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Too Old to Die Young Trailer: Nicolas Winding Refn Amazon Series Gets Premiere Date
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Amazon series Too Old to Die Young gets a trailer and premiere date. The stylish Danish director has had a history of struggles with his work, the likes of which have arguably helped him to develop into the unique filmmaker he is today.
Though Refn was heavily influenced by American cinema growing up, it wasn’t until he made his third feature film – 2003’s Fear X – that he actually took on the challenge of directing an English-language film. The results were less than ideal and given that his previous film, Bleeder had also not been a success, Refn found himself in a period of heavy financial debt. Fortunately for him (as well as future audiences and fans), Refn’s career began to build momentum again after the release of 2008 crime-drama Bronson, and within three years he had released the Ryan Gosling-led Drive, which also starred Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan. That film re-introduced American audiences to Refn’s work, becoming a critical as well as financial success in the process, and earning Refn the best director award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Since gaining international attention with Drive, Refn has solidified his directorial voice and style with audiences. And, as a number of big name directors have done over the past few years, Refn now finds himself at the helm of a TV series. Thanks to Bloody Disgusting, we have our first look at the first full-length trailer for the new Amazon Prime series, Too Old to Die Young, as well as a confirmed June 14, 2019 release date.
In typical Refn style, the trailer offers a grim, unflinching look at L.A.’s criminal class, complete with slow, sweeping cinematography, a morose soundtrack and of course, plenty of neon lighting. Starring Miles Teller, Jena Malone, John Hawkes and Billy Baldwin, Too Old to Die Young follows the life of police officer Martin (Teller), who finds himself immersed in L.A.’s criminal underbelly after murdering a woman. According to the official synopsis for the 10-episode series, the characters experience an "existential journey from being killers to being Samurais in the City of Angels." Exactly what this means is anyone’s guess, but judging by the new trailer, there’s plenty here that will be familiar to Refn fans, with much of the trailer resembling the gritty fish-out-of-water dynamic that's made the director’s past efforts like Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon so visual and visceral.
While audiences have become more receptive to Refn’s style in recent years, it certainly hasn’t caught on with everyone. The trailer might be visually intriguing, but the lack of a concise plot at this point is a bit frustrating. Refn’s status as a filmmaker has yet to reach the level of other bigger name directors who can coast for some time on the very notion that they're releasing a TV series. As a result, this initial trailer lacks substance, and possibly won’t capture the attention of anyone beyond diehard Refn fans. That being said, this is Refn’s style, and with the impressive cast that Too Old to Die Young has, it could always end up being a slow-burning hit for Amazon.
