Michelle-Monaghan-in-Penthouse-NorthMichelle Monaghan has had a very much well-deserved rise to recognition in recent years, making a name for herself opposite the likes of Robert Downey, Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, and Casey Affleck in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Source Code, and Gone Baby Gone. This year sees Monaghan take a slew of very promising roles, and Penthouse North is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while now.

The thriller sees Monaghan starring alongside Michael Keaton, and now the red-band first international trailer has debuted online.

Sara Taylor (Monaghan), a photojournalist blinded in Iraq, is forced to play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the sadistic criminal Hollander (Keaton) – a man who will stop at nothing to get a fortune of stolen diamonds hidden in Sara’s penthouse apartment. Although Sara claims to not know where the diamonds are, Hollander utilizes psychological and physical torture in an effort to break Sara’s resistance. But Sara fights back. As the suspense builds to a shattering climax, Sara gains the advantage. But will it be enough to save her?

Joseph Ruben (Sleeping with the Enemy) returns behind the camera for the first time in almost a decade to bring us Penthouse North. And he’s directing from a script by David Loughery (Lakeview Terrace, Nurse 3-D).

I have an endless level of love for Monaghan’s work to date, and it’s really good to see her starting to take on more leading roles.

This year should also see her starring in Better Living Through Chemistry alongside Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell; Jessie McCormack’s Gus with Radha Mitchell and Michael Weston; Fort Bliss with Ron Livingston and Emmanuelle Chriqui; and A Many Splintered Thing with Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Giovanni Ribisi, Topher Grace, Anthony Mackie, and the ever-brilliant Luke Wilson.

Essentially, it should be a great year for her. It’s interesting to see the first Penthouse North trailer arrive in an international format. The Weinstein Company are expected to release the film in the US, but there’s no release date that’s been announced for the States or the UK yet. Here’s to hoping that this won’t be one that gets left by the wayside. For now, here’s the first international trailer to give you an idea of what to expect. And a final reminder, this is a red-band trailer, so it’s not suitable viewing for work.

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