“Aftermath,” available on VOD Nov. 1, is an action-packed tribute to Boston’s Tobin Bridge as it is seized by a deranged terrorist determined to blow it to smithereens.
With a bow to “Die Hard,” ex-Army Ranger Eric Daniels (Dylan Sprouse) emerges from his SUV to thwart that plan.
As spectacular as “Aftermath” is, the demented Romeo (Mason Gooding) and his ex-Army Ranger opponent were actually never there.
“We expected to be on the Tobin Bridge and then we realized it’s an active, working transit,” Sprouse, 34, said in a joint Zoom interview with Gooding. “So we had to rebuild the entire bridge in an airplane hangar studio about 45 minutes out of town.
“So, we were on a version of the Tobin Bridge. But I feel,” he added, “the more spectacular answer here is the work that went into making a blank airport hangar look as if it was the Tobin Bridge.”
Gooding, 27, the son of Cuba Gooding, Jr., knows viewers want Romeo dead. Still, he defends him.
“Romeo’s motives are lined with his own version of good intentions. He believes he’s finding his version of justice, not only for himself but his brothers in arms. The method by which he goes to express himself is not only disproportionately violent — and also harmful to these good citizens of Boston — but also maybe indicative of his feelings that he’s just not been taken seriously in the way that he feels he’s owed, due to his service overseas serving his country.”
Perhaps fittingly with a film focused on veterans, PTSD rears its head as Eric experiences trauma-induced flashbacks to Iraq.
“Eric’s with his teenage sister, traveling to get to a movie when they become unwitting participants in a terrorist act. He has to rise to the occasion, not only rescue his sister but come to terms with his demons.
“So it’s a fun action movie and Mason and I get to beat the hell out of each other!”
Sprouse was six months’ old when he began acting alongside his identical twin brother Cole ( “Riverdale”). Dylan and Gooding, buddies before meeting on Tobin Bridge, share a mutual love in making action movies.
“We have that we have in common, because we’re both video game nerds and we both took martial arts,” Sprouse said.
“Honestly, making an action movie is the fun part when your job consists of getting trained by Navy SEALs to do hand to hand combat and shoot guns at each other on a stage.
“It’s a little bit like every boy’s dream. I think we both knew immediately we were going to have a good time.”
“Aftermath” is available on VOD Nov. 1