Showtime is teaming up with Bleecker Street to release 2nd Chance, the documentary from director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger, 99 Homes, Chop Shop).
The film which made its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, will open in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 2, expanding to additional cities December 9. Showtime will then premiere the film on air, on streaming and on demand next Spring.
Bahrani’s feature-length documentary debut is an exploration of the life and legacy of Richard Davis, the charming yet brash inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked. A hero to police and the military until tragedy brought him down, Davis offers an American story of guns, violence, lies and self-deception.
Davis parlayed his self-tested invention into the launch of Second Chance, which became one of the largest body armor companies in the world. He directed sensational marketing films, earning him celebrity status among police and gun owners across the country. But the death of a police officer wearing a Second Chance vest catalyzed Davis’ fall, revealing a man full of contradictions cultivated over decades of reckless behavior. Equally as questionable as he was captivating, Davis saved thousands of lives while endangering exponentially more.
Bahrani’s film continues his fascination with the perilous pursuit of the American Dream as seen through a uniquely individual lens. The film shrewdly juxtaposes Davis’ actions with those of his righteous right-hand man, Aaron Westrick. Unwilling to passively present questionable truths, Bahrani instead lays bare the complexities of one man’s supposed virtue while speaking to the nature of power and impunity in America.
“I’m very happy to work with Showtime and Bleeker Street for the release,” said Bahrani. “The film is a timely wild ride that I hope audiences experience together in a cinema and then on Showtime.”
Bahrani is the Iranian-American writer, director and producer of films such as Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, 99 Homes and The White Tiger. His two short documentaries, Life You Up and Blood Kin, screened at Venice, Telluride and Toronto. Bahrani is a Guggenheim Fellowship winner, and his cinematic oeuvre is housed in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.