Samuel L. Jackson Stars in the Action Packed ‘Big Game’

Sandra Miska

Samuel L. Jackson and a plane is always a winning combination, but the upcoming film Finnish film “Big Game” has included the twist of having Jackson play the rescuee instead of the rescuer.

Being such a revered actor, it was only a matter of time before Jackson took on the role of Commander in Chief.  In “Big Game” Jackson’s President William Allan Moore is on his way to a summit in Helsinki when disaster strikes.  After terrorists shoot down Air Force One, he finds himself stranded in the woods of Finland.  At the same, 13-year-old Oskari (Onni Tommila) is on a rite-of-passage mission to spend 24 hours alone in the wilderness and hunt his first deer.  However, instead of finding a deer, Oskari finds and saves the most powerful man in the free world.  Just when Moore thinks he’s safe, treacherous Secret Service member Morris (Ray Stevenson) shows up to hand him over to mercenary Hazar (Mehmet Kurtulus).  It’s now up to Oskari to save the day.

Back at the Pentagon, the Vice President (Victor Garber), the director of the CIA (Felicity Huffman) and former CIA operative Herbert (Jim Broadbent) await the President’s fate.  “Big Game” is both a Finnish and English-language film.

Jackson, who is perhaps best known for his roles in classics from director Quentin Tarantino such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Django Unchained,” also has a softer side.  The action star is also an ambassador for the cancer charity One For The Boys.

“Sadly it’s a very male trait in many societies to keep things like their emotions and health issues to themselves. Women are much more open about their health and almost expected to discuss it, but society still puts too much pressure on men to be tough guys. But being tough shouldn’t mean suffering in silence,” said Jackson in a recent interview with The Independent.

“We have to stop the perception that getting ill means you are weak or lacking toughness. Anyone can get cancer and asking for help is not a weakness, it’s a strength.”

 “Big Game” opens nationwide June 26.