Where to watch online
Official services. The link goes straight to this film.
Availability data by JustWatch
About the film
What it’s about
A barfly jazz pianist must commit murder to pay his drug debt.
What hooks you
Derek Presley wrote the screenplay while filming "Boone" in 2021, during COVID isolation. Ed Westwick, known for playing Chuck in "Gossip Girl", flew from London for a two-hour makeup test and filmed his scenes within 48 hours, turning down a different role to play Stanley Roberson. Billy Blair was asked to sleep only 4-5 hours a night to look the part. Much of the film was shot with natural light in Deep Ellum, Dallas, with bars kept open during filming, mixing extras with real patrons.
Who it’s for
It is a good pick for those who like tense crime dramas with a noir feel and a focus on desperate choices in a gritty urban setting.
- Country
- United States
- Year
- 2025
- Running time
- 1h 43min
Ratings
MOVIE․ONE · No votes yetCreative team
All 10
Trivia
All facts 9
- Director and screenwriter Derek Presley wrote the screenplay for this drama while he was filming the action film "Boon" (2022). Due to COVID restrictions in 2021, the crew of "Boon" and the actors involved in the film were isolated outside the set, which gave Presley time to work on the screenplay.
- Due to a tight schedule, Ed Westwick, who played Chuck in the series Gossip Girl (2007-2012), would fly out of London and audition in makeup for two hours that same evening. He would then film his scenes and return to London the very next day. All of this took him less than 48 hours. Producer Jason Stern offered him the role of Donahue (later played by Vernon Davis), Poe's partner (a role that went to Billy Blair), but Westwick turned down the offer, preferring the role of Stanley Robertson.
- During the shooting period, director and screenwriter Derek Presley asked Billy Blair not to sleep more than 4-5 hours a day so that his character would look the part.
- A significant portion of the film was shot using natural light. Derek Presley specifically searched for tents and awnings all over Deep Ellum (a residential neighborhood in the eastern part of Dallas).
- Derek Presley wrote the roles of Poe and Rush specifically for Billy Blair and Jason Coviello.
- Applying Ed Westwick's makeup took 4 hours.
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The International
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Tonic
2025
Tonic
2025
Tonic
2025