Trailer For Salvation Boulevard

Part Saved, part Get Shorty, part out of control game of hot potato, the first trailer for George Ratliff’s Salvation Boulevard just dropped, and it is a frantic back-and-forth between Christians, atheists and a reformed hippy. The Christians are led by Pastor Dan Day (Pierce Brosnan), a charismatic preacher who turned his church into a thriving business. The atheists are led by Dr. Paul Blaylock, a liberal professor who openly opposes the teachings of the Church. And the lonely hippy is Carl Vanderveer (Greg Kinnear), an idiot who doubles as the perfect patsy.

The thing I love about this trailer is how quickly it establishes its characters’ personalities. Within thirty seconds, we have a very good sense of the three men at the center of the controversy and how each relates to each other. A naysayer may argue that’s easy to do with a triumvirate of such divergent personalities, but it seems clear from the limited clip that Salvation Boulevard is eager to meddle with those clichés. Take a look at the teaser below… Distributed by IFC Films, it’s unclear how wide of a release Salvation Boulevard might get, especially considering it didn’t make too much noise at Sundance, but regardless of its ultimate theater count, the film should appear on OnDemand after its official July 15th release date. As you can see from the above clip, it also stars Marisa Tomei, who makes a habit of popping up in great indies, and Jennifer Connelly who’s made her fair share of wonderful films. Add those ladies to a byline that already includes Brosnan, Harris and Kinnear, and the cast is arguably as good as we’ll see all year.