Renny Harlin Talks The Beast, Samuel L. Jackson, & The Relentless Action In His New Film
Reel Perspectives
October 7, 2026
What happens when a presidential limousine — built to be one of the safest vehicles on the planet — suddenly becomes a prison? That’s the explosive setup behind The Beast, Renny Harlin’s new intense thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman. According to Harlin, audiences better “strap in.”
From its explosive opening sequence, Harlin’s new thriller throws viewers directly into the chaos and keeps the pressure building as the film turns a presidential limousine into a high speed pressure cooker, trapping two men inside while danger closes in around them.
Reel Perspectives recently sat down with the acclaimed director to talk about what drew him to The Beast, working with Jackson and Kinnaman, and why the film's relentless opening was designed to grab audiences immediately. For Harlin, the appeal was familiar territory. He has built some of his most successful action films around characters who are trapped, from Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger to Deep Blue Sea, and The Beast gave him another opportunity to explore that idea in a completely different way.
But there is more going on beneath the explosions. Harlin talks about balancing the film's relentless action with the evolving relationship between Jackson and Kinnaman's characters, while also revealing how an unexpected exchange involving Jackson's signature “m#therfucker” came together on set. One of the film's lighter moments, involving Jackson's famous use of the word “m#therfucker,” wasn't originally scripted. Harlin revealed that the exchange developed on set after Jackson naturally began using the word during intense moments. The two actors improvised the scene, and Harlin immediately knew they had captured something special, describing the result as “gold.”
Watch Reel Perspectives’ exclusive conversation with Renny Harlin as he takes us behind the scenes of The Beast, Samuel L. Jackson, Joel Kinnaman
After four decades of making action movies, Harlin also shares what continues to excite him about the genre and why the best action isn't simply about explosions. For him, it comes down to “the emotional core” and making audiences care about the people caught in the middle of the chaos. Harlin still approaches the genre with the same enthusiasm that helped define his career and his work has consistently combined large scale action with characters audiences can connect with.
Watch the full Reel Perspectives interview with Renny Harlin for an inside look at The Beast, his collaboration with Samuel L. Jackson, Joel Kinnaman, and the film's explosive opening. The story behind that hilarious improvised moment and and why, after 40 years of making action movies, Harlin still believes the best action begins with the characters.
The Beast lands in theaters on October 9.
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