You may have seen our interview last summertime with Iron Horse Cinema, the independent film studio embarking on an Uncharted project. The small team were hot on the heels of their success with a similar film based on the world of The Last of Us. Their Last of Us film has been viewed more than half a million times, screened at several festivals in the US including MAG Fest in Washington DC. But now is the time of Uncharted.
Uncharted: Whence the Devil Came is set after Uncharted 4 (as an indie non canon story there are zero spoilers for Uncharted 4 whatsoever); Nate is back living the quiet life with his family, and seems (mostly) settled once more. Sully, however, is still living the old life, and in his ever advancing years, needs the help of a younger, more supple person with a few missing scruples. Nate’s new life involves him running a bar again, when he is talked into breaking into a large house to steal an item to order. Sully needs the money, of course.
The film really takes off in the second scene in which Nathan pulls off the heist. Ed Trucco, here portraying Nathan Drake, has clearly been studying the source material as his mannerisms, poses and facial expressions have been lifted straight out of Naughty Dog’s work. He even looks like the product of a union between Nathan and Nolan North (although we don’t know how that would work).
Uncharted: Whence the Devil Came does not take Nate around the world into long lost cities buried in sand, or crumbling bunkers sheltering cursed descendents of enemies of Nathan’s ancestors, but rather it follows what is more plausibly a day in the life of Nathan and Sully. These kinds of jobs would be the meat and potatoes of their work; there is a moment in Uncharted: Golden Abyss in which Nate bemoans the fact that he has let the ‘business’ get in the way of his ultimate aims. Uncharted: Whence the Devil Came shows us just what that business is.
In true Uncharted style, the job does not go smoothly, and the ensuing action sequences would be right at home in a big budget action movie. Despite the distractions of guns and running around, the film never forgets to be Uncharted, and Trucco never drops a chance to convince us of his innate Nate-ness. It is worth noting that Trucco admits that his own personality is somewhat Drake-like.
The cinematography stands out in Uncharted: Whence the Devil Came, with some clever and subtle editing to boot. The warm colours and film grain give it an arty feel, while some of the shot selections really show off the talent and creativity of the director.
Anyway, take a look for yourself.
It’s pretty cool, right? Now if Sony Pictures is this sensitive to the original…
Follow Iron Horse Cinema on Twitter and find them on the internet.