With her quietly off-beat sarcastic demeanor in check, the new trailer for Emily the Criminal stars Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) like you have never seen her before.

From first time writer/director John Patton Ford, this intense crime drama stars Plaza as a down on her luck young woman looking to pay off her overdue loans, only to get swept up in the rush of the criminal underworld when she takes a few credit card scam gigs from Youcef, played by Theo Rossi (Luke Cage).

What starts off as a way to make some quick cash soon spirals out of control as Emily begins becoming as confident as she is ruthless, working her way up to bigger scores.

She soon finds herself in the crosshairs of other criminal organizations and the police.

The trailer plays with the intensity of a Michael Mann style crime caper, thrusting its lead into the middle of a situation which not only envelops her life, but her personality. Plaza seamlessly transitions from mousey and desperate to cold and calculated in a way the actress has yet to bring to her normally comedic roles.

Mind you, this is only the trailer, but if the overall film has the same wild vehemence and grit as the preview, Emily the Criminal is going to score big with audiences.

Co-starring Bernardo Badillo (Queen of the South), Jonathan Avigdori (Snowfall), and Gina Gershon (New Amsterdam), Emily the Criminal won the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film and Best Actress at the Annapolis Film Festival.

Emily the Criminal is scheduled to release on August 12.

Tags: Emily the Criminal Aubrey Plaza John Patton Ford Theo Rossi Michael Mann Bernardo Badillo Johnathan Avigdori Gina Gershon Trailer