John Boyega is front and center in new ‘Detroit’ trailer

A new trailer for Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit dropped today and it’s intense. John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as Dismukes, a security guard being interrogated after the police shootings at the Algiers Motel, the incident that started the Detroit rebellion in the summer of 1967.

Boyega’s performance is riveting from the get go and I don’t hesitate to say that it immediately reminded me of a young Denzel Washington, both in voice and tone. He plants himself firmly in this year’s Oscar race, it just depends on if he’s the film’s centerpiece as the trailer would lead me to believe, or part of the larger ensemble. Either way, the film feels vital and necessary in the current political and social climate despite taking place 40 years ago.

The film is being released by Annapurna Pictures on August 4th and also stars Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reynor, Ben O’Toole, Joseph David Jones, Ephraim Sykes, Leon Thomas III, Nathan Davis Jr., Peyton Alex Smith, Malcolm David Kelley, Gbenga Akinnabve, Chris Chalk, Jeremy Strong, Laz Alonzo, Austin Hebert, Miguel Pimentel, Kris Davis, with John Krasinski and Anthony Mackie.

Detroit ranks at #2 in our Best Picture Oscar predictions at the moment, which you can follow here.

Watch the trailer below then watch Detroit: The True Events.