Movies starring Nicolas Cage can be a gamble at the best of times; and more recently they've delivered even more unexpected results than Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. Shark-infested war drama USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage appears to veer between earnest and shlock, at least on the evidence of this first trailer, which you can see below.
Despite its status as a tragic and heroic true story, the tale of what happened to the crew of the ill-fated USS Indianapolis has long since gained its most pop cultural fame from Quint's shark-focused story in Jaws. The ship, commanded by Captain Butler McVay (Cage) set out on a secret mission in July 1945 to transport the very atomic weapons that would eventually end World War II. Though it made it through, it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes on its return voyage. Approximately 300 of the 1196 crew went down with the ship and the remaining 880 faced dehydration, exposure and shark attacks while awaiting rescue. Only 321 were ultimately plucked from the water, and of those just 316 survived.
McVay ended up court-martialled, but thanks to the research of Hunter Scott, who 1996 was inspired by Steven Spielberg's finned classic to write a report about the vessel and her ill-fated crew for a History Day competition, he was exonerated.
With Mario Van Peebles directing, it features Cage in more buttoned-up form, but also some truly awful-looking effects, a blend of real shark footage and moments that Bruce from Jaws would giggle at and what appears to be a heavy reading on the cliche-factor, despite its true trappings.
Men Of Courage doesn't yet have a release date here or in the States, and there's a strong chance it could end up sailing straight to home entertainment outlets.