The first trailer for Dark Crimes is here. While you may not have heard of Dark Crimes, or the insane true story that inspired the movie, you've almost certainly heard of Jim Carrey, who stars as the protagonist. Carrey hasn't been acting as much these days, but he returns in a very serious role as an obsessive cop in what looks to be a very gritty true-crime thriller.

Dark Crimes, originally titled True Crimes, is based on David Grann's 2008 New Yorker article titled True Crimes: A postmodern murder mystery. Director Alexandros Avranas (Love Me Not) brings the real-life tale to the screen, with Jim Carrey on board as a detective who becomes obsessed with a murder case. Given Carrey's level of commitment to certain roles he takes on, one has to imagine after watching this trailer that he might have put himself, and those around him, through the ringer while filming this, as it looks to be dark, bleak and very gritty, dealing with some very uncomfortable subject matter. If you've seen the Netflix documentary Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond, you know that Carrey can get a little carried away when he digs into a role.

The movie centers on a police officer named Tadek, who finds similarities between an unsolved murder and a crime outlined in a book by famed writer Krystov Kozlow, played by Martin Csokas. As Tadek begins to track Kozlow and his girlfriend, a mysterious sex club worker played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, his obsession grows and he descends into a criminal underworld, all in order to discover the shocking truth. The trailer doesn't really let on as to what this shocking truth may be, but it certainly hints at quite a few twists and turns along the way. In addition to what looks to be a committed performance from Jim Carrey.

Jim Carrey is still known best for his comedic work, rising to prominence in the 90s with hit movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar and Dumb and Dumber. But as his career progressed, he started taking on more serious roles in movies like The Truman Show, Man on the Moon and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These have turned out to be some of his most memorable performances. So the fact that he's taking on another serious role is probably worth paying attention to, even if it is in a mostly VOD movie with a limited theatrical release.

The screenplay for Dark Crimes was written by Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland), and is executive produced by Bron Capital Partners' Patrick Murray, RatPac Entertainment, Kasia Nabialczyk and James Packer. Saban Films is handling distribution. Dark Crimes will first be released April 19 on DirecTV before opening in select theaters and arriving on digital platforms on May 11. Be sure to check out the Dark Crimes trailer, courtesy of the Zero Media YouTube channel, for yourself below.