‘Yardie’ First Trailer: Idris Elba Channels Martin Scorsese and ‘City of God’ in His Directorial Debut

After nearly two decades of acting in front of the camera, Idris Elba is finally jumping into the director’s chair for his feature directorial debut, “Yardie.” The movie premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. While the gangster thriller is still seeking U.S. distribution, StudioCanal UK has debuted the first trailer for the film, and it solidly sells the its many genre influences, from classics like Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” to “City of God.”

“Yardie” centers on the life of a young Jamaican man named D (Aml Ameen), whose brother was murdered in their home of Kingston when D was just a child. D ended up being raised by the local mafia boss and years later has the chance to take revenge on the man who killed his brother. Everaldo Creary, Shantol Jackson, and Stephen Graham co-star.

Watch the first trailer for “Yardie” below.