By Kely Lyons
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/30/17 – LUKE GOSS’s work as an actor is marked by intelligence, compassion and a deep understanding of the complexities and contradictions of the human psyche. Whether he’s playing an abused and tortured uber-vampire, a warrior prince bent on restoring the balance between the world of magic and the ravages of human activity or the consigliore/enforcer for a Russia mafia family, his portrayal of each character’s inner workings is both riveting and illuminating.
So it comes as no surprise that with “Your Move” – his first foray as writer/director, in which he also stars – Goss takes a deep dive into an age-old human question that has pre-occupied storytellers for millennia: If you are pushed beyond all reason, how far will you go? If the stakes are high enough, where are your limits? Mining a deep vein of noir which he combines with the pulse-pounding energy of a high-action psychological thriller, Goss explores what happens when – driven by terror and necessity – a decent man of ordinary abilities turns himself into an unforgiving engine of revenge.
This is not meant to be a review, just a preview of things to come, but without giving away any spoilers it can be said that Goss is particularly effective in conveying the first 24 hours of a kidnapping scenario; the victims are halfway around the world, and not knowing where they are or what is happening to them creates a sense of gut-wrenching helplessness that is palpable.
The movie is filled with lush, memorably vivid imagery: the gleaming eyes of a caged child sitting in darkness, fierce and fearless despite the lunatic ravings of her captor; a Madonna-like woman, dressed in white, bound hand and foot to a wooden chair, rocking back and forth as she cries out the child’s name; the contorted face of a madman, like a Goya portrait come terrifyingly to life. And while “the church” is never expressly spoken of, the film is shot through with cinematically gorgeous visuals that can easily be construed as religious iconography: a desperate man committing a violent act he would never have conceived of just 48 hours earlier becomes an avenging angel through the agency of a gun and a feather pillow; a self-pitying psychopath obsessively imitates a posture of crucifixion to express his rage over a child whose very existence is an affront to his own demented will and desires.
Post-production on the film has been completed and it has distribution in most foreign territories, including the U.K. Studio screenings are currently being set up with an eye to securing a domestic U.S. deal for theatrical and ancillary venues.
Goss himself is currently at the tail end of a whirlwind UK concert tour with his twin, Matt. The brothers rocketed to fame in the early ‘80’s as the musical duo Bros, and this year were cajoled into a reunion at London’s massive O2 Stadium, to the delight of their multitude of fans, the adorably-named “Brosettes”. Such is their fans’ devotion that when the O2 concert was announced last October, it sold out in an astonishing seven seconds.
Having proved himself as both a platinum-selling rock star and an incredibly versatile popular actor, with “Your Move” Luke Goss is taking on his next challenge, as a writer/director. Judging by his body of work to date, it only makes sense to expect similar levels of skill and talent from him as a filmmaker. Watch for “Your Move” to arrive in theaters early next year.
