Sean Parker
With all of the buzz this week over Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reuniting to make a Ridley Scott period drama, I said no thanks. I mean, you’ve probably already seen The Last Duel trailer anyway, right? Gladiator may have been good, and Kingdom of Heaven wasn’t bad, but don’t get me started on Exodus: Gods and Kings, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, or 2010’s Robin Hood. And sure, I really enjoy the casting decisions behind The Last Duel, and the story seems pretty intriguing, but the first trailer just didn’t pop for me, I guess. Not like American Sausage Standoff.
Alright, let me preface this by telling you, I was a huge Banshee fan. The Cinemax drama was a non-stop, action-packed barrage of violence and thievery, and it was captivating. I tuned in every week. Antony Starr (most recognizable as The Boys’ Homelander) played a convict who fell into the position of town sheriff when he steals the man’s identity following a bar fight. Starr’s character soon finds enemies in the small town of Banshee, Pennsylvania. None more notable than insidious local businessman Kai Proctor. Now, what does all of this have to do with a film called American Sausage Standoff? Well, Ulrich Thomsen, who played Kai Proctor, wrote and directed the film and reteamed with Antony Starr for this small-town comedy that, in just the trailer, takes on xenophobia, religion, and, of course, grillable meats. Trust me. It’s a far more exciting reconnection than those other guys.
Obviously, what draws me to this trailer is the idea of two actors from one of my favorite shows coming back together again, but I wouldn’t present it to you if I didn’t think it had chops. American Sausage Standoff, formerly known as Gutterbee, is based mostly on Thomsen’s musings of America after moving to the states to film Banshee. The film, about a German immigrant (Trainspotting‘s Ewen Bremner) and his recently paroled friend who dream of opening the ultimate sausage shop. The movie made its way around the international circuit over the last couple of years and has garnered mostly positive reviews.
You can also expect beautiful camerawork and scenery as well; the film also reunites Thomsen with Oscar-winning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire, Antichrist) with whom Thomsen told Elsa Keslassy of Variety he “started his career twenty-five years ago,” presumably on 1996’s The Biggest Heroes.
The trailer is full of jokes about grilling Texans who love Jesus but have never read the bible, consult its lessons, or have even consider where Jerusalem is in the world. I love this because it asks us to consider our neighbors and try not to be so narrow-minded. Hell, even the title of the film (of which I prefer the nuanced Gutterbee) throws shade at the kinds of measuring contests Americans are more apt to have. The trailer reminds me of Happy, Texas or In & Out in both the way these films all become madcap satirical pieces about intolerance and acceptance in small-town settings. American Sausage Standoff looks like it will be a great blend of fun with some semi-noirish violence and, for now at least, a better duel than a couple of bleached-blond Bostonians in 14th century France.
American Sausage Standoff will be in theaters and VOD on August 27.
So what do you think of the trailer for American Sausage Standoff? Do you agree with Sean that it looks like a great blend of fun with some semi-noirish violence? Would you have rather have seen a blond Affleck and Damon? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for more trailers, we’ve got you covered!
