Vertical Entertainment shared with Collider an exclusive trailer for their upcoming title, Sanctioning Evil. The action/thriller movie centers around a decorated war hero that learns how the American government can chew you up and spit you out without much regard for your history of serving the nation. After four tours, staff sergeant Reginald Barnes (Tobias Truvillion) is dishonorably discharged because of a soldier that went rogue under his command. Vertical Entertainment also revealed to Collider when we can expect to see the new movie in cinemas and VOD in just under a month, on October 7.
The trailer for Sanctioning Evil makes it clear that, even though Reginald gets a less than ideal career end in the military, he’s more than ready to bring people to justice in his own way. After feeling like he doesn’t have anything else to lose, he engages in a covert FBI operation that locates and takes down criminals who somehow managed to escape punishment. It won't be pretty.
Given the type of criminals that Reginald goes after — child predators —, it’s safe to say that we’re about to witness a gritty action movie that will probably make us feel as angry as the main character. At the same time, Reginald’s ruthless and unorthodox methods suggest a cruel setting in which no one is completely innocent, and the characters’ morals are far from black and white.
Sanctioning Evil is directed by Ante Novakovic, who previously directed mystery drama Leaves of the Tree and horror flick Fright Fest. Earlier this year, Novakovic released the political thriller Little Ukraine, which centers around a family that flees the Soviet Union in the 80s and tries to make it in New York City. The screenplay of Sanctioning Evil is penned by Kyle Travis Sharp, who makes his feature film writing debut and has a role in the story as well. He based the screenplay on a story by Lance Sharp, who also makes his debut.
Aside from Truvillion, the cast also features Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black), Zach McGowan (Shameless), Chris Tardio (Younger), Tasha Lawrence (The Looming Tower), Carrie Kim (Law & Order: SVU), James Biberi (Starz’s Hightown), Kresh Novakovic (Last Call), Betsy Beutler (The Most Popular Girls in School), Al Linea (The Irishman), Peter Patrikios (Not Okay), Ebony Jo-Ann (I Am The Night), Taheim Bryan (Equal Standard), and Byron Clohessy (Law & Order: Organized Crime).
Sanctioning Evil premieres in theaters and on VOD on October 7.
You can watch the trailer below:
Check out the official synopsis here:
Staff Sergeant Reginald Barnes (Tobias Truvillion), a decorated war hero, is dishonorably discharged after four tours of duty when a soldier under his command goes rogue. Disenfranchised by the very government he served with honor, Barnes is now alone to piece his life back together. But he finds his way back into society after being recruited by the charismatic and ambitious politician Dakota Ambrose (Zach McGowan) and his life is given new purpose. As the mission unfolds, Barnes and Ambrose walk a fine line between covert military operations on civilian soil and unsanctioned retribution toward an underground criminal element, all while being tracked by FBI special agent Kensington (Taryn Manning).