Shia LaBeouf Shows a Darker Side in ‘Charlie Countryman’ Trailer

Charlie Countryman is in many ways a step in a different direction for a lot of the cast and crew – this is the first feature film for director Fredrik Bond, and the R-Rated subject matter of the movie (an underworld rife with sex, drugs, and graphic violence) marks a mature turn for Harry Potter alumnus Rupert Grint and Transformers star Shia LaBeouf.

When the film first entered production, the full title was The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, and if the trailer is any indication, there might be a lot more death, or at least a lot of pain. From imagery including graphic, drug-induced hallucinations, strong violence, to unapologetic sex scenes, Charlie Countryman seems like the perfect, relentless, genre-bending fiction for Rupert Grint and Shia Lebeouf to be involved with if they want to shake their respective images from past film franchises.

The film’s official synopsis, which was released along with the announcement of the film’s development, seems like the best description for this unusually violent romance:

Charlie Countryman (LaBeouf) was just a normal guy… until he fell in love with the one girl who will probably get him killed.  When Charlie meets the absolutely irresistible Gabi she’s already been claimed by Nigel, an insanely violent crime boss with a gang of thugs at his disposal.  Armed with little more than his wit and naïve charm, Charlie endures one bruising beat down after another to woo Gabi and keep her out of harm’s way.  Finally his exploits of blind valor create such a mess that he’s left with only one way out; to save the girl of his dreams, must Charlie Countryman die?

Also starring in the film is Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe, The Ides of March), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), and Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds).

Charlie Countryman premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and will see a limited release this November 15th. The theatrical trailer came in at #3 on our Weekly Trailer Roundup a few weeks ago, and you can check out the just-released red band trailer below: