Cannes Film Festival 2013

Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace unleash hell in gritty 'Dead Man Down' trailer: Watch

'Blood demands blood' in latest from 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' director

  • Critic's Rating B+
  • Readers' Rating B+

"Revenge. I've never thought about it before. But when I saw you, I knew I had my answer."

Those ominous words are spoken by Noomi Rapace ("Prometheus") at the beginning of the new trailer for "Dead Man Down," a gritty upcoming action thriller helmed by Rapace's "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" director Niels Arden Oplev. The film centers on Victor (Farrell), the employee of a ruthless crime overlord (Terrence Howard) who agrees to help a badly-scarred woman (Rapace) get even with his boss - the man whose actions directly resulted in her disfigured appearance.

Based on the gloomy, hard-bitten first trailer, "Dead Man Down" looks to be a dreary, pull-no-punches thriller with a morally-complex central duo (there is a noir-ish quality to the setup), crepuscular visual style and high body count. In short: you'll probably come out of this thing feeling like you need to take a shower.

The problem here is that while the trailer does a good job of setting up the film's tone, Farrell and Rapace aren't exactly audience draws, and Oplev's "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" credentials will likely only draw in that franchise's hardcore fans. Add to that the somber atmosphere that's established and this may prove a hard sell with mainstream audiences - though genre aficionados who don't mind their action movies a little down and dirty may well be appeased.

My grade: B+. After watching the trailer below, rate it for yourself at top left.

"Dead Man Down" is slated for release on March 8.

Chris-eggertsen-sm
A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.

Comments

  • Option 1

    Comment instantly as a guest Guest
  • Option 2

    Connect
  • Option 3

    Login or create a HitFix account Login Signup
  • Default-avatar

    rerun

    When I saw the trailer, I had assumed it was a new Fincher movie...sad now.

    January 3, 2013 at 1:16PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      ed Niels Arden Oplev >>>>>>> Fincher

      January 10, 2013 at 1:20PM EST
  • Getnuts_talkback_profile

    mridge1

    Well cut trailer and that cover of 'Shine' by Pink Floyd is great as well. Based of the set up, the actors, and the director, I'm sold.

    January 3, 2013 at 10:44PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Rick Patel

    Can't wait to see it. Noomie Rapace is a superb actress, and Colin Farrell gets better as he grows older.

    January 4, 2013 at 3:45PM EST Reply to Comment

Get Instant Alerts on Breaking News

Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web