It seems like everyday there is a trailer for a new Netflix original series or film, as the dominant streaming service continues to pump out all manner of content to appeal to a diverse array of tastes. Now, just a day after putting out the first trailer for the Lost in Space reboot series, Netflix has released a trailer for The Outsider, starring Jared Leto. The film finds Jared Leto's American prisoner of war getting in deep with the Yakuza in post-WWII Japan and judging by this tense trailer, he gets in very deep. Take a look below to see Jared Leto as the Outsider.
This trailer is taut as a bowstring and teases a very brutal and intense film. Visually this trailer presents an aesthetically and tonally dark film and the music choice of Ruelle's Madness actually works pretty well with the pacing to build tension. Jared Leto's character, Nick Lowell, seems to have learned a lot from the Yakuza here, resorting to quick bursts of intense violence. Jared Leto is an Oscar winner with serious acting chops but what's interesting is there doesn't seem to be any internal conflict in his character here, at least judging by the trailer. He seems completely emotionless and cold, and fully buying in to the Yakuza lifestyle. This is a small sample size and perhaps this is just him surviving however he can, or perhaps he really does connect with and find value in this culture.
Interestingly, the trailer for The Outsider doesn't really go too deep into the story, instead focusing on the mood of the film. It's not even particularly clear from the trailer that Jared Leto's character is an American soldier who becomes a prisoner of war. We know that the character adopts the Yakuza way of life in repayment for his freedom but the logistics behind that are still a mystery. The interaction with the other American in this trailer seems to indicate that an American intelligence agency may be attempting to use Nick Lowell to take down the Yakuza from the inside. We have seen the story of the outsider being taken in by a foreign culture many times before, be it Dances With Wolves, Avatar, The Last Samurai or any number of other films. Hopefully this film will bring something different to the table as the protagonist is not taken in by an oppressed people or some forest-dwelling environmentalists, but by a ruthless criminal organization.
The Outsider has actually been in development for quite a while after the script by Andrew Baldwin landed on 2011's Black List. At different points in time it had Michael Fassbender set to star for director Daniel Espinosa and Tom Hardy leading the film for Takashi Miike. Ultimately, Jared Leto wound up in the starring role to be directed by Martin Zandvliet. The Outsider starts streaming on Netflix on March 9th. You can check out our guide to see what else will be streaming on Netflix in March.
