Universal has finally released the trailer for its long-in-development action-comedy “Tower Heist,” starring Eddie Murphy, Gabourey Sidibe, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, Matthew Broderick and Tea Leoni. Brett Ratner directed.

The film follows a bunch of blue-collar employees who are defrauded by their wealthy employer and then plot revenge against him.


In a post about the trailer, the Hollywood Reporter’s Jay A. Fernandez writes:

“This is the latest film to posit that a bunch of white people looking to hurt other white people must turn to a black man to teach them how to be criminals (see Jamie Foxx’s role as a “murder consultant” in Horrible Bosses.)

It’s not just the discomfort of seeing a stereotype so blatantly reinforced for comedic effect, or the fact that using Murphy in this kind of role is totally exhausted (and exhausting). It’s also that it’s totally unnecessary and may have even benefitted from a different racial make-up. Why not give Murphy the Alan Alda role, or one of the employees, and make the criminal a rich white guy embezzler who was convicted of the same crime and now gets to use his skills for the “little guys” and gain a little redemption?

The film comes out November 4.