S3/4 EP 9

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/10/strike-back-train_n_4078731.html

'Strike Back' Train Job: An Epic Battle With Bad Guys (VIDEO)

Posted: 10/10/2013 1:33 pm EDT

"Strike Back" reliably supplies enjoyable action, dry banter, espionage-driven twists and crazy developments, but this week's episode hits another level. It's one of my all-time favorite episodes of the Cinemax series, and HuffPost TV has an exclusive clip from this excellent outing.

In Friday's episode, Stonebridge and Scott's search for bad guys with bioweapons takes them to a moving train -- among other places. And it's best to let the boys' version of diplomacy speak for itself via this clip.

As you can see from the video, "Strike Back" stars Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton did all their own stunts in the episode (and there's a bit of intel on how the sequence was shot in this behind-the-scenes video).

"It took us four days total to shoot the whole train and helicopter sequence — which is short by film industry standards. Similar sequences take feature films about four to six weeks to shoot," Winchester said in a press release from Cinemax. "First, we rehearsed the train and helicopter choreography. Since they had to run at the same speed, it was quite tricky. Next, we rehearsed when the train was stationary so we get a feel of where we could climb and where we could not. We also had to test our shoes in wet and dry conditions — it rained on one of the rehearsal days and the top of the train became an ice skating rink. Then we rehearsed with the train and helicopter going 25 kilometers per hour, then at 40 kilometers per hour, then at 60."

"In total, we prepped for one full day for the entire crazy thing," Winchester added. "My best piece of advice was, 'Don't fall off.'"

Good advice. Oh, and when they aren't on top of a train, Stonebridge and Scott visit an amusement park this week. You can probably imagine how that goes.

http://m.craveonline.com/tv/previews/585973-exclusive-strike-back-season-3-episode-9-preview-scene

Exclusive ‘Strike Back’ Season 3 Episode 9 Preview Scene
Scott & Stonebridge attempt to protect Ester as Section 20 deals with a threat.
October 11th, 2013 Blair Marnell

Strike Back Season 3 Episode 9 Preview

The endgame has arrived.

Last week on “Strike Back,” Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and the remaining members of Section 20 rescued Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) from Al-Zuhari’s bio-weapon facility. However, Leo Kamali (Zubin Varla) blew his cover during the operation and he was subsequently tortured and executed by Al-Zuhari in a propaganda video.

To make matters worse, Al-Zuhari now has everything that it needs to pull off a massive terrorist attack.

In the first preview clip from this week’s penultimate episode of “Strike Back” Season 3, we learn that Kamali must have broken under the torture. But Lt. Colonel Philip Locke (Robson Green) has a very permanent solution for the terrorist forces attempting to catch Section 20 off-guard.

In this week’s exclusive preview scene, Scott breaks the news of Kamali’s death to his daughter, Ester (Amy-Leigh Hickman). Before long, Scott and Stonebridge find themselves under attack as they try to keep Ester alive.

One of the biggest action sequences of the season is also coming up in this episode. Through Cinemax, Philip Winchester shared a few thoughts about the pivotal scene.

“It was really intense,” said Winchester. “But we are all thrilled about how amazing it looks on screen. It took us 4 days total to shoot the whole train and helicopter sequence — which is short by film industry standards. Similar sequences take feature films about 4-6 weeks to shoot. We trained and prepped for each stunt because of its difficulty.”

“First, we rehearsed the train and helicopter choreography,” continued Winchester. “Since they had to run at the same speed, it was quite tricky. Next we rehearsed when the train was stationery so we get a feel of where we could climb and where we could not. We also had to test our shoes in wet and dry conditions — it rained on one of the rehearsal days and the top of the train became an ice skating rink. Then we rehearsed with the train and helicopter going 25 kilometers per hour, then at 40 kilometers per hour, then at 60. In total we prepped for 1 full day for the entire crazy thing.”

Winchester added that “My best piece of advice was: 'Don't fall off.' It was fun to shoot it, and really challenging.”

Here’s a behind-the-scenes video from the upcoming train stunt in Season 3 Episode Nne.




As always, Cinemax’s synopsis for the episode offers a few additional hints.

“Scott and Stonebridge aim to keep their promise to protect Ester (Amy-Leigh Hickman). After questioning a suspect from the raid on the facility, Richmond (Michelle Lukes) and Martinez (Milauna Jackson) follow an Al-Zuhari associate, gaining key intel. Believing an attack is imminent, the team sets out to stop an infiltrator before he reaches a populated area.”

“Strike Back” Season 3 continues tonight on Cinemax!

http://www.examiner.com/article/strike-back-preview-video-and-photos-from-tonight-s-episode-29

'Strike Back': Preview video and photos from tonight's 'Episode 29' (Video)

October 11, 2013

We're getting down to the wire on Strike Back. With just two episodes left, the men and women of Section 20 are hot on the trail of terrorists - and this week's installment features the bang-up action sequence on a train that we've been telling you to watch out for all season.

Tonight, while Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and a still-recovering Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) are determined to protect Ester, it's up to Richmond (Michelle Lukes) and Martinez (Milauna Jackson) to trail a key terrorist associate in hopes of gaining valuable intelligence.

But a big concern is whether or not Stonebridge is up to the task, because as is pointed out in this very tense BFTV exclusive clip included with this article, he's still got some serious issues.

And when we get to the train, it might be one of the best sequences in Strike Back history. Cinemax has shared with us a behind-the-scenes peek at this impressive undertaking, which you can check out here.

Here's what Philip Winchester had to say about it: "It was really intense, but we are all thrilled about how amazing it looks on screen. It took us four days total to shoot the whole train and helicopter sequence — which is short by film industry standards. Similar sequences take feature films about four to six weeks to shoot.

"We trained and prepped for each stunt because of its difficulty. First, we rehearsed the train and helicopter choreography. Since they had to run at the same speed, it was quite tricky. Next we rehearsed when the train was stationery so we get a feel of where we could climb and where we could not. We also had to test our shoes in wet and dry conditions — it rained on one of the rehearsal days and the top of the train became an ice skating rink.

"Then we rehearsed with the train and helicopter going 25 kilometers per hour, then at 40 kilometers per hour, then at 60. In total we prepped for one full day for the entire crazy thing. My best piece of advice was: 'Don't fall off.' It was fun to shoot it, and really challenging.”

You can also check out our interview with series executive producer Michael J. Bassett, who directed 'Episode 29,' for his take on the action-packed proceedings.

An additional preview clip from tonight's 'Episode 29' can be found here, and don't forget to check out our slideshow to see some stills from all the happenings.

Next Friday is the season finale for Strike Back, but fans don't need to be disappointed. Immediately following the end of Season 3, Cinemax will be airing the original UK season of the show, under the title Strike Back: Origins. You can find more information about that in our report here.

An all-new Strike Back airs tonight at 10 PM ET/PT on Cinemax.

http://www.redeyechicago.com/entertainment/tv/redeye-strike-back-philip-winchester-sullivan-stapleton-stunts-tv-20131010,0,5110464.story

'Strike Back' S.3 Ep.9 preview: 'Stunts on a Train'

By Curt Wagner, @ShowPatrol RedEye

11:55 p.m. CDT, October 10, 2013

Get ready "Strike Back" fans, director Michael J. Bassett is back at the helm for the final two episodes of Season 3.

I'm calling Episode 9 "Stunts on a Train" for an over-the-top series of stunts that last nearly half the episode.

In the episode, airing at 9 p.m. CT Oct. 11 on Cinemax, Richmond (Michelle Lukes) and Martinez (Milauna Jackson) get intel on an imminent biological attack. Locke (Robson Green) drops Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) onto a moving train to stop the terrorist plot. (See photos from the episode here.)

The train sequence, which you can get a taste of in the behind-the-scenes video below, and the helicopter stunt that begins right after the exclusive sneak peek below, took four days to film, Winchester said. He and Stapleton did all the stunt work after rehearsing the helicopter-train stunts at 25, 40 and 60 kilometers per hour.

"It was really intense, but we are all thrilled about how amazing it looks on screen," he said in a Cinemax release. "It took us four days total to shoot the whole train and helicopter sequence—which is short by film industry standards. Similar sequences take feature films about 4-6 weeks to shoot."

Bassett, who claims its his life work to find stunts that his actors refuse to do, believes the action sequences are more authentic if the actors are doing them. (Read more from Bassett here.) Winchester and Stapleton are up for anything. Well, almost. In the video above filmed at San Diego Comic-Con, Winchester talks about the one time he said "no" to Bassett this season.

Bassett doesn't like to skimp when it comes to the show's action scenes, which he thinks they should be movie quality.

"The audience is very familiar with huge action, which costs $200 million," he said at San Diego Comic-Con in July. "You turn on the TV are you expecting that? Hell yeah, you should definitely expect it. You should expect to watch something when you go, 'Holy shit.'"

Stapleton was still shaking his head about the intense helicopter-train sequence of Episode 9 at Comic-Con. He gives a blow-by-blow account of the stunts in the video below. It's spoilery, so you could wait to watch until after the episode. But come back, it's funny.

The new episode also brings back Amy-Leigh Hickman as Kamali's daughter, Ester, whom Scott has pledged to protect. Listen to Stapleton's comments about the actress in my preview to last week's episode.

"Strike Back" ends it third season Oct. 18. Beginning Oct. 25, Cinemax will air the six-episode original season of the British series, calling it "Strike Back: Origins."

http://www.buzzfocus.com/2013/10/11/strike-back-season-3-episode-9-locke-gets-cerebral-scary-in-an-interrogation/

Strike Back Season 3 Episode 9: Locke gets Cerebral-Scary in an Interrogation

by Bags Hooper on October 11, 2013 · 0 comments

in Strike Back

We’re in the penultimate episode of this season of Strike Back. And this just happens to be the episode that we’ve been waiting for since Comic Con. No great action movie (or TV series as the case may be) is complete without a fight on-top of a moving train. This episode has just that. You can check out the gallery bellow to see Stonebridge and Scott getting their Strike Back on, atop a train.

The cool thing about this sequence is that Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton did their own stunts. So when you see one hanging off a train and the other riding a bike in front of it, that’s not green screen or stunt doubles.

Here’s a clip from Episode 29. When we first met Locke, he “appeared” to just another pencil pusher up the ladder of Section 20. Now, he’s showing just how dark he can be, with a little cerebral interrogation.

http://screenrant.com/strike-back-cinemax-season-3-episode-9-review/

‘Strike Back’: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Published by Kevin Yeoman
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[WARNING: Spoilers for 'Strike Back' Season 3, Episode 9.]

The attempt to recover intel and strategic information from a human source can only be successful so long as the source remains alive. If the individual(s) in question continue to die – either by the hands of those attempting to extract said information or another party desperate to keep them quiet – then the chance of an operation running without all of the necessary information increases dramatically.

In the penultimate episode of Strike Back season 3, Scott and Stonebridge learn the hard way that completing a mission isn’t just stopping the bad guy by whatever (usually lethal) means necessary; it’s also gathering intelligence, building sources and cultivating associations with (read: menacing) people privy to certain sensitive information. Sometimes – like with Locke and the Russian scientist – it’s just a straight up interrogation with the threat of imminent death. At any rate, when an attack like the one Al-Zuhari has planned on the horizon, it’s generally considered a strike against the mission when all the bodies from the other side turn cold before they can be questioned.

And it’s not for a lack of trying. Scott and Stonebridge put forth considerable effort to bring their boss a live one so that he might extract whatever information is lurking within their nefarious minds. Trying to save Ester turns into a fun-filled afternoon of shootouts and knife fights in a place most people generally like to enjoy some cotton candy, a rigged game of chance or a quick spin on the merry-go-round. As a result, Stonebridge’s sliced-up captive winds up dead before he can utter a single word. Later, two key targets manage to get killed before they can be extracted from the compound Section 20 just raided, and finally, after a terrific and intense train sequence, the team’s Russian objective, Novotny, doesn’t fare quite as well as everyone else when it comes to a risky deboarding procedure.

Sullivan Stapleton in Strike Back S3E9 Strike Back: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The episode does a great job of illustrating the importance of having good intel, and how without it, even a resource-rich operation like Section 20 is flying half-blind. And though the team manages to secure a few harddrives and some slightly burned documents to help Richmond decode the tags intended to identify the “clean skins” that were uploaded to the NATO database (by the way, with her potent mix of computer and soldiering skills, is Richmond the VIP of Section 20 or what?), they still miss out on the most valuable intel of all: that their dearly departed friend, Leo Kamali, isn’t dead after all.

The revelation certainly seems to suggest that Leo Kamali was a cover for Al-Zuhari, a kind of clean skin for hiding the world’s most wanted terrorist in plain sight. There may still be another explanation for Kamali’s sudden ressurection, but the first guess sure feels right, even if it is a bit Keyser Söze-esque.

Besides, it would explain why the only footage we’ve seen of Al-Zuhari was on video, and it definitely goes a long way in validating the episode’s use of repetition with regard to potential interrogation subjects ending up dead; it bordered on hilariously tragic before becoming a portent of doom.

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Strike Back season 3 concludes next Friday @10pm on Cinemax.