If there's an award for "Best Body Swapped Performance" in Hollywood, Ryan Reynolds is clearly trying to win it. While this weekend is clearly all about Deadpool, a trailer for Reynolds' latest round of out of body action, Criminal, has been released in anticipation of the main event. You can watch the trailer for yourself below.
For as big of a part Ryan Reynolds' character plays in the events of Criminal, it's not his role as a crucial CIA analyst that's going to be front and center to the film's plot. If anything, this recently released trailer by Lionsgate shows us that Kevin Costner's Jericho Stewart is the physical lead of the film. A loose cannon with a checkered past, Stewart is about to undergo an experimental procedure where said analyst is, for lack of a better term, "uploaded," into his mind. The purpose of this exercise is to locate an asset crucial to a mission that involves stopping a madman from plunging the world into darkness. So while Reynolds will be instrumental to the plot, as it's his memories that will inform the action, it'll be Costner that does the heavy lifting in the action scenes.
On paper, Criminal might sound like a movie of the week that fans of shows like 24, as well as Ryan Reynolds' last body swap film Self/Less, could enjoy. Yet, the supporting cast involved in the film's roster could help elevate the material past such a level, as both Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones are playing support for the government side of the equation. Also, playing the wife of Ryan Reynolds' CIA analyst is Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, a casting move that has already caused fans to compare the involvement of all named cast members to the comic book roles they've played in the past. Her presence in the trailer hints towards the more emotional component that Criminal looks to mix in with its action-adventure plot-line, and it just might work.
While this is only the first trailer for Criminal, there's going to need to be a little bit more of a push to get the word out on this film, especially considering its box office competition in its opening frame. The Jungle Book and Barbershop: The Next Cut are both set to open on the same Friday that Criminal has staked out – and The Huntsman: Winter's War won't make things any easier in the weekend after. If anything, the studio should be prepping a new trailer for distribution in the next couple of months, as the focus on this trailer is a little uneven to make the hard sell the film needs in its corner. Still, the cast of Criminal should be enough to draw a solid baseline of interest. With the right marketing, and maybe a little more Ryan Reynolds shown off in the trailer, the film could be a sleeper hit of this Spring.
If you're a fan of Ryan Reynolds using someone else's body as his own personal Fiat, then Criminal will be in theaters on April 15th.
