John Michael McDonagh, writer/director of The Guard and Calvary, gives his take on the buddy-cop movie with War On Everyone. Starring Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña as two cops on the trail of some villainous scum, the movie puts a raucous and hilarious spin on cop movies by making the leads crooked cops, much to the consternation of their boss (an excellent Paul Reiser).
While not featured heavily in this NSFW red band trailer, the film features many shootouts, fisticuffs, philosophical digressions, and the music of Glen Campbell. When War On Everyone premiered at SXSW, the audience was rolling with laughter and reeling from the abject dismissal of authority. It’s McDonagh’s signature blend of highbrow and low brow, moving effortlessly between discussions of feminist theory and kicks to the groin.
There’s no U.S. release date for the film yet, but it will arrive in the U.K. on September 30.