Career
West started as a film editor with the British Broadcasting Corporation, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser. His film directing career started when he directed Con Air in 1997. Born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, West began his career in 1981 when he became a film editor with the British Broadcasting Corporation in London.
West"s career took off in 1985 when he began freelancing as a director and he was awarded a grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain to write and direct the film entitled Dolly Mixtures.
He was subsequently signed to Limelight London to direct music videos and commercials. He also directed the video for Rick Astley"s "Never Gonna Give You Up" in the same year.
With a flourishing commercial career, West relocated to Los Angeles offices of Limelight in 1991. West joined Propaganda Films in 1993 with a roster of credits including McDonalds, Sprite, American Telephone & Telegraph Company, Ford, Miller Beer and Budweiser.
His most famous commercial was a spot for Pepsi where a little boy sucks himself into a Pepsi bottle.
The ad ran during the Super Bowl and was United States of America Today"s highest rated commercial for that year. In 1997, he directed the international blockbuster Con Air for Jerry Bruckheimer starring Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich and followed that up in 1999 with The General"s Daughter starring John Travolta. In 2001, he directed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie
West originated the project Black Hawk Down after reading Mark Bowden"s newspaper articles on the failed United States mission in Somalia.
West pitched the idea to his old collaborator Jerry Bruckheimer and spent 2 years developing the script with the writer Ken Nolan.
Due to scheduling conflicts with West"s other film Lara Croft Tomb Raider and a threatened Screen Actors Guild strike he was not able to direct the movie but served as an executive producer on the Oscar nominated Black Hawk Down. In 2003, he was credited as an executive producer for the critically acclaimed Fox show, Keen Eddie, also serving as director for the pilot and second episode.
In 2005, he directed the pilot for the Jerry Bruckheimer produced Columbia Broadcasting System show Close to Home. In 2006, he directed the Screen Gems thriller, When a Stranger Calls.
In 2011, he directed the action-thriller The Mechanic, starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster, a remake of the 1972 film of the same name.
West directed The Expendables 2, replacing the first film"s director, Sylvester Stallone, with Stallone focusing on acting in and writing the film. Filming began in Summer 2011. West directed Nicolas Cage in the film Stolen in 2012.
West directed the crime thriller film Wild Card with Jason Statham.
lieutenant filmed in New Orleans and is a remake of the 1986 film Heat, based on the novel of the same name by William Goldman. In January 2015 he replaced Rob Zombie, as director of the upcoming The Blob remake.
