Unfair as it may be, it's often hard to get excited about movies that take place entirely in one or two rooms while two characters have it out verbally. That said, if you're going to stick two actors in a room and film them, you could do a lot worse than Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. A source play by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, The Road) doesn't hurt either. For proof, just check out the totally riveting full length trailer for the Jones-directed HBO movie The Sunset Limited.
After the bleak, masterful The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada I was pretty much on board for whatever Jones decided to direct next. A filmed play wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I'll take it. The story involves two men, a Christian Ex-Con called Black and an atheist professor, called White. Try to guess who plays who. It all unfolds in Black's apartment after he stops White from committing Suicide by jumping in front of a train.
The trailer is more provocative and intense than any in recent memory, which is especially impressive since, you know, it's just Jones and Jackson matching wits in an apartment for most of the preview. Of course, two minutes is different than a full-length film, but based on the talent involved here, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
Verdict: Sold!