Oddball modern art projects aside, Shia LaBeouf has maintained a consistent focus on picking interesting and offbeat projects since he left the Transformers franchise behind back in 2011. There have been a couple ups and downs along the way, but, by and large, it's led to some of the best work of his career. He's currently (and deservedly so) getting the best reviews of that long career for his work in Andrea Arnold's American Honey, and today brings a trailer for the post-apocalyptic war thriller Man Down, promising another commanding performance.

Man Down reunites LaBeouf with his A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints helmer Dito Montiel, who directs from a script penned by Adam G. Simon (Synapse). The story finds LaBeouf as a U.S. Marine returning home from his tour in Afghanistan to a post-apocalyptic America. With the help of his best friend, played by Jai Courtney, he sets out to finds his wife and child. The film has sat on the shelf for a while, which can be a bad sign, but even more telling are the eviscerating reviews it received out of the Venice Film Festival last year. However, for the devoted, it also promises another acting gem from one of the most compelling and surprising young actors out there.

Man Down also stars Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr., Charlie Shotwell, and Gary Oldman, and arrives in theaters December 2nd. Watch the first trailer below.

Here's the official synopsis.

When U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) returns home from his tour in Afghanistan, he finds that the place he once called home is no better than the battlefields he fought on overseas. Accompanied by his best friend Devin Roberts (Jai Courtney), a hardnosed marine whose natural instinct is to shoot first and ask questions later, he searches desperately for the whereabouts of his estranged son, Jonathan (Charlie Shotwell) and wife, Natalie (Kate Mara). In their search, the two intercept Charles (Clifton Collins Jr.), a man carrying vital information about the whereabouts of Gabriel's family. As we revisit the past, we are guided in unraveling the puzzle of Gabriel's experience and what will eventually lead us to finding his family. The psychological suspense thriller MAN DOWN also stars Gary Oldman.

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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate