Renegade (2014) - Boxer versus Mad Monocled Scientist

Renegade (2014) - A Boxer runs around in his underpants battling a monocled villain! Renegade is an homage to the 1940’s American pulp magazines, like Thrilling Wonder Stories, Terror Tales and Thrilling Mysterys. These magazines featured cover art by artist like Rudolph Belarski, Tom Blame and Earle Bergey who often drew thinly clothed heros and heroines fighting off mad scientist, druids, henchmen and goblins. Renegade is Pulp comic fun, with classic arch characters, romance and adventure. We referenced a lot of old American Pulp Comics from the 1940s that had these covers with mad scientist cornering girls with poisonous needles and heroic men in bathing suits fighting sea monsters, all these B movie story types of ideas that made us laugh and we wanted to see them all in one movie, so we started mashing genres together.

I think that most action movies are inherently funny and by simply acknowledging that, you can really bring out the humor. But we did put a lot of emphasis on the balance. We spent a lot of time developing the look which has a comic book graphic way about it but also keeps things wide and clean and funny. I like seeing people running and moving and fighting in movies and you can enjoy that on one level but having it punctuated with a funny line or a silly situation as to why they are fighting can bring another level of enjoyment that I always like to see while watching action. - Michael Cavanaugh

Directed by Kevin Van Witt and Michael Cavanaugh