a rustic grunge that felt like something straight out of the 70s. Once I met him, we clicked over stories, music, and our backgrounds (he’s also very fucking funny) which led to crafting a few commercial campaigns together. We forged a common visual language and a short hand in that process.
Mob Land was originally titled American Metal, and it was a script I read years ago. It felt like an immersive, gritty, and southern neo-noir. Something about it reminded me of Cormac McCarthy and Place Beyond the Pines, and Snowtown Murders…. it was propulsive and character driven and atmospheric. Once I got the call the movie was happening we were off to the races.
What did preproduction look like for you on Mob Land?
Preproduction was a mad sprint! We landed in Georgia and were off to the races scouting locations, casting the film, hiring crew–all while listening to metal and hardcore. This was a 3-week pre-production from arrival to our first shoot day. Given that timeline, we devised a set of rules for our photography to guide us along the way since so many of the pieces were coming together exceptionally quickly. When I look back, I just think about all the great times I had hanging out with Nicholas and just dreaming about the film.
Mob Land is Nicholas Maggio’s directorial debut. Can you talk about working with him on this film? What were his strengths?
Every great collaboration is built on mutual respect and trust. Nicholas is one of a kind–he’s adaptable, industrious, tenacious, fastidious, and funny. He’s got these tremendous visual ideas but is also someone that gives me complete creative freedom. He’s someone I will go to bat for time and time again. Not everyone can lose the location for the finale the night before we shoot and manage to pull off what we did. Very few directors get these big names and make a film with such a strong voice–especially with their debut feature. His work as a designer, photographer, and filmmaker all served the film in countless ways.
Mob Land is an homage to the classic American Neo-Noir genre. Did you go back and watch any films in this genre to garner inspiration or ideas?
I absolutely love Neo-Noir and I referenced a number of films and photographers in the process of gathering inspiration. Among the films I watched were The French Connection, No Country for Old Men, Snowtown Murders, Place Beyond the Pines, Donnybrook, I Saw the Devil, Se7en, and Klute. Among the photographers I referenced were Larry Clark, Gordon Parks, Michal Chelbin, and others.
What was the most difficult part of making a movie set in this genre?
Our greatest challenge was time. We had 14 days (11 principal and 3 splinter unit) to tell this story.
The film is blood-soaked with pervading darkness, rusty & sapped colors, and brutal imagery. We contrasted isolated characters in giant landscapes against intimate closeups. Mob Land showcases bold composition choices using reflections and negative space to express the austere futility of the characters. The lighting utilized naturalistic lighting motivated by practical sources and falling away into deep shadows—and overall pervading darkness. We scoured the south to find just the right locations, the right cars, and the right guns to keep the film grounded in the reality of the characters. This takes the audience along a gritty, intense ride through the murderous south. The pace we shot the film at reads in the gravity of the performances. We only achieved that by shooting 2 units at the same time for half the film, and using 2 cameras for our main unit work, which was a new approach for me. A lot of the preproduction was spent figuring out how to creatively capture the set pieces, while staying on budget and schedule.
Can you talk about working with the great John Travolta? Do you have any fun, behind the scenes stories about your interactions with him?
John Travolta is an absolute legend and came completely in character. I never had any interaction with him where he wasn’t fully committed to his character’s story and point of view, all while delivering lengthy dialogue sequences off-book and without needing any lines. He really drew a crowd the days he was in town, and I respected that he went out to the fans and signed autographs and took photos to try and respect their time and effort in coming to see us make the film. He’s a legend for a reason.
You also worked on the upcoming Saw X film. What can you tell us about your work on that film?
Saw X is a descent into hell where we move from beauty to brutality photographically. We found ways to pay homage to the earlier films with our color palette of arsenical greens, ochre yellows, sickly oranges, and crimson reds, while also bringing a heightened drama to every image. I tried to layer the color separation very intentionally to craft an arc that thematically elevated the film. We leaned into giallo references and maintained an aggressive, gritty visual style and I loved getting to play in that dark, gruesome space. I hope it makes you feel like you need a tetanus shot.
Is there a specific director you would love to work with one day?
A few filmmakers that come to mind are Lynne Ramsay, Jennifer Kent, Julia Ducournau, Panos Cosmatos, Robert Eggers, and so many more….too many to name.
Mob Land is in theaters now and will be released on VOD August 25th.
You can learn more about Nick Matthews here: https://www.nicholasmatthewsfilm.com/
