The quiet tranquility of the British countryside perhaps isn’t the first setting you’d think of for a gritty gangster crime drama but nevertheless, that’s exactly where Michael Fassbender finds himself in the forthcoming Trespass Against Us. Directed by Adam Smith - primarily known for his television work on Skins and Doctor Who - the movie stars Fassbender alongside Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges, 28 Days Later) who plays the actor’s father for the second time in as many months after his turn in Assassin’s Creed.
Trespass Against Us sees Fassbender’s Chad Cutler attempt to move on from his father’s ‘family business’ in order to provide a better life for his son, whilst also evading a police force gunning for him due to his familial ties to the crime world. The movie has already been doing the rounds on the film festival circuit but has so far attracted mixed reviews from critics and after an initial trailer for the movie’s theatrical release landed back in September, another has now arrived with the film’s release drawing near.
The trailer, recently released by the film’s British production company Film4, shows a realistic and action-packed interpretation of crime in the British West Country and neatly sets up Chad’s struggle between his roots and his future, with the Police on his tail at every turn. The contrast between Chad’s more wholesome family life and his father’s ways of criminality takes center stage and it seems that - in true Corleone fashion - just as Cutler tries to get out, he’s pulled straight back in.
Despite first appearing at the Toronto International Film Festival and the film premiering in the U.S. before the U.K., the trailer doesn’t hold back on the movie’s British-ness and the clip demonstrates the Cutler family’s strong regional accents in all their glory. Unlike many famous British crime movies however, Trespass Against Us skips out on the light-hearted, comedic elements that made up a large part of famous gangster flicks such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and seems more in vein of the grittier Kidulthood series, albeit with a rural setting and older characters.
For his part, Michael Fassbender looks to continue on from a prolific 2016 with yet another gripping and convincing performance. The actor was a busy man over the past year, notably appearing in the likes of X-Men: Apocalypse and Assassin’s Creed and with Alien: Covenant on the horizon, Fassbender’s ability to turn out consistently good performances is nothing short of wholly impressive. Trespass Against Us also demonstrates just how versatile the actor is, seamlessly transitioning between blockbuster villains and more introspective character roles.
However, given the mixed response Trespass Against Us has received so far, it’ll take more than another good Fassbender character to make the movie a success upon theatrical release. The trailer certainly gives a strong impression that British culture is heavily ingrained within the movie and subsequently, Trespass Against Us may not prove to be a huge hit internationally. When it finally hits U.K. shores in March, however, it may find itself a more approving audience.
Source: Film4
- Tresspass Against Us Release Date: 2017-01-20
