A woman is kidnapped by a cult, but they are about to make the biggest mistake of their lives in the action film debut of The Redwood Massacre director David Ryan Keith.

Erin is a young woman who is trying to overcome the past. She has some anger issues and is taking medication to suppress the moods as she gears up for a trip with her partner Adam, who has also brought his friend Michael and a woman, Sarah. However, the trip isn’t exactly what Erin nor Sarah expected, because Adam and Michael have some dark intentions behind the trip.

Aaron and Michael are part of a deadly cult run by Margaret. The cult kidnaps young people and harvests their blood due to the adrenaline that’s in it. When Erin and Sarah are kidnapped and tied up, this cult is about to make the biggest mistake of their lives. Erin, no longer on her medication, slowly begins to regress as her past demons come back and she uses them in an attempt to get her and Sarah out of trouble. However, Margaret and the cult are not planning to give up that easily.

David Ryan Keith will be known for his work in the horror genre, especially The Redwood Massacre and its underrated sequel, Redwood Massacre: Annihilation, which featured horror icon Danielle Harris in a major role in the film. This film marks Keith’s first foray into full-blooded action and with his experience with the horror genre, Keith and co-writer Stephen Durham have unleashed a hyper realistic action thriller with shades of horror meshed in.  

It’s been mentioned so much lately that we need more female action heroes who can possess both the acting and action skill sets. Enter Hannaj Bang Bendz, who not only has the acting skills as she has won some major acting awards in the film festival circuit but does possess the action skill set necessary for the role. Her training in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu allows her to engage in some pretty decent fight scenes courtesy of stunt and fight coordinator Chris Torres.

As this is a popcorn flick, there tends to be some over-the-top performances but it’s forgivable. One of the best of these come from our lead antagonist Margaret, played by voice actor Marta Svetek in her first major role in front of the camera. She is mostly the mastermind leader, having all of her minions as well as a group of hunters, led by Richard Norton-lookalike Nico Wilson, who hunt the victims for sport after they are drained of their blood. This adds to a nice little twist as if the victims once they are of no use, are hunted down and treated like trash, all to keep the mayhem going. Kudos also must go out to Antonia Whillans as Sarah, the second victim in the chaos who goes from shy wallflower to helping Erin and herself survive the cult.

I am Rage is a pretty wild and fun first action film for David Ryan Keith. Get her some more action roles with some great teams and Hannaj Bang Bendz definitely could be an action star on the rise. Some fun fights meshed with horror elements make this one to check out.

WFG RATING: B+

Uncork’d Entertainment presents a Clear Focus Movies production in association with 2^nd Nature Films. Director: David Ryan Keith. Producers: Stephen Durham, Eric Easley, and Lorraine Keith. Writers: David Ryan Keith and Stephen Durham. Cinematography: Jon Schweigart. Editing: David Ryan Keith.

Cast: Hannaj Bang Bendz, Marta Svetek, Antonia Whillans, Derek Nelson, Jamie B. Chambers, Luke Aqualina, Debbie Sheridan, Nate Bright, Mark Wood.

The film will be released on DVD and Digital on August 1.