If writer-director John Michael McDonagh carved out a signature filmmaking style on the hills of Ireland with The Guard and Cavalry, two films anchored by remarkable performances from frequent collaborator Brendan Gleeson, his latest directorial effort is poised to shift the action Stateside.
Entitled War on Everyone, McDonagh’s jet-black comedy finds Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña operating as two questionable police offers in New Mexico. From blackmailing to racketeering, our lawless lawmen aren’t afraid to kick the rulebook to the curb, and today brings forth a brand new trailer that not only showcases Skarsgård and Peña in action but, perhaps more excitingly, the zippy, buddy cop dynamic between the two.
Also starring Theo James, Tessa Thompson, Malcolm Barrett, Caleb Landry Jones, Paul Reiser, Stephanie Sigman, and David Wilmot, you’ll even find a couple of quotes pulled from our SXSW 2016 review here, where Matt Donato labelled War on Everyone a “pitch-black, nihilistic riot, like a pissed-off teenager spinning atop a mountain with two outstretched middle fingers pointing in every direction.”
It may not be for everyone, then, and Shane Black’s The Nice Guys springs to mind as a recent and slightly more palatable spin on that endearing buddy cop formula. Nevertheless, John Michael McDonagh’s ferocious cop comedy will no doubt find its niche upon debuting early next year. Expect it to make its debut via DirecTV on January 5, 2017.
They don’t obey the law – they just enforce it. War on Everyone is expected to deploy in select theatres on February 3, 2017. Saban Films is distributing.
