Man of War Director William Kaufman on Ukraine, LaMonica Garrett, and Films That Don’t Lie

Send us Fan MailDirector William Kaufman brings Man of War to The Vanguard Wall — a grounded military action thriller set on the opening morning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, starring LaMonica Garrett and out now on digital via Well Go USA. LaMonica Garrett (1883, The Lioness, The Terminal List) plays Connor, a burned-out ex-operator at the lowest point of his life when a girl he's spent years protecting calls from a Kharkiv orphanage — the morning the invasion begins. Kaufman co-wrote the film, shot it in Bulgaria with a crew he calls family, and cast real Ukrainian refugees in key roles, including a woman with an actual drone-strike scar on her face. Jason Patric reprises their collaboration from Shrapnel as Connor's ex-CIA handler. Andrew Howard (Limitless) plays Danny Sudhakov, a Ukrainian fixer and the film's moral center. Kaufman’s thesis, stated publicly and repeated in this episode: “This is not a political movie. We’re not picking sides. We don’t have a political agenda. This is a movie about people caught in the middle of war. War is ugly. It’s a monster. It eats up everything.” The film carries that through with a dual-perspective script — Connor and Danny hold opposite views on the conflict by design — and with a level of gear authenticity (Lead Devil Belts, tech adviser Max Krausz) that veteran audiences will clock in the first five minutes. Kaufman is a U.S. Army Cavalry Scout veteran and Christian filmmaker who has never lived in Los Angeles. This is Kaufman’s fourteenth feature. He’s the director behind Sinners and Saints, The Hit List, Shrapnel, The Channel, and Osiris — twenty years of work built outside Hollywood, with crews rooted in New Orleans and Sofia, Bulgaria. The press track record speaks: “Kaufman creates taut suspense and dynamic action” (Variety), “Absolutely riveting” (HFPA), “Kaufman’s movie stands out because he doesn’t miss a beat” (RogerEbert.com). Man of War is out now on digital. Watch it on Apple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/man-of-war/umc.cmc.j9guu91a0zqhlj5w8osaf1u9 Follow director William Kaufman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamkaufman_director/ Sponsors: Thinking about buying a home or refinancing? Nuwave built a dedicated page specifically for Vanguard Wall listeners so you can connect directly with the team assigned to our audience: https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall Serious supplements "For Those that Run Towards" www.hoplitenutrition.com Use Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off 🔗Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast 🏪Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall ⚔️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297 📧 Connect/Sponsor: [email protected] @TheVanguardWall #ManOfWar #WilliamKaufman #LaMonicaGarrettThinking about buying a home or refinancing? Nuwave Lending built a dedicated page specifically for Vanguard Wall listeners so you can connect directly with the team assigned to our audience.Get started here: https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwallNMLS #1722624 Patreon advertismentSupport the show                                                             🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                      🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)  🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                           ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297  📧 Sponsor Inquiries: [email protected]                                                                                                     💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off   Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com