I’ve read many books during my time in quarantine, and one of the very best wasNick Bilton’sAmerican Kingpin, which told the story of the infamous Silk Road and its founderRoss Ulbricht, as well as the law enforcement officials who took him down, including cop who wound up becoming a criminal himself. I finished the book in two days, if memory serves, and then I remembered there was a Silk Road movie on the way starringNick Robinsonas Ulbricht.
Silk Roadmay not be based on Bilton’s book, butDavid Kushner’sRolling Stone articlewas nearly as gripping, and now at last, the time has come for Lionsgate to unveil the trailer. What’s immediately clear right off the bat is that this isn’t entirely Ulbricht’s story, as Robinson is sharing the spotlight withJason Clarkehere, for better or worse. The veteran Australian actor plays a shady DEA agent namedRick Bowden, who went undercover to take Ulbricht down after the idealistic young man created the internet’s first unregulated marketplace, which quickly became a multi-million dollar pipeline for illegal drugs. Bowden committed to his undercover role a bit too much, however, and eventually found himself in over his head.
The film hails from writer-directorTiller Russell, whose impressive list of credits includes Netflix’sNight Stalkerdocuseriesand the crooked cop documentaryThe Seven Five, as well as Amazon’s true crime docuseriesThe Last Narc.Silk Roadis Russell’s first narrative feature, however, and it’ll be interesting to see how successful Russell is in making that significant transition.
At the very least, he has a decent supporting cast surrounding his two leads, as the ensemble also includesKatie Aseltonas Clarke’s wife,Jimmi Simpsonas a top FBI agent on the trail of Dread Pirate Roberts,Alexandra Shippas Robinson’s love interest, andPaul Walter Hauseras one of Robinson’s trusted lieutenants. You should also keep an eye on up-and-comers likeDarell Britt-Gibson(soon to be seen inJudas and the Black Messiah) andWill Ropp(last seen inThe Way Back), because I know I sure am.
Lionsgate will releaseSilk Roadin select theaters and on VOD/digital platforms on Feb. 19 before the movie makes its way to Blu-ray/DVD on Feb. 23. Watch the trailer below, because it’s pretty good, though I can’t say the same for the film’s poster, which is an eyesore of conflicting fonts and design ideas. This dude cannot abide that one, sorry!These are much better.
