'The Mustang' Trailer: Matthias Schoenaerts Tames Horses And Himself In Robert Redford-Produced Drama

Robert Redford may or may not be retiring from acting, but he's keeping busy behind the camera, executive producing an inspiring horse drama starring Red Sparrow's Matthias Schoenaerts. In The Mustang, Schoenaerts stars as a violent, unhinged convict who undergoes a unique state-mandated rehabilitation program that teaches him to tame wild horses. 

Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, The Mustang follows a convict in a rural Nevada prison who is required to participate in a unique "outdoor maintenance" program that has him taming wild horses under the tutelage of the earthy veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and an outgoing fellow inmate (Jason Mitchell). And in the process, yes, he learns how to tame himself.

It seems like a cheesy inspiring premise, but this trailer piqued my interest thanks to the presence of Schoenaerts, who delivered a knockout performance in 2012's Rust and Bone. He's an impressive character actor who often plays the compassionate brute, and The Mustang seems to tap into his talents once more. Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who co-wrote the script with Mona Fastvold (The Sleepwalker) and Brock Norman Brock (Bronson), is also a promising talent who makes her feature debut with The Mustang, which will premiere at next year's Sundance Film Festival before a spring release from Focus Features.

Here is the official synopsis for The Mustang:

Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an "outdoor maintenance" program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program, where he finds his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.

The Mustang opens in select theaters on March 15, 2019.