LIGHTS OUT

US, 2024, 90 minutes, Colour.

Frank Grillo, Mekhi Pheifer, Jamie King, Dermot Mulroney, Scott Adkins.

Directed by Christian Sesmo.

This is one of those action films which used to be called “straight-to-video”. Now it is “quick-to-streaming”.

There is immediate war action, grimly filmed, involving the central character Duffy, played by Frank Grillo, who seems to have specialised in appearing in this kind of action show. Then he is involved in a confrontation with someone cheating at cards, displaying a capacity for fighting. He is observed by Max, Mekhi Pheifer, with a proposal that they join together doing the rounds of the Underground fight club’s, making money from bets – something which immediately happens.

Duffy is wary of Max at first, then joins with him, goes to Los Angeles and boards with Max’s sister and niece, the sister being a victim of domestic violence. And he is tormented by flashbacks to the past.

The first minutes of the film, it seems to be a macho show for a male audience, then some acknowledgement of women as victims of male domestic violence.

The rest of the film is a combination of tough, very tough fight scenes, a wheeler dealer fights entrepreneur played, surprisingly, by Dermot Mulroney, who is also one of the producers of the film. However, the main villains of the film happened to be reputable police, actually working the fight clubs, claiming money, even shooting their opponents while keeping their reputation. In fact, the main villain is a female detective played by Jamie King.

Duffy becomes a more genial man, especially boarding with Max’s sister and niece, gets tangled up in more fights, building up to a confrontation with the corrupt police and shootout.

The film is principally for a male audience which likes this kind of tough action – and for a female audience who may be interested in a film with such a tough female villain.

The director, Christian Sesmo, has made many such action shows.