Netflix has released the first trailer and poster forThe Outsider, which starsJared Letoin a much different role than fans are used to seeing him in. This period piece takes the chameleonic actor into an intriguing historical era, as he portrays an American soldier imprisoned in postwar Japan, who enters the dark world of the yakuza, adopting their way of life in repayment for his freedom, after he’s released with the help of his Yakuza cellmate. Now free, he sets out to earn their respect and repay his debt while navigating the dangerous criminal underworld.
The trailer begins with a woman sporting an intricate full-body tattoo telling Jared Leto’s character Nick Lowell about the legend of the koi fish that swims up a waterfall, and becomes a dragon. The footage also features a fewJapanesetraditions like Kabuki theater and sumo wrestling, while Nick Lowell states that he understands the metaphor behind this legend, revealing that while sometimes in life it’s important to fight the current, other times, it’s important to, “flow the river.” It seems that, at this point in Nick’s life, he is going with the flow, as he tries to understand his new life within theYakuza.
The trailer also offers a glimpse at Tadanobu Asano’s Kyoshi, who reveals that joining the Yakuza is a choice, one that can’t be undone, where one chooses one type of family over the other. There is also a scene where Nick tries to explain the Japanese traditions to Rory Cochrane’s Panetti, although Panetti isn’t exactly interested because, “we won,” meaning the Americans wonWorld War II. When Panetti tells Nick to get out of his office, Nick attacks him with a typewriter, in a rather brutal fashion.
The final scenes of the trailer show Nick embracing theviolent lifestylethe Yakuza lead, attacking his enemies in various different ways. The cast also includes Kippei Shina, Shiloli Kutsuna and Emile Hirsch, although we don’t see him in this trailer. Netflix has also provided a new poster forThe Outsider, which debuts on the streaming service March 9, which also debuts alongisde the third and final season of Netflix’sLoveand the new seriesCollateral. While it won’t debut in theaters, it will arrive the same weekend that Disney’sA Wrinkle In Time, STX Entertainment’sGringo, Entertainment Studios’The Hurricane Heistand Aviron’sStrangers: Prey at Nightarrive at the local art cinemas.
Martin Zandvliet directs from a screenplay by Andrew Baldwin, based on an original idea by Art Linson. Martin Zandvliet has previously directedApplause,Funny ManandLand of Mine, while writer Andrew Baldwin is coming offThe Take, and he is also writing the upcoming sequel toThe Bourne Legacystarring Jeremy Renner. As for Jared Leto, it remains to be seen when and if he will reprise his Joker character in the DCEU, and he is also coming off the critically-acclaimedBlade Runner 2049. Take a look at the new trailer, courtesy of Netflix YouTube, along with the poster forThe Outsiderbelow.
