‘Kick On’: ‘John Wick Cracked Out on Meth’ Thriller Brings Real Stunts and Brutality to TIFF Midnight Madness
Australian filmmaker Nick Kozakis is taking his action-horror film “Kick On” to the Toronto International Film Festival with a simple goal: make the violence feel as physical and unpredictable as possible.
Premiering in TIFF’s Midnight Madness lineup, the film follows four friends whose night of partying takes a terrifying turn when they become trapped inside the lavish, drug-filled home of a dangerous mobster’s volatile son. What follows is a fight for survival shaped by paranoia, betrayal and escalating violence.
Fast Facts
- Film: “Kick On”
- Director: Nick Kozakis
- Writer: Phillip Klimek
- TIFF section: Midnight Madness
- Lead cast: Markella Kavenagh, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Ras-Samuel, Jacek Koman
- Production approach: Extensive practical stunts, prosthetics and real blood effects
- Global sales: Blue Finch Films
- Australia-New Zealand theatrical release: Umbrella Entertainment
Nick Kozakis Wanted ‘Kick On’ to Feel Uncomfortably Real
Kozakis has described the intended experience of “Kick On” as “John Wick” cracked out on meth — a deliberately extreme comparison for a movie built around wired, sweat-soaked energy.
But the director’s approach was not simply to make the action bigger.
Coming from a background in music videos, Kozakis wanted to stay close to the characters even while the film descended into chaos. He built an additional “character pass” of close-ups into the storyboards for every major sequence, giving the camera room to capture fear and reaction alongside the action.
For Kozakis, spectacle could not come at the expense of the people experiencing it.
That philosophy also extended to the film’s physical effects. Rather than relying heavily on digital augmentation, he used professional stunt performers and practical effects wherever possible.
One of the stunt performers was particularly familiar to him: a childhood friend who had gone on to become a professional stuntman. Kozakis ultimately cast him as the film’s doorman after seeing him perform during previsualization.
The Practical Effects Go Beyond Stunts
“Kick On” also relied heavily on physical prosthetics.
The film’s prosthetic work came from designer Larry Van Duynhoven, whose credits include “Furiosa,” “Mortal Kombat” and “Bring Her Back.”
For one particularly gruesome sequence, Van Duynhoven brought an exact head cast of actor Tyrone Ngatai to the set. The replica was then destroyed for a head-trauma effect.
For Kozakis, that kind of physical filmmaking was part of the attraction.
The production could create something tangible on set and allow the actors and crew to react to it rather than building every violent moment digitally afterward.
That practical approach is particularly important for a movie whose central appeal is its sense of physical danger.
Markella Kavenagh Leads a Story About Fear and Chance
At the center of “Kick On” is Eden, played by Markella Kavenagh, who is known for playing Nori in Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
Eden is not simply another young character thrown into a violent survival story.
Kozakis was drawn to a scene in the script involving Eden and her younger sister, Gracie, in a hospital. Later that same night, Eden goes out because she does not know how else to deal with her fear.
That emotional thread helped shape how Kozakis approached the entire young ensemble.
He did not want the characters to feel like stereotypical reckless young people who exist only to become victims in a horror movie. Their decisions needed to have understandable motivations, even when those decisions ultimately lead them into terrible situations.
Eden’s choices, including taking money to help Gracie, are tied to the movie’s broader theme of chance.
A small decision — whether to leave somewhere early or make one more stop — can change everything. The characters repeatedly make choices they believe are reasonable in the moment, only to discover how badly those decisions can unravel.
Nikolai Nikolaeff’s Ray Is More Complicated Than a Villain
Nikolai Nikolaeff plays Ray, the volatile son of the mobster whose world the friends become trapped inside.
Kozakis sees Ray less as a conventional villain than as someone damaged by the environment in which he was raised.
Ray has grown up under an overbearing father and within a world dominated by chaos and fear. His attempts to become his own person repeatedly collide with the expectations and toxicity he inherited.
That makes his behavior unpredictable.
Ray may want to do the right thing, but his decisions continually send him in the opposite direction. Even a later heroic turn does not erase the damage that came before it.
Kozakis says that contradiction is what makes the character interesting: Ray is fundamentally broken, yet his intentions are not always malicious.
Nikolaeff was an obvious choice for the role, according to the director, who praised the actor’s energy and presence on set.
A Fast, Brutal Production
Kozakis brought extensive music-video experience to “Kick On.” He has directed more than 100 music videos, including Tones and I’s global hit “Dance Monkey.”
That background influenced the film’s frenetic rhythm.
The production was completed in roughly 20 days, but the schedule was extraordinarily dense. Kozakis says the shoot required 1,536 setups, a number he jokingly described as a “psycho amount.”
The cast also includes Ras-Samuel, Jacek Koman, Nikita Chronis, Kaitlyn Boyé, Julian Weeks, Thom Green, Tyrone Ngatai and Eddie Baroo.
The result is designed to move quickly without losing the actors’ reactions in the middle of the action.
Kozakis Had Already Tested His Approach
“Kick On” is not Kozakis’ first feature.
He previously directed the psychological thriller “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism,” a project he describes as an experiment that emerged during the COVID-era lockdowns.
The smaller production gave him the opportunity to try different techniques and learn what worked before taking those lessons into a larger, more demanding action-horror production.
His next project moves in a very different direction.
Kozakis is now working on “Off the Boat,” a comedy with the Sooshi Mango team. The project is funded by Screen Australia, with Village Roadshow attached for theatrical distribution.
For the Greek-Australian filmmaker, the comedy also has a personal connection. He has said that growing up Greek makes the material particularly meaningful to him and gives him a chance to explore situations drawn from his own cultural experience.
‘Kick On’ Arrives at Toronto’s Midnight Madness
The film’s world premiere in TIFF’s Midnight Madness puts it in a section known for genre filmmaking and films designed to provoke a strong audience response.
“Kick On” fits that setting with its combination of action, horror, practical effects and an increasingly chaotic survival story.
The film is being sold internationally by Blue Finch Films, while Umbrella Entertainment is handling its theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand.
For Kozakis, however, the movie’s identity comes down to more than blood and stunt work.
The violence is meant to have consequences because the people caught inside it have reasons for being there. Eden’s fear, Ray’s damaged upbringing and the characters’ seemingly minor decisions give the chaos an emotional foundation.
That balance is what Kozakis is aiming for: a movie that can deliver the relentless brutality of its “John Wick cracked out on meth” description while still making audiences care about who survives the night.
FAQs
What is “Kick On” about?
“Kick On” follows four friends whose night of partying turns into a fight for survival after they become trapped inside the home of a dangerous mobster’s son.
Who directed “Kick On”?
Australian filmmaker Nick Kozakis directed the film. Phillip Klimek wrote the screenplay.
Who stars in “Kick On”?
The cast includes Markella Kavenagh, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Ras-Samuel and Jacek Koman, alongside Nikita Chronis, Kaitlyn Boyé, Julian Weeks, Thom Green, Tyrone Ngatai and Eddie Baroo.
Is “Kick On” a real-stunt movie?
Yes. Kozakis emphasized practical stunt work and physical effects, using professional stunt performers and practical prosthetics wherever possible.
Where is “Kick On” premiering?
“Kick On” is making its world premiere in the Midnight Madness lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival.
