One of the saddest aspects of a talented performer passing away is the fact that with each trailer we see of an unreleased film, we’re haunted by the fact that it’s one of the last times we’ll see them on screen. We recently broke the latest trailer for Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in the John LeCarre adaptation A Most Wanted Man, and thanks to Apple we now have the trailer for the one of the last films that Hoffman was actively involved in selling, God’s Pocket.
Marking the feature directorial debut of Mad Men actor John Slattery, the film tells the story of a man (Hoffman) who is a part of, and then covers up his step-son’s accidental death. With his wife (Mad Men co-star, Christina Hendricks) begging for answers, a reporter (Richard Jenkins) starts to investigate the neighborhood, hoping to find some sort of revelation that’ll put the boy’s mother at ease. Unfortunately, this looks to stir the town into further turmoil, which will only make things that much more difficult to get to the bottom of. The film is based off of a novel written by Peter Dexter, and also stars John Turturro, Caleb Landry Jones, and Eddie Marsan.
From the looks of the trailer, the film promises a noir-ish detective thriller akin to something Dennis Lehane would write, mixed with a slight comic edge. Unfortunately, the comic bits don’t really come in until the end of the trailer, making it seem a little unevenly balanced in tone. Still, it looks as if Slattery’s work directing episodes of his native drama hit have paid off. His eye for a shot looks as good as the performances he’s getting out of his cast. Of course, it helps that he’s worked previously with Hendricks on television and with Hoffman during his brief performance in Charlie Wilson’s War. You can tell that both of them made this movie because they’re not only interested in the film, they’re also interested working with their friend.
Whether this friendly collaboration will create a product more reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven than Ocean’s Twelve remains a mystery. Whichever outcome makes itself known, this film will be an interesting exercise to watch as it is one of our final chances to see Hoffman’s trademark gravitas on screen. God’s Pocket is being distributed by IFC Films, and is set for release on May 9th, 2014.
