Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe Star in First Trailer for HBO Max Crime Saga ‘Tokyo Vice’

HBO Max has debuted the first trailer for Tokyo Vice, the new crime drama series about an American journalist reporting on police corruption in Japan’s capital.

Based on Jake Adelstein’s 2009 memoir of the same name, Tokyo Vice stars Ansel Elgort as a journalist exploring the blurred lines between the criminal underworld and the police force, and Ken Watanabe as the detective guiding him along. The dramatic first trailer showcases the sleek look of the series, which was filmed on location in Japan.

“What’s it like to be a yakuza? I could write about that,” asks Elgort’s character during a tense encounter shown above. “Yes, but then I’d have to kill you,” laughs the yakuza member in response. Veering into the seedier side of the sprawling metropolis, from the corrupt police actively working with criminals to the world of hostess clubs, Tokyo Vice looks like the kind of show for anyone who loves a good seedy underbelly.

It’s pedigree isn’t half bad, either. Michael Mann, the acclaimed director behind Heat and Collateral, helmed the show’s pilot and serves as an executive producer. Created and written by award-winning playwright J.T. Rogers, the cast is rounded out by Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Rink Kikuchi, Hideaki Itō, Show Kasamatsu, and Tomohisa Yamashita. Like many other productions, Tokyo Vice faced a major delay when production in Japan was halted on March 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo Vice premieres with its first three episodes dropping on HBO Max April 7, followed by two episodes each Thursday until the season finale on April 28.