Eddie Deacon (played by Antonio Banderas, pictured above) is merely looking for a job when his world turns upside down.

Pushed into the world of mall security after his impressive military past, Deacon is confronted by a woman who is being targeted by would-be killers before she can testify in court. In true “Die Hard” fashion, Deacon becomes the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, he has the skills to maybe turn the tables, protect the witness — and save his mall. “Security” hits theaters and VOD on August 1.

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In a revealing interview, LifeZette talked to screenwriter John Sullivan about the throwback action movie (which also stars Ben Kingsley), about how action movies have changed in a politically correct world, and about much more.

Question: Why do audiences love the “Die Hard” setup so much? We can’t seem to get enough of this type of film.
Answer: Ever been in a situation — a fight, an argument with another dude — and you think back and fantasize, “I should have done this, and this, and threw him to the table, and taken that pool cue, hit him across the midsection? And then I would have dragged him across the bar, breaking a bunch of glasses along the way. Oh, his buddies want to join in? OK, bring it on. I would have taken all of them out. Easy!” But you’re home, with a glass of warm milk — and you just go to bed.

All these movies are about guys in seemingly hopeless situations. Yet they manage to channel energy, skill, and cunning to beat the bad guys and rescue the innocents. The “single-location actioner” is a sub-genre and an effective one. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. You have to find where to hide and sweatily figure out a way to get the drop on the baddies. These movies are action wish-fulfillment. We want to be John McClane, we want to be Wesley Snipes, or (Steven) Seagal, or Gerard Butler. Most guys aren’t. But we can live through them.

Q: Excellent action movies are obviously made today — yet fans tend to favor films from the ’80s and ’90s, such as “Aliens,” “Die Hard,” “Speed,” “Point Break,” and more. Your movie seems a big throwback to this time period as well. Are action movies more politically correct today — do they take fewer chances?
A: Superhero movies have taken over, and the “everyman” actioner is more unique now than it was in the ’80s. Yes, studios don’t want to risk a non-IP [intellectual property, as in an existing franchise] generated title. They’d rather spend $180 million on “The Mummy.” The ’80s-type action movies still get made, but the budgets are anywhere from $5 million to $15 million. That’s a low-risk investment and enough money to hire a past-his-prime star. Then, the movies are shopped with just a poster at [the] Cannes [Film Festival].

The studios — let’s say Millennium or Lionsgate or Emmet/Furla/Grindstone — are already in profit before a shot is filmed. Then it gets its VOD/DVD/Netflix debut in the states. Sometimes they get a limited theatrical here, but it’s usually in 10 theaters spread across the country. “Taken” and “John Wick” did exceptionally well, and I know for a fact studios are seeing the benefits of a mid-budget actioner. Those movies made money.

Related: First Look: CBS Highlights America’s Heroes in ‘SEAL Team’

I get asked a lot: “Where’s your ‘John Wick’? ‘Security’ is my answer. [It features] a Special Ops war hero down on his luck protecting a young girl in a mall from some serious villains — and he has the skills to take all of them out. (go to page 2 to continue reading) [lz_pagination]