Rebecca Droke, Post-GazetteLeo Fitzpatrick, running at right, plays a bank robber in "Kill Point."
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Series employs local actors in prominent roles 'Kill Point' starts slow, then flows City impresses production team during tight shooting schedule
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From location filming in a bank vault in a West End building to a scene involving a train near Lock No. 2 on the Allegheny River, Spike TV's "The Kill Point" spent three months and at least $18 million filming eight hours of television in and around Pittsburgh, the first prime-time TV series to shoot completely on location here.
The fruits of that labor will be visible to viewers in tonight's two-hour premiere that introduces the story: Iraq War veteran Mr. Wolf (John Leguizamo) and a small group of military veterans stage a bank robbery in Market Square. It turns into a hostage situation, and Pittsburgh Police Department negotiator Horst Cali (Donnie Wahlberg) attempts to bring the crisis to a peaceful resolution.
For Leguizamo, who previously spent time on TV's "ER" but has primarily been a film actor ("Ice Age," "Land of the Dead," "Moulin Rouge!"), the decision to take on the "Kill Point" role boiled down to two things: the script and the character.
"The best writing right now is in television," he said during a break from filming in Lawrenceville in early May. "It's the most innovative, the most interesting. It's deeper, braver, but the thing is TV moves quicker. It's a lot of work, like doing eight movies in three months."
Leguizamo said he was drawn to the character of Mr. Wolf (a k a Jake Mendez), the leader of the robbers who was also the sergeant of their platoon during the Iraq War.
"This guy's done three tours in Iraq, he's lost all his pension, he's lost everything, and his platoon is now out of the service for two years and [they] find it really hard to adjust," Leguizamo said. "These guys have no benefits, they can't get jobs, they're not adjusting. There was no parade for them, and they feel like, 'Wow, let's do something that makes a statement.' Robbing a bank would send a statement, so that's what we do."
Annie O'Neill, Post-GazetteDonnie Wahlberg is the police negotiator.
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The details
'The Kill Point' airs at 9 tonight and Sundays through Aug. 26 on Spike TV.
Leguizamo said "Kill Point" isn't a shallow thriller or heist flick but a miniseries that delves into the characters.
"It follows cops, it follows hostages, and it follows veterans -- three stories that are braided and woven together," he said.
To research the role, Leguizamo said he watched videos that soldiers posted to YouTube describing their war experiences. He also met with veterans in Staten Island, N.Y.
"I found myself extremely touched by their situation," Leguizamo said. "I think, especially the ones who talk against the war, they're the bravest people I've ever seen in my life."
Although a brief description of the show's plot may provoke snap judgment reactions from some viewers, Leguizamo said he's not trying to make veterans look bad.
"You find out they're human beings with problems, and the thing is a lot of veterans who come back do have problems, and they're not being taken care of," Leguizamo said. "It's the whole thing of being a soldier and having stress from the way of life, and you can't tell anybody because then you're considered weak."
"The Kill Point" was created by writer James DeMonaco ("The Negotiator"), who wrote the series with Todd Harthan, the supervising producer. The pair met when DeMonaco was executive producer of Fox's 1999 series "Ryan Caulfield: Year One." Harthan was hired as a production assistant, DeMonaco took him under his wing, and they've worked together since. Prior to "Kill Point," they collaborated on the script for the upcoming werewolf film "Skinwalkers."
Harthan said they're both fans of heist movies, such as "Heat" and "Dog Day Afternoon."
Andy Starnes, Post-GazetteJohn Leguizamo is the robbers' ring leader.
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Premiere party
If you want to watch the season premiere of "The Kill Point" with your fellow Pittsburghers, head for the Altar Bar, 1620 Penn Ave. in the Strip District, tonight. There will be $2 drink specials and free appetizers starting at 8 p.m., with the show on large flat-screen TVs at 9 p.m. The Pittsburgh Film Office is hosting the bash, which also will showcase photos submitted by cast and crew, and you must be 21 or older to attend.
"We were trying to think of a way to turn it on its head, to separate ourselves from the many movies and TV shows about bank robberies," Harthan said. "DeMonaco came up with the idea to blend the ongoing war in Iraq with the bank robbery genre."
For Wahlberg, "Kill Point" has been a whirlwind experience. In the midst of production, he took a few days off to film scenes for the fourth "Saw" movie in Toronto. He took the TV job based on the script and a desire to work with Leguizamo again (both starred in the 1998 film "Body Count").
He said he hasn't been disappointed.
"A lot of times when you take on a new part, the reasons you're enthusiastic about it don't always manifest," he said while taking a break during the Market Square filming. "I've been really lucky. The director, Steve Shill, has been fantastic. He's really let me take the thoughts I've had for the character and really implement them and take it even further than I had hoped. ... He's really encouraged me to push, and he makes sure I'm reeled in when I need to be."
Perhaps Wahlberg's biggest challenge during the shoot was living in Steelers country as a die-hard New England Patriots fan.
"I loathe the Pittsburgh Steelers, so I've had fun with that," he said, laughing. "It makes for great conversation. I usually initiate the conversation, but I always get trumped in the end because the Steelers won a Super Bowl more recently. But they won't win the next Super Bowl."
If "Kill Point" is a ratings success and Spike TV orders a second season, Wahlberg could be back here again so Horst can negotiate his way out of another crisis. Wahlberg is game to revisit the character and the city, with just one caveat.
"I'm just gonna have to lighten up my distaste for the Steelers," he said, a big grin spreading over his face. "[People] were nice the first time around, but they're gonna want to kill me the second time around."
First Published: July 20, 2007, 6:45 p.m.
