WFG RATING: B

A Rad Cine production in association with Vista Film Sales and Villanous Films. Written and directed by David M. Parks and LeeAnne Bauer. Produced by LeeAnne Bauer, Tyler James, and David M. Parks. Cinematography by David M. Parks. Editing by Travis Land and Ryan Liebert. 

Stars LeeAnne Bauer, Mike Ferguson, Tyler James, Twana Barnett, Vu Mai, Omar Moustafa Ghonim, Hail Adams, and Dusty Garner. 

A former military faction reunites but finds complications as tensions rise with a possible imminent nuclear attack on the horizon in this action-drama from the team behind Last Hit and Dracula Eternal.

Negotiations of a treaty between the United States and China have broken down and now, the two countries are at war with each other. At first, the news had reached to Ella and Noel Daniels, a husband and wife team who once had served in the military together and serve as contractors for the government. Fearing the worst, the two decide to reunite with their old team members to ensure their safety. This comes when a threat of a nuclear attack is imminent.

As the team heads for an abandoned warehouse for safety, they are met out front by Atticus and Aisha, who are looking to rob the warehouse to find “The Ledger” a crypto-key with a net worth of $12 million. After Ella and Noel tell Atticus to back out, the nuclear attack occurs and the city is virtually wiped out. This leads to tensions between Atticus and Aisha; and the team. However, when Aisha begins to get sick from radiation, Atticus goes into desperate mode to get “The Ledger”. But soon, that will be the least of everyone’s problems. 

It is not even halfway through the year and indie label Rad Cine has already been bringing the wow factor with a triple threat of films. After the action thriller Last Hit and the horror-action film Dracula Eternal, the company returns with this film, an apocalyptic action-drama that once again brings its stable of talent to the table. With a runtime of eighty minutes, the film is nicely paced and gives a pleasurable blend of action and emotional performances. At this rate, Rad Cine may become the next Mahal Empire as a go-to company for indie cinema. 

With the stable of stars from all three films, a breakout star is on the horizon in LeeAnne Bauer. Having played a kickass sidekick in Last Hit and a slow-turning victim on the titular character in Dracula Eternal, Bauer not only takes the lead in this film, but also co-directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the film. As Ella, a military contractor caught in different types of war that collide, we see her go through a range of emotions throughout the film. From fear to worry to tough, Bauer naturally brings it and doesn’t dial it in like some A-listers tend to do when it comes to certain films. 

Mike Ferguson once again shows why he is a talented villain actor. His performance as Atticus is reminiscent of a role Dave Bautista could easily handle. Ferguson is tough when he needs to be, but his character also shows a softer side when it comes to his wife Aisha, played by the great Twana Barnett. Where Barnett can show toughness like she did with Last Hit, this one gives her a chance to show more the dramatic side of things as a somewhat scared wife who finds herself on the receiving end of radiation sickness. This allows Barnett to showcase her emotional side and does quite well. 

Blackout is quite a pretty good film that blends action with emotional depth, especially with the story involving the events that lead up to a nuclear attack and the aftermath of said attack. Mike Ferguson plays a villain with a heart, Twana Barnett shows a more emotional side with her performance and LeeAnne Bauer definitely continues her streak as a breakout star. 

The film is now available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV