The Proud Mary Trailer Has Taraji P. Henson Kicking Major Ass

Mary with her gun drawn

It's a particularly exciting week for hardcore TV and film fans. San Diego Comic-Con brings the debut of tons of new footage and trailers, and this year certainly hasn't disappointed on that front. One of the films that debuted a trailer this week is Proud Mary, an action thriller starring Empire standout and Emmy and Oscar Nominee Taraji P. Henson. In her first bonafide action role, Henson plays the titular Mary, and she looks like a total badass in the first trailer for the film. Check it out.

Cookie's got a gun, and she means business. Let's break down what we're being shown from this exciting, albeit vague, trailer.

First and foremost, the Proud Mary trailer is notable for the song accompanying it. With a cover of the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song that shares its title, the music behind the trailer helps to set the tone of the overall film, which will likely balance moments of humor and badass action. The song itself picks up the pace after slow start, and the trailer follows that example. While the first few shots just show Henson's Mary getting ready for a night of badassery, things quickly get more action packed as she shoots down various enemies with a variety of guns. Who knew Cookie had it in her?

Overall plot details for Proud Mary are pretty vague at the moment, but we can make out some of the narrative through the above trailer. Mary is an assassin, who takes out her targets through sharpshooting and her large armory of weapons. Somewhere in her travels she meets a young boy (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), and ends up taking him under her wing during her killing spree and adventures. Smart money says she was sent to kill his parent or guardian, and feels bad leaving the kid by himself. But that's just my prediction.

Joining Taraji P. Henson in Proud Mary is a solid supporting cast, which should help the film gain some more credibility and buzz before its eventual release. Spotted in the trailer is the always delightful Danny Glover, Captain America: The First Avenger's Neal McDonough, Xander Berkeley (aka Gregory from The Walking Dead), as well as How To Get Away With Murder stud Billy Brown.

It should be interesting to see what the overall tone of Proud Mary is. While the trailer balances moments of camp with the gunfights, much of the levity from it comes from the soundtrack. But trailers can be deceiving, so we'll have to wait for more footage in order to discern the film's tone. That being said, Taraji P. Henson is a hilarious and irreverent personality, and it would be a shame if she didn't get to stretch the comedic muscles that help keep her performance in Empire such an interesting one. Cookie is beloved because she's a mixture of light hearted sass and cut throat business woman, so hopefully Proud Mary will be able to walk the line of this dynamic as well.

There is currently no release date for Proud Mary, but we'll be sure to update you as more information becomes public. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.