WFG RATING: B

Quiver Entertainment presents a Firebrand production. Directed by Christian Sesma. Produced by Brandon Burrows. Written by Gary Law and Garry Charles. Cinematography by Anthony J. Rickert-Epstein. Edited by James Kondelik and Brian Zwiener.

Stars Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Jaime King, Dermot Mulroney, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, JuJu Chan Szeto, Paul Sloan, and Scott Adkins. 

A former soldier enters a fight ring in the latest film from indie action director Christian Sesma. 

Michael “Duff” Duffield has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when his entire platoon was nearly wiped out. However, he is in Los Angeles to take care of an old family matter. The now homeless drifter goes to a local bar where after he is accused of cheating at a poker game, proceeds to fight them off and is able to walk away. His fighting attracts the attention of Max Bomer, a guy who has been released from prison and trying to get back on his feet.

Max has an offer for Duff. Impressed with his fighting skills, Max is convinced that he could use his skills in the world of underground fighting. After an impressive showing, Max contacts mob boss Sage Parker, who runs a major ring with much money on the line. As Duff begins to rack up wins, he bonds with Max, his sister, and niece. However, when his sister’s ex-boyfriend claims he hid Sage’s stolen money at her place, it draws the attention of both Sage and his partner, corrupt cop Ellen Ridgway. When things go too far, Duff comes up with a plan to end it all and is going to need some help.

It’s been a long time coming, but after making some stellar indie action films, he delves into the fight genre with this thriller written by the duo of Chad Law and Garry Charles. We once again have a flawed protagonist who we see in the war to set up the film and how his PTSD affects his well-being and how he must overcome the odds when he’s involved in a fight ring and finds himself in hot water with the organizers, a mob boss and corrupt police detective. 

Frank Grillo is excellent in the lead role of Duff, our PTSD-stricken war hero who has become a drifter turned fighter. Grillo has both the acting chops and action skills set as he is trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and boxing. We get to see his skills within the first ten minutes after being confronted and accused of playing a poker game. Soon enough, in the tradition of films like Lionheart and Fighting, we get the opportunistic “manager” in Mekhi Phifer’s Max, who is looking for a sense of redemption and make something out of himself for both he and his family. 

Dermot Mulroney is really making a name for himself in the action genre. After his first lead role in the genre with the film Ruthless, we get to see him play fight ring organizer and mob boss Sage Parker while Jamie King goes with a more unconventional look and plays a very sly villain in corrupt cop Ellen Ridgway with Sesma regular Paul Sloan as her partner. Then there’s Scott Adkins, who plays “The Reaper”, Duff’s war buddy who we see in a series of flashbacks as we get why Duff has become who he is today. 

Luke LaFontaine’s choreography is quite grounded and works quite well. Grillo gets to take on the likes of UFC legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and others, with impact shots highlighted by an X-ray shot of the impact, perhaps inspired by The Street Fighter and Romeo Must Die. Originally, Sesma didn’t want to go that route, but ultimately decided all for it to bring something new in his arsenal. Oh, and it should be mentioned that we get to see JuJu Chan Szeto get in on a fight scene as Parker’s number one, Lynx. 

Lights Out is actually a pretty good grounded fight flick that doesn’t need to rely on flashy techniques. It has a great lead in Frank Grillo along with some good support by Phifer, Mulroney, King, and Adkins (who gets in on a few fight shots but leaves it mostly to Grillo). 

The film will be released in theaters, VOD, and Digital on February 16.