John Boyega charges into a city on the brink of war in the powerful full trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s true-life drama, Detroit.
Set against the 12th Street Riot of 1967, the gripping drama and sure-fire Oscar contender marks the latest collaboration between Bigelow and her Oscar-winning writing partner, Mark Boal. From The Hurt Locker to the ruddy excellent Zero Dark Thirty, the creative duo hasn’t shied away from contentious material, and Detroit is shaping up to be another exercise in hard-hitting drama.
Indeed, if Bigelow and Boal ventured overseas for their previous war movies, this intriguing new project places a laser focus on one of the darkest moments in American history. Civil unrest and violent public disorder spilled onto the streets of the Motor City during the blisteringly hot summer of ’67, and confrontations between police and citizens spanned for five days in total, resulting in 43 deaths and more than 7,200 arrests.
It’s considered one of the deadliest riots in U.S. history – dwarfed only by the Los Angeles riots of 1992 – and we’re fascinated to see how Bigelow and her writing team build a narrative around such a contentious, yet historic piece of history. By the looks of things, Detroit integrates some archival footage into the mix, with sweeping panoramic shots showcasing the sheer scale of the disturbance from above. Soon thereafter, and with some dramatic heartbeat sounds thrown in for good measure, the trailer zeroes in to focus on Boyega’s stoic police officer.
On board to help tell that tale to the moviegoing masses are Will Poulter, Jacob Latimore, Algee Smith, Ben O’Toole, Jack Reynor, Anthony Mackie, Kaitlyn Dever, Hannah Murray and Straight Outta Compton breakout Jason Mitchell.
Detroit will be with us on August 4th.
