I’d wager perhaps the biggest box office surprise ever was back in the summer of 2023, when Sound of Freedom actually managed to outgross Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the North American box office—despite having just a tiny fraction of the budget. It suddenly made Jim Caviezel, a man many thought was too outspoken to be in mainstream films, viable as a leading man, and now he’s back with a follow-up, Ghost Soldier, which comes from a major Hollywood studio—Sony Pictures.
To be sure, Ghost Soldier is a more mainstream play than Sound of Freedom was, being a fairly commercial, ninety-minute action romp that we had a blast with. Caviezel plays Fitz, a former Green Beret turned weapons designer, who goes to war with an army of mercenaries threatening his Wyoming hometown. Slickly directed by William Eubank (Underwater, Land of Bad), it seeks to establish Caviezel as a mature action hero in the vein of Liam Neeson in Taken.
We actually had the chance to chat with Caviezel when he was promoting the film, and it ended up being an eye-opening conversation, with him revealing that Sony actually turned down distribution on Sound of Freedom before they went to Angel. It’s an interesting chat that covers everything from Caviezel’s intensive weapons training for the part to the challenges of playing such a physical role in middle age and how Caviezel wanted to make sure the film had some substance as opposed to just being wall-to-wall action. He also does a pretty killer Arnold Schwarzenegger impression for us. He also teases potentially returning in a sequel if the box office merits it, with him stating that ultimately the audience will be the judge. Check out the interview above and see Ghost Soldier in theaters—it opens today!