After writing a number of indie horror films (Pop Skull, Autopsy),E.L. Katzmade one hell of a bracing directorial debut withCheap Thrills, his genre-bending 2014 film that blended a pitch-black sense of humor with some stomach-churning moments of horror and suspense. Today brings the trailer for his sophomore directorial effort, Netflix’sSmall Crimes, which starsGame of Thrones’Nikolaj Coster-Waldauas Joe, an ex-con looking for a second chance and finding nothing but trouble along the way.
At first glance,Small Crimesdoesn’t seem to have the same sort of fever-pitch zeal that makesCheap Thrillssuch a vital film, but there’s plenty of dark humor bubbling under the surface here and I’m very excited to see how Katz crafts tension in a less claustrophobic setting. He also seems to be stepping pretty firmly out of horror territory with this one, so it will be interesting to see his take on a different genre.
Katz co-wroteSmall CrimeswithI Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymoreactor/filmmakerMacon Blair,who also co-stars alongsideMolly Parker, Robert Forster, Jacki Weaver, Gary Cole,andPat Healy.The film will debut in the Narrative Spotlight at SXSW before launching worldwide on Netflix on August 13, 2025. Watch the trailer below.
Here’s the official synopsis:
After serving time for the attempted murder of a District Attorney, disgraced former cop Joe Denton (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returns home looking for redemption. An embarrassment to his parents and abandoned by his ex-wife, it seems as if things can’t get much worse. But then Joe finds himself trapped in the mess he left behind-in the cross fire between a crooked sheriff, the vengeful DA, and a mafia kingpin who knows too much.
