In the dead of Saturday night, the Knowles-Carter family gifted the world with yet another piece of puzzling, explosive footage: Though not quite as compelling as the one where Solange attacks her brother-in-law in an elevator, the promotional video for Beyoncé and Jay Z’s On the Run tour is pretty must-see. The nearly four-minute Melina Matsoukas-directed “short film†(rated R for ROCNATION) is designed to look like a trailer for an expensive-looking, action-packed movie about a passionate pair of bank robbers (Beyoncé and Jay Z) and some of their less famous friends.
RUN seems to be a bit like Spring Breakers, if the main characters in Spring Breakers were Beyoncé and Jay Z. (Or maybe we’re just reading too much into all the balaclavas that appear throughout the trailer?) There’s a lot of running, shooting, car chases, stacks of money, stripping, and explosions.
Sean Penn plays some kind of criminal father-figure who gives Jay Z a gun. (“Don’t get cocky,†Penn advises Jay Z.) Don Cheadle plays some kind of hustler who is working with Jay Z. (“Are you hustling me?†Cheadle asks Jay Z.) Emmy Rossum plays a cop who chases Beyoncé down the street. (“Bang bang!†goes Rossum’s gun.) Blake Lively plays Beyoncé’s concerned friend ("It’s not you,†Lively tells Beyoncé as the two gals sit in a stairwell.) Jake Gyllenhaal plays a guy with crazy eyes who seems to be on Beyoncé and Jay Z’s side. Guillermo DÃaz and Rashida Jones are there, too. At one point, Beyoncé wears jorts and a black cowboy hat and sits on a dry-docked boat while Jay Z kisses her leg.
But really, just watch for yourself: