British actors John Boyega and Will Poulter star in the tense trailer for a new film about the 1967 Detroit riot from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.
John and Will, both winners of the Bafta Rising Star Award, have American accents in the dramatic and unsettling teaser clip ahead of the release of the film – simply called Detroit – later this year.
The historical crime drama film is being released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the riots, and tells the story of a particularly dark moment during the period of civil unrest that rocked the US city in the summer of 1967.
John, best known for starring in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is seen as a stoic police officer in the midst of the chaos who says he will only sleep “when they stop rioting”.
Off camera, a voice-over says ominously: “It’s a war zone out there. They’re destroying the city.”
In another scene, Straight Outta Compton star Jason Mitchell’s character says: “Being black is almost like having a gun pointed at your face.”
Will, whose film credits include Son of Rambow and The Revenant, appears in a more threatening guise than audiences usually see him as he demands that terrified party-goers tell him the location of a gun.
He later says: “You think we’re bluffing? We don’t bluff.”
The Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street riot, took place in the Michigan city for five days as police and civilians clashed, killing 43 people and injuring hundreds.
Detroit is the latest film from Kathryn, the only woman to win a best director Oscar.
She took the accolade for her 2009 war film The Hurt Locker, and her other works include Zero Dark Thirty and Point Break.
Detroit also stars Anthony Mackie and Jack Reynor, and is set for release in August.
