Watching this latest clip from the upcoming action comedy American Ultra – in which actor Jesse Eisenberg depicts some extreme anxiety – it’s impossible not to wonder whether he had this exact reaction when he realized he had recently compared the San Diego Comic-Con with genocide. He has, evidently, been on a steep learning curve in terms of dealing with movie promotion, so hopefully his efforts on behalf of this new movie will feature fewer references to horrific international war crimes, and more emphasis on the actual project at hand – not least because this one might need some talking up.
Directed by Nima Nourizadeh (Project X), and written by Max Landis (Chronicle), the film centres on Mike Howell (Eisenberg), who is a renowned stoner, wanting to marry his stoner girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). He has no recollection of the fact that he is, in fact, a highly skilled government agent who has been marked for termination in the most real, permanent way.
The trailer, when released, had some promising moments in it. This latest clip, however, does not. The preview footage is essentially just a showcase of Eisenberg’s nervousness, allowing him to demonstrate everything from his worried voice to his terrified body language – but it shows nothing of Kristen Stewart’s role. Indeed, if this clip were to reflect the rest of the film, it would be a waste of the young performer. In that respect, it seems like an odd choice of clip to release early.
American Ultra boasts a significantly starry supporting cast, including Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Walton Goggins (Justified), Topher Grace (Interstellar), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), John Leguizamo (Chef), and Tony Hale (Veep). From the footage already released, the direction from Nourizadeh seems to be enjoyably stylistic, which complements the writing of Max Landis well. Whether the project succeeds as a whole or not will become clear when it gets a release on August 21st 2015.
