"Free Fire" and its gunplay have proven that Video Games and movies actually can work together, but you might not realize which video game was used in the planning process.
When most of us think of video game gunplay, we often think of "Halo," "Call of Duty," "Battlefield," or even one of the many Ubisoft games inspired by the literary works of Tom Clancy. Even back in the days of the first successful shooters, it often came down to "Goldeneye 64" and "Perfect Dark," until games like "Quake" took over and PC gamers began noticing that consoles were moving in on one of their favorite territories.
While not clearly stated, the Sharlton Copley thriller "Hardcore Henry" was an example of a film made in the first-person perspective of a shooter game. The gore, gunplay, and various other "perks" often stole the show, but it never broke from that point of view like most films based on shooters have done. "Doom," anyone?
'Minecraft' was used to plan out the film
Most people don't consider "Minecraft" to be a violent game, though you do kill animals with various tools, and zombies often find their way into the game after "dark." Plus, the interface is extremely blocky, a distinct turn-off for gamers looking for competent visuals these days. It's hardly conducive to a shooter game environment the way it plays.
The bullets would be way too small to begin with.
However, that same interface made it possible for Ben Wheatley to measure out the environment in which the film would exist, a warehouse full of gangsters and the like. Being what is basically a 62-minute shootout, "Free Fire" didn't require a lot of space to make it happen.
This makes it about the most limiting film since Ryan Reynolds' "Buried," which was literally shot almost nonstop as the character waited to be rescued from a shallow grave in Iraq.
Each block being about a cubic meter made it easier for Wheatley to figure out how to manage such limited space. It was like a free 3D graph he could move around in, making the visualizing and measuring easier to handle.
To help with visualizing, he used the "Blade Runner" texture pack.
The 'Minecraft' phase made a lot of technical details easier
Every shot fired had to be possible with line of sight accuracy. Every "squib," or simulated bullet hit, needed to be planned right down to the pyrotechnics. Every person had to be exactly where the film needed them, and all together, it was a daunting task.
In the end, all of that detail was made easier using a video game, and the movie ended up more realistic as a result.
