Robert De Niro And John Cusack Both Want The Money In Trailer For The Bag Man

While actors Robert De Niro and John Cusack are still hot commodities in Hollywood, their bigger films have been balanced in recent years by a handful of indie films, usually in the crime and thriller genres. I have to admit, I had no idea that David Grovic’s directorial debut The Bag Man even existed, but now we have a trailer for it, and it looks almost exactly like what you’d expect it to be, if not a tad flashier and less direct-to-DVD.

Via IndieWire, this trailer partly documents one of the goofiest hairdos of De Niro’s career. Not in the beginning, when he’s making me hungry by using foodstuffs as a blueprint for the mini-heist he’s hiring Cusack to perform. But once the assumed double crossing starts happening and the pressure is on, his hair expands. In fact, take a bigger peek at that big old head of hair in the still below.

the bag man

Cusack is forced to go to a shitty motel – by the by, the film originally went under the title Motel – to pick up a mystery bag for De Niro. What I’m assuming is supposed to be a routine grab-and-go is made complicated by the appearance of a femme fatale dressed as Wonder Woman, played by Brazilian up-and-comer Rebecca Da Costa. She may or may not know something about the bag, but it is quickly confirmed she is on the run from a bunch of men who want to kill her. And instead of leaving her to take a couple of bullets, Cusack takes her under his gun-blasting wing and the two make a run for it, leaving De Niro’s crime boss more than a little peeved.

I’m not sure if it was a Taxi Driver in-joke or anything, but it was particularly cheesy when De Niro blurts out, "Who do you think you’re talking to? You don’t talk to me. I talk to you." It’s so close to, "You talking to me?" that it seems impossible to be unrelated.

There’s also a poster to go along with the trailer, but it’s of the Photoshopped variety that doesn’t do much for the imagination. I do like the neon-lit title, however.

So it’s probably just like every run-of-the-mill thriller that also co-stars Crispin Glover and Sticky Fingaz, but there’s something about it that makes me know I’ll end up watching The Bag Man as soon as I can. Cusack and De Niro on opposite ends of the same slimy side of the road just sounds like a good time to me. You might be able to find it during its limited theatrical run starting February 28, while others will have to wait until it nabs a home release. Thankfully we'll be able to see them later this year in more acclaimed films, as Cusack is rumored to play a part in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, while De Niro will train Roberto Duran in the upcoming biopic Hands of Stone.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.