Director and actor Kevin Interdonato has created something vital with Dirty Hands, a lean, mean indie crime thriller that refuses to soften its edges or shy away from the messy realities of its characters. Now available on VOD, the film stands as a testament to what’s possible when a filmmaker operates with singular vision and is surrounded by a crew and cast willing to go all-in.
In our recent interview on Film Threat, Interdonato discussed the genesis of the project, which he conceived during the early days of COVID. The core idea was deceptively simple: two brothers in a dire situation. But what started as a kernel of inspiration drawn from his own relationship with his older brother expanded into an exploration of familial bonds tested to their breaking point.
The Brotherhood at the Heart of Dirty Hands
“I wanted to explore that relationship,” Interdonato explained. “Having an older brother myself and being a bit of a wild child in my youth, and him sticking up for me and then sometimes choosing not to, I just wanted to see how far I could go with the extent of that bond.”
To ground his vision, Interdonato drew inspiration from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, specifically the dynamic between Lenny and George. That structural framework provided the scaffolding for Danny and Richie’s relationship, a bond forged by circumstance and blood but tested by the criminal world closing in around them.
The film also reflects Interdonato’s aesthetic interests at the time: synthwave music and a carefully constructed color palette that gives Dirty Hands a distinctive visual identity. But as Interdonato emphasized, the visual language always served the relationship. “The relationship with the brothers was what I was hoping would be relatable,” he said.
A Powerhouse Cast Takes on Challenging Material
Interdonato’s approach to casting reveals a filmmaker who trusts instinct and recognizes untapped potential in his actors. He never auditioned anyone for the film. Instead, he looked for something indefinable, an essence that aligned with his vision.
There’s an essence in everybody that, whether it’s been explored in their career or not, I kind of pick up on,” Interdonato explained. His casting process involved extensive conversations designed not to create characters, but to help actors access parts of themselves. “It’s not a character, it’s just that side of them. If they can just settle and sit on that side of them and be comfortable with it, that’s what we need.”
That philosophy resulted in some stunning performances. Patrick Muldoon, who played the antagonistic force in the film, brought intensity and complexity to a role unlike anything in his previous career. “He was so proud and happy to do a role like this because he really never got the chance to do it in his whole career. And he played a bad son of a bitch, man, and he loved every second of it,” Interdonato recalled.
The film also features Mike Beach in a powerhouse role, and Denise Richards, a Chicago native who came home to shoot the film. Richards, too, found in Dirty Hands an opportunity rarely afforded to her: playing a complex, dirty, morally complicated woman rather than the one-dimensional characters she’s often been given.
“Denise just came, and she never had the chance to play something like this either,” Interdonato said. “It was wonderful to see her raw and emotional and not be depicted as a gold digger or the sexy this and that. It was like, nah, it’s dirty hands. Everybody’s dirty.”
Doing Your Own Stunts and Pulling from Real Experience
When Interdonato sat down with Patrick Muldoon before filming, he made a clear declaration: no stunt doubles. The reasoning wasn’t driven by ego; it was about authenticity. Having come up through scraps in New Jersey, Interdonato had firsthand knowledge of how violence actually unfolds, and he wasn’t interested in the choreography of cinema. He wanted the brutal reality of bodies colliding, getting stomped, getting snuck, taking shots to the back of the head.
Working with stunt coordinator Jason Mello, who’s choreographed action for Daredevil, Punisher, and Fallout, Interdonato crafted sequences that feel visceral and earned. They rehearsed extensively in New Jersey before bringing Mello and his team to Chicago for three intense nights of cramming the fight choreography into their shoots.
“We got our a***s kicked,” Interdonato admitted with a laugh, referencing pulled and snapped muscles that came with the territory. “But it just felt like it added to it, you know? I didn’t care after a time. Everyone was just all in.”
Operating Lean on a Tight Crew
This is Interdonato’s second feature as a director, and his philosophy remains unchanged: keep it tight, keep it lean and mean. He’s meticulous about crew selection, bringing on people who are “gangsters—fully committed from PA to boom operator.
“I only want people who are all in,” he said. “So I’m very particular about who I bring in, and that family is created, and everybody just rocks.”
This isn’t just philosophy—it’s practical. With a crew of roughly 18 people, Interdonato had to be decisive and efficient. He used a handheld monitor to block scenes, and once he had the visual figured out, he’d call for one take. As an actor himself for over 20 years, he understood how to center himself in front of the camera and flip the switch to get behind it.
“I’ve just been an actor long enough to know how to be settled and grounded in what my job is, and I was kind of able just to flip the switch,” he explained.
Distribution and the Importance of Partnership
Getting a film made is one challenge; finding the right distribution partner is another. Interdonato emphasized the importance of choosing a company that will actually get behind a film reflected in upfront money or a minimum guarantee.
With Saban Films, he found a true partner. Response time within 30 minutes on emails, genuine engagement from the head of marketing and publicity, and a sense of being part of a team rather than a burden. “They are making me feel like I’m a part of a team and I have people with me,” he said. “Other times I felt very alone.”
A Legacy Project After Patrick Muldoon’s Passing
Since the interview, Dirty Hands has taken on additional poignancy with the passing of Patrick Muldoon. For Interdonato and the cast, the film has become a celebration of his final work, a chance to send off a talented actor in exactly the way he would have wanted: playing a complex, brutal antagonist in a film that doesn’t pull punches.
The fact that this was Muldoon and Denise Richards’s first and last film together adds another layer of emotional weight to what’s already a charged, intense piece of cinema.
Final Thoughts
Dirty Hands represents the state of contemporary indie filmmaking at its best—a project driven by a clear vision, executed by a filmmaker who understands his craft and respects his collaborators, and delivered with genuine stakes and real violence. It’s a film that earns its brutality and makes its emotional points without sentimentality.
For anyone who’s grown up in the indie world, as Kevin Interdonato has, Dirty Hands is required viewing. It’s the kind of film that Film Threat has always championed: raw, uncompromising, and absolutely vital.
