'USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage' Trailer: Nicolas Cage Faces Death By Sharks In The World War II Drama

Over the past few years, Nicolas Cage hasn't been making very good choices when it comes to the movies in which he chooses to star. It's a bummer that the man who starred in the likes of Leaving Las Vegas, The Rock, Raising Arizona and Face/Off has stooped so low as to star in a pandering adaptation of Left Behind, not to mention the countless other forgettable action thrillers.

Sadly, USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage doesn't look like a huge step up from his recent disappointing work, but at the very least, it's inspired the the true story of some real courageous men in the American Navy during World War II. The first trailer for this movie paints a tearjerker of a war drama, bordering on melodrama, but it's hard to really hate on the movie when it's about real heroes.

Watch the USS Indianapolis trailer after the jump.

For Jaws fans out there, this is the incident that Quint (Robert Shaw) spoke about in the famous scene where he begins to compare old injuries with Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) below deck on the Orca. It's a true harrowing tale that is now being brought to life by director Mario Van Peebles.

The movie doesn't look downright terrible, but it does feel uninspired, and Nicolas Cage appears to be phoning it in yet again. This time he's joined by Tom Sizemore, Aaron Eckhart, and Cody Walker, attempting to follow in the footsteps of his brother, the late Paul Walker. The worst thing is easily that terrible track used for the music. It sounds like horrible synthetic orchestra music lifted from some kind of copyright free mix CD.

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage doesn't have a release date yet, but it's expected to arrives sometime this year.

Throughout WWII, the USS INDIANAPOLIS was known as one of the fastest ships in the entire US Navy. Under the command of CAPTAIN MCVAY (Nicolas Cage), its crew fought bravely in every major US campaign in the Pacific. As President Truman negotiates Germany's surrender, he gives McVay a new mission. The US Government has developed a secret weapon, which McVay and his crew are to transport to Guam.

The mission goes off without a hitch, and McVay is ordered to take the crew to an island in the Pacific where the men are to report for training. But along the way, disaster strikes. A Japanese submarine under the leadership of COMMANDER HASHIMOTO surprises the Indianapolis and launches several torpedoes into the great ship.

In only twelve minutes, the ship goes down. Of the 1,200 men onboard, only 900 survive the sinking. They wait in the water, believing that their rescue is imminent. When day breaks, the weather turns unbearably hot. Thirst and hunger set in. And the attacks begin.

Hundreds of sharks surround the men and attack without mercy or provocation. After the first attacks, the sharks retreat, but continue to circle the men hungrily.

The Japanese military, on its last legs, celebrates the sinking of the Indianapolis as proof that they might mount a comeback against the US forces. Hashimoto is hailed as a hero. But he secretly wonders why the Indianapolis was so vulnerable. What's more, he grows more and more disillusioned with the Japanese government's refusal to believe US claims of a secret weapon that will decimate the Japanese population.

After several days in the water, the men start to lose hope. Overwhelmed with thirst, many begin to hallucinate. Marks continues to pressure the Navy, but to no avail. As the days mount up, and more and more men die, the survivors find a new determination to survive.

But will their sheer will be enough?