Annapurna Pictures has released a new trailer for Detroit, the true-story thriller from Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, and it is outstanding. The crime thriller is set against the backdrop of the Detroit riots of 1967, which were initiated by a police raid of an unlicensed bar in the city’s Near West Side. The confrontations turned violent, resulting in the deaths of 39 people and leaving hundreds wounded as the riots lasted for five days. Bigelow’s film, which was scripted by Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker), looks to zero in on one specific event that took place during the riots—a raid of a motel that blurred the lines between good cops and bad cops.

Detroit is the first film that Annapurna is distributing and marketing itself after producing films like The Master and Foxcatcher, and this new trailer is extraordinary. Its handle of tension is gripping, as it frames the events surrounding John Boyega’s cop as something of a horror movie—it looks truly terrifying, and that’s no coincidence given how incredibly talented Bigelow is.

Take a look at the new Detroit trailer below, followed by a featurette in which those who actually witnessed the events share their story. The ensemble cast also includes Chris ChalkNathan Davis Jr.Kaitlyn DeverAustin HébertJoseph David-JonesMalcolm David KelleyJohn KrasinskiJacob LatimoreAnthony MackieJason MitchellHannah Murray, Ben O’TooleWill PoulterJack ReynorAlgee SmithPeyton Alex SmithJeremy StrongEphraim Sykes, and Leon Thomas IIIDetroit opens in theaters on August 4th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Detroit:

From the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the most terrifying moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of '67.

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Image via Annapurna Pictures
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Image via Annapurna Pictures
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Image via Annapurna Pictures

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