It wasn’t too long ago that Idris Elba’s name was mentioned in the same breath as a certain James Bond, and today’s trailer for action-thriller Bastille Day has the British actor doing his best impression of a 00-agent.
He’s up against it, too, squaring off against former King of the North Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), who hails from the opposite side of the law as an American pickpocket. What Elba’s former CIA agent comes to realize, though, is that Madden’s lowly thief is just one pawn on a much larger, crime-ridden chess board.
A tried and tested formula, sure, but there’s fleeting signs of Elba and Madden’s budding chemistry included in today’s trailer, which really ought to elevate the drama above its genre contemporaries.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Michael Mason (Richard Madden, Game Of Thrones) is an American pickpocket living in Paris who finds himself in the hands of the CIA when he steals a bag that contains more than just a wallet. Sean Briar (Idris Elba, Avengers: Age Of Ultron), the field agent on the case, soon realizes that Michael is just a pawn in a much bigger game and is also his best asset to uncover a large-scale criminal conspiracy in the heart of the police force. Going against commands, Briar recruits Michael to help quickly track down the source of the corruption. As a 24hr chase ensues, the unlikely duo discover they are both targets and must rely upon each other in order to take down a common enemy.
Initially on course to hit UK theaters in February, James Watkins’ French thriller was delayed out of respect to the victims of last year’s heinous Paris terrorist attacks. It’s been rescheduled for April, with a US release still to be finalized.
Also starring Kelly Reilly and Charlotte Le Bon, Bastille Day will now open on April 22 in the United Kingdom.
