Manhattan Night Trailer (2016)

Trailer for Manhattan Night, starring Adrien Brody and Yvonne Strahovski.

Based on Colin Harrison's acclaimed novel Manhattan Nocturne (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Manhattan Night tells the story of Porter Wren (Adrien Brody), a New York City tabloid writer with an appetite for scandal. On the beat he sells murder, tragedy and anything that passes for the truth. At home he is a model family man, devoted to his loving wife (Jennifer Beals). But when a seductive stranger (Yvonne Strahovski) asks him to dig into the unsolved murder of her filmmaker husband Simon (Campbell Scott), he can't resist. In this modern version of a classic film noir, we follow Porter as he is drawn into a very nasty case of sexual obsession and blackmail -- one that threatens his job, his marriage, and his life.

Manhattan Night is based on the novel Manhattan Nocturne, by author Colin Harrison. Described as thrilling but over-inflated, the book sells on Amazon and is rated 3.5 stars.

When Adrien Brody describes his character as an endangered species in the Manhattan Night trailer, I can't help but agree. Brody might be the white version of Cuba Gooding Jr, whereas both these actors seemed to fall off a professional cliff right when they hit their peak. While Yvonne Strahovski will turn heads thanks not only to her looks but past roles including Dexter or Chuck, Adrien Brody will likely get attention for the wrong reasons. The Academy Award-winning actor is once again starring in a small-time film that is set for a simultaneously VOD release.

Simultaneous video on demand release?! That's fine if the film is something like The Jacket, requiring a specific audience, but a thriller involving a Fatal Attraction-looking girl? Eh, maybe that's not a guy's ideal of escape. Touche.