“Hitman’s Gambit” is A Dark Comedy of Mix-ups and Quick Thinking

Do you like dark humor and unexpected twits? The short film “Hitman’s Gambit” takes audiences on a rollercoaster ride through the world of mistaken identities and improvisation.

In the midst of an intense interrogation, Nicolas, portrayed by Chris Gallegos, realizes a grave error – he has mixed up his bag of torture tools with his wife’s gym bag. Teamed up with partner Warren, played by Ike Mauga, the duo faces a dilemma: how to extract information from their victim without the intended arsenal.

I recently interviewed filmmaker Ike Mauga, and he shares that “Hitman’s Gambit” draws inspiration from his love for action movies and a desire to explore the lives of expendable henchmen. Additionally, he reveals that the script was crafted with a specific audience in mind – his 14-year-old self who enjoyed dark comedies featuring hitmen.

“I loved these kinds of dark comedies, where hitmen were having funny conversations while doing something heinous. Movies like Snatch, Pulp Fiction, Smokin’ Aces etc. So my target audience of one became my focus, and that’s who I wrote the script for. I’d like to think he’d approve and laugh at all the stupid jokes I put in there.”

Filmmaking is a team sport and Mauga enjoyed collaborating with the cast, especially the day of filming. Despite initial nervousness, the camaraderie and improvisation on set, led by Langi Tuifua and Chris Gallegos, elevated the humor of the film. 

“They took what I had written and gave it their own spin to make it even funnier. It was so fun just collaborating with them and seeing them insert their own humor. I absolutely loved it when either of them would come up to me and say “Hey what if we tried this…” Literally everything they suggested made its way into the film and I think my script suddenly became all the funnier from their input.”

Mauga also called out his challenges of indie filmmaking.

“Like every indie filmmaker probably knows, there’s just a lot of compromises that are made once the camera starts rolling. For us, we had certain shots in mind that required movement, but we didn’t have a dana dolly or anything. So we put the tripod on a set of wheels and did what we could. As the director, I think it’s hard to navigate compromises like that, and it almost feels like I have to pick which certain aspect of filmmaking will distract the audience the most. My mind is constantly going “what will the audience forgive? What will wow them into forgetting we messed up?” So in contrast to us having some shaky footage, we instead spent money on the makeup artist and let her do her thing. She, alone, upped the production value by like 300% (shoutout to Halle Rasmussen) so when people now watch, I doubt they even notice the shaky cam, but they certainly notice how realistic the main character’s beatings look in the film.”

Plus filming in a storage unit in the Utah summer has its own set of challenges.

“One other challenge that I just have to mention is that when we started filming, it was over 90 degrees that hot summer day. In hindsight, putting a bunch of actors and crew into a 10×10 storage unit with no ventilation was probably not the best idea. It was a tough shooting day for sure, but our crew was way tougher.”

Mauga shares valuable advice for aspiring filmmakers, emphasizing the importance of thorough pre-production. Drawing inspiration from a quote in “The A-Team,” he urges filmmakers to allow sufficient time for planning, stating, “Give me a minute, I’m good. Give me an hour, I’m great. You give me six months? I’m unbeatable.” Mauga encourages filmmakers to be meticulous in their preparations, ensuring a solid foundation for successful projects.

“I think there are tons of filmmakers out there who are “great,” but when you allow yourself the time to truly ponder and plan accordingly, you can truly be unbeatable. While I don’t think Hitman’s Gambit is at this “unbeatable” level, I can proudly say I did my due diligence by inviting the actors over to rehearse the script, storyboarding the entire thing, visiting the set beforehand to ensure it is what we needed, etc. I spent a LOT of time in pre-production and it’s one of the films I’m most proud of. To quote Hannibal once more, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

Wanna work with Ike? If you are ear to work with or check out Flight Pattern Pictures’ upcoming endeavors, Ike Mauga directs audiences to their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@FlightPatternPictures. The channel features their current projects and also serves as a platform for teaching filmmaking and releasing inspirational video essays.

The cast and crew of “Hitman’s Gambit” includes Chris Gallegos, Langi Tuifua, Ike Mauga, Amaris DiScuillo Jensen, Kayla Benson, Jessica Dudley-Rodriguez, Halle Rasmussen, Cameron Barrera, Rudy Rodriguez and Devin Bond.

“Hitman’s Gambit” is an official selection of the Utah International Film Festival taking place February 12-17th in Utah County, Utah.