Columbia Pictures has released the first trailer for the upcoming dramatic thriller White Boy Rick. Directed by Yann Demange (’71) and produced by Darren Aronofsky, the film takes place in 1980s Detroit and tells the true story of a blue-collar father (Matthew McConaughey) and his teenage son (Richie Merritt), who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, but whose life spiraled quickly after he was abandoned by his handlers.

The trailer is solid, but the reason I'm interested in the film is Demange. '71 was an outstanding bit of a filmmaking, and I'm eager to see his followup. Although the trailer here seems to be playing by the standard beats of the rags-to-riches gangster drama, hopefully Demange's direction paired with the father-son story will give White Boy Rick a unique spin on the genre.

Check out the White Boy Rick trailer below. Written by Andy Weiss and Logan & Noah Miller, the film also stars Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie. White Boy Rick opens in theaters in limited release on September 14th before expanding wide on September 21st.

Here’s the official synopsis for White Boy Rick:

Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.