‘100 Streets’ Trailer: Idris Elba Is Figuring Out Some Stuff

Idris Elba has become something of a brawny big-shot action hero in recent years, with roles in films like Prometheus, Pacific Rim, Star Trek Beyond, The Take, and the upcoming Dark Tower movie, but sometimes it’s nice for actors to slow down a bit and flex their character study muscles instead. In 100 Streets, whose American trailer was released this week, Elba plays a retired rugby player struggling to find meaning in a life away from the game.

100 Streets has a larger cast than those who are featured in this trailer, and actually focuses on more stories than just Elba’s, but American audiences will probably be more familiar with Elba and Gemma Arterton, who plays his wife. The full movie is said to weave together three separate narratives into one, kind of like a 21 Grams or Babel or Love, Actually sort of thing.

For comparison, the UK trailer:

Here’s the official synopsis:

100 Streets, a powerful ensemble drama, follows three contrasting and interwoven stories as they play out in one square mile of modern day London. A former rugby player, Max (Idris Elba), struggles to find a life off the field while fighting to save his marriage to former actress Emily (Gemma Arterton). Kingsley (Franz Drameh of CW’s Legends of Tomorrow) is a small time drug dealer desperately seeking a way off the street. While completing his community service for a misdemeanor, Kingsley meets Terence (Ken Stott), a local thespian, who gives him the push he needs out of his dead end life and into a very different, creative world. George (Charlie Creed-Miles), a cab driver, and his wife Kathy (Kierston Wareing) dream of having kids, but a devastating road accident puts their hopes on hold even testing their otherwise strong marriage. Anybody can make a wrong turn, but it’s the journey that allows us to find the right path.

100 Streets opens in theaters, On Demand, and digital January 13.