You can’t hide from your legacy. Especially when that legacy is violence. This is a lesson that the all-new and extremely reluctant action hero Billy Magnussen will need to learn fast in his upcoming thriller, which promises to deliver brutal bloodshed and intense isolation as Magnussen’s Lucas Frost tries to run and hide from his past. Of course, as is so often the case in these action thriller scenarios, revenge and retribution will inevitably follow.
Titled Violent Ends, the first trailer for the thriller has now been unleashed and teases a classic tale of a man born in violence who wants no part in it. Striving to live a peaceful life, Magnussen’s antihero will have to live up to the legacy he so wants to leave behind by picking up a rifle and defending what’s his from the dark forces closing in.
Written and directed by John-Michael Powell’s sophomore feature Violent Ends stars Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die, Aladdin), Alexandra Shipp (Barbie), Nick Stahl (Sin City), James Badge Dale (The Empty Man), Emmy Award Winner Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy), and Academy Award Winner Ray McKinnon (Knox Goes Away). The thriller is all set to be released in theaters on October 31, and you can check out both the official synopsis and trailer below…
“Set in the Ozark Mountains, VIOLENT ENDS follows Lucas Frost (Magnussen), an honest man brought up in a crime family whose only legacy is violence. As Lucas tries to make a peaceful life of his own with his fiancée, Emma (Shipp), he is suddenly pulled back into the family business when his cousin, Eli, perpetrates an armed robbery with brutal consequences.”
Billy Magnussen Promises to Be a Captivating Unexpected Action Hero
Writer and director John-Michael Powell made his feature-length directorial debut with 2022’s dark drama The Send-Off. Bringing that same dark drama into the world of action thrills, Violent Ends is sure to be a change of pace for both him and actor Billy Magnussen, who is largely associated with comedy roles in the likes of Lilo & Stitch, Game Night, and The Franchise. However, while he has never taken a gun-toting lead like Violent Ends, Magnussen has dabbled in action before, starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Amazon’s remake of Road House and doing battle with Daniel Craig in his James Bond swansong No Time to Die.
While seeing the comedic actor wielding both a shotgun and a mercilessly determined look in his eyes may initially feel jarring, Magnussen has long been a hugely underrated talent, and no doubt this change of pace in Violent Ends (not to mention a leading role) will hopefully help the actor finally get the recognition he deserves.
In a statement, IFC Films’ Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions, Ayo Kepher-Maat, heaped praise on filmmaker John-Michael Powell for crafting “a gripping tale of vengeance, propelled by Billy Magnussen’s magnetic and commanding performance that stuns at every turn. Audiences experiencing VIOLENT ENDS will be drawn into the very essence of what makes a revenge thriller so irresistible.”
- Director
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John-Michael Powell
- Writers
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John-Michael Powell
- Producers
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Vincent Sieber
