WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS Trailer: More Like, Waiting For Something to Happen

Big stars, big story, big production values, and a trailer that is so restrained it feels lifeless.

Sorry, I don't mean to be unkind, but I've watched the new Waiting for the Barbarians trailer twice now, and I'm not sure what I'm missing, other than any kind of action and maybe more than a few words that are not soft-spoken and gently measured.

Indeed, it may be that director Ciro Guerra's film plays out much better in its entirety, taken as a whole, rather than cut up into a short promotional video. After all, he made Embrace of the Serpent and Birds of Paradise, two spectacularly artistic dramatic films that are absolutely splendid in their visual storytelling -- though, not, to be honest, dramas that race by on the screen.

Per the official synopsis, "The Magistrate (Mark Rylance) of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp), whose task it is to report on the activities of the 'barbarians' and on the security situation on the border. Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations, which leads the Magistrate to question his loyalty to the empire."

Robert Pattinson and Greta Scacchi also star. Samuel Goldwyn Films will be releasing Waiting For the Barbarians on Digital and On Demand August 7, 2020. The trailer is below, so you can judge its effectiveness for yourself.