YNMS: Detroit - Trailer #2
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 2:30PM 
by Seán McGovern
Detroit could make Kathryn Bigelow's style definable. Both Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker tapped into a social, political and very American psyche of the moment. And unlike other filmmakers, hearing that Bigelow is to bring the 1967 Detroit riots to the screen seems absolutely appropriate. After all, Bigelow has always had an eye for life teetering on a knife edge, of people on the fringes - be they wandering vampires, Soviet submariners or black market memory peddlers. Her two most recent films have cemented her as an auteur with a distinct vision but it's adjectives like tense, visceral or full-throated that define her. A director who has long appreciated genre pictures, it's thanks to her historic Oscar standing that her films now arrive with a sense of expectation.
A new trailer for Detroit has recently been released, doing what all good second trailers do: it tells us a little bit more, and hints to something different, both of which will be revealed after the jump...
YES
- ♥︎ a trailer that's bold enough to use a partial scene as a promo. The trailer begins with John Boyega as Melvin Dismukes being questioned by police. What this tells us is that the film isn't just about the incident of the Detroit riots but potentially the grossly unjust trial that followed.
- The rise of John Boyega as both thespian and superstar. He's just finished a run on stage here in London at the Old Vic in a production of Woyzeck, has Star Wars to jump back into and now this. He's a commanding screen presence with a long career ahead. And he's from Peckhham! (which will mean something to South London dwellers)
- It looks to be superbly shot by cinematographer Barry Ackroyd who Bigelow worked with on The Hurt Locker.
- So many people! Who is going to emerge from the ensemble? (Or is this a NO?)
- The incident at the Algiers Motel involved three young white women - focusing on this incident could also bring gender politics to the fore which gives Bigelow even more complexity to play with.
- The trailer captures moments in time that resonate today in more ways than one.
NO
- Though this will undoubtedly be a hard hitter, the trailer has so much going on that it's hard to know exactly if the focus will be on the riots themselves, or primarily the Algiers motel, the trial or aftermath. Is the movie focused enough?
- If the goal is historical accuracy and bringing the events to a new and wider audience, how much character development will we get outside Boyega?
MAYBE SO
- Jessica Chastain got an Oscar nomination for a character whose driving ambition was hunting for Bin Laden, without much else to her. Perhaps Detroit will focus on more ordinary people who navigated a segregated, racist and violent world and whose lives were taken from them. A bit of heart could really make this film.
Are you a Yes No or Maybe So?
...Oh come on, you know this is an absolute YES. With the August release it looks like Annapurna pictures think they can capitalise on the summer box office as well as generate a buzz that will bring it all the way to the Oscars.
Reader Comments (15)
My only NO is...well, there's almost no way this isn't going to be a complete downer, especially when one reflects on how little has changed since then.
But for the same reason...it's also essential viewing.
So definitely YES. Hope movie audiences respond similarly.
I keep looking for a reason not to lower expectations for this movie but there just isn't one. Female director? Check. A summer release? Check. A story for our time that deserves to be told? Check, Check, Check.
I'm going to echo lylee. There's no way this movie won't be absolutely gut-wrenching. I tend to love films like these but rarely revisit them.
Apologies - that should read a reason to lower expectations.
Yes because it's Kathryn Bigelow.
It might be one of those experiences when you come out of the cinema feeling like hell, but still giving it a big fat thumbs up. Hey, we need to feel that way sometimes!
Yeah, that is a masterful trailer. Wow.
Yeah, I'm SO down. This is probably a third BP nomination and a second Director nomination (that would make her the first female director EVER to get a second nomination) in the bag for Bigelow.
Im not so sure this will be a home run but fingers crossed as I only want great things for Bigalow and Boyega.
To be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of all the capital I important films. I'm mainly craving fantasy/action/sci fun but even those the blogosphere tries to twist and call political in their reviews.
Huh,
Are you living in an alternate universe where movie studios churn out important films left and right and the sci-fi and action stuff is relegated to the indie circuit?
This could be her third stone-cold masterpiece in a row. So hell yeah.
My gut feeling is that this movie will be a hard sell. It seems political, violent and not everyone wants another downer experience in these tough times.
@Tr - lol point taken.
Aside from everything else mentioned, the brief glimpse of Samira Wiley in this trailer makes it a YES for me.
It's a solid yes for me!
Maybe