Enthusiasts of iconoclastic filmmaker Brian De Palma may remember the filmmaker boarded his first film project since 2012's Passion when he signed on for the action-thriller Domino back in 2017. Now, a near two years later, Saban Films has finally debuted a trailer for the film, and while it's rich with De Palma's signature stylistic flourishes (and Game of Thrones actors), don't be surprised if it seems a bit off-brand for the filmmaker.
Domino stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Christian, a Copenhagen police officer on the hunt for justice after his partner is murdered by ISIS. Throw in a fellow cop, a duplicitous CIA agent (Guy Pearce), and some signature De Palms ultra-violence, and Christian finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that puts his quest for vengeance, and his life, on the line.
Sounds about right for the filmmaker behind crime dramas like Scarface and The Untouchables, but this trailer certainly paints the picture of a much more straightforward action thriller. And from the sound of it, it's not the film De Palma wanted to make. “Domino is not my project, I did not write the script,” he told The Playlist last summer. It is the revenge story of a revenge of a cop duo against terrorists who killed another. But the whole political aspect will be very little exploited, the film was more for me a new opportunity to explore a visual narrative. In the film, terrorists are obsessed with the idea that their actions are instantly visible live on the Internet or on TV."
Well, yikes. Rumors have been going around for a few months that De Palma's cut of the film was 148 minutes long vs the 88-minute cut we're getting (though I can't trace down a reliable source on that info and it certainly doesn't seem on brand for a filmmaker whose films tend to run tight a tight two hours or less,) but regardless of the original cut there's no denying the filmmaker describes it as a "horrible experience". Either way, it's the first film De Palma's touched in years, which makes it a point of curiosity.
Check out the trailer for yourself below. Domino also stars Carice Van Houten, and Eriq Ebouaney. The film drops in theaters and On Demand on May 31.
Here's the official synopsis:
In a world wracked by terror and suspicion, Copenhagen police officer, Christian (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), seeks justice for his partner’s murder by an ISIS member named Imran. On the hunt for the killer, Christian and a fellow cop are unwittingly caught in a cat and mouse chase with a duplicitous CIA agent (Guy Pearce) who is using Imran as a pawn to trap other ISIS members. Soon Christian is racing against the clock – not only seeking revenge, but to save his own life.
