Midnight Heat (TV 1996)
"Blackout" (original title)

John Gray, a mild-mannered banker, gets hit by a car and loses most of his memory. When he gets out of the hospital, he has flashbacks which do not fit with his current life. After a ... See full summary »

Director:

Allan A. Goldstein

Writers:

Ruben Gordon, Steve Schoenberg

Stars:

Brian Bosworth, Brad Dourif, Claire Yarlett

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Bosworth	...	John Gray / Wayne Garret
Brad Dourif	...	Thomas Payne
Claire Yarlett	...	Jenny
Marta DuBois	...	Sharon Gray
Jeremy Roberts	...	Scar
Lance LeGault	...	Agent Jack Daniels
Marie Barrientos	...	Cindy
Sheila Wills	...	Dr. Brown
Gérard L'Heureux	...	Bartender #1
Tom Poster	...	Tattoo Guy
Jim Cody Williams	...	Drinker #1
Brad Greenquist	...	Opponent
Chip Heller	...	Guard #1
Roy Conrad	...	Harry
Howard Mungo	...	Black Prisoner

Storyline

John Gray, a mild-mannered banker, gets hit by a car and loses most of his memory. When he gets out of the hospital, he has flashbacks which do not fit with his current life. After a strange telephone call and a murder attempt on his wife, Gray's wife is murdered which he is forced to go to L.A. in order to solve the crime and piece together his mysterious past.

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | banker | car chase | sex scene | female nudity | 

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Genres:

Action | Thriller | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, and for some brief language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1997 (France)

Also Known As:

Midnight Heat

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Midnight Heat Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Limits Of Love"
Performed by Spike Marlin
Courtesy of Screaming Skull Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

"Blackout" is better than average Direct-To-Video fare

"Huh?" Brian Bosworth stars as John Gray, a successful banker. When walking to his car one day, while jammin' out to his Walkman, he gets run over in a funny way (which is worth a rewind). He wakes up in the hospital and remembers virtually nothing but has black and white flashbacks to his former life. (Which are shot in the manner of 30's style gangster films).

Once out of the hospital, he goes back to his wealthy life which he doesn't remember. His wife looks like Kathie Lee Gifford and he seems strangely unsatisfied. As his flashbacks become more prevalent, he goes on a quest for truth and you can always tell because he wears a trench coat throughout the movie.

Meanwhile, local dandy villain Thomas Payne (Dourif) is the leader of a gang of multiracial baddies and after a prison break at the beginning of the movie, they start working out of a sleazy dive in L.A. (is any other kind of dive?) There is a grudge between the gang and "Da Boz" revolving around a past life in jail and a secret tattoo. With the help of a spunky cocktail waitress, Gray fights to take back his life! Bosworth is perfectly cast as Gray, because it allows him to, throughout the whole movie, seem like a confused dunderhead, constantly making statements such as: "Huh?", "Oh Man!", "aaaaahhh!" and the classic "Nooooooo!" One of its many alternate titles could be "Huh?": The Movie". One of the best lines in the movie is when Gray sees a crucifix on the wall and starts to remember something and says "Christian? That means something..." Depending on the angle, he alternately looks like Dolph Lundgren, Aaron Eckhart and Neil Patrick Harris. As a banker, he looks like a meathead stuffed in a suit with funny suspenders.

Brad Dourif seemed to relish his role as the hat lovin' baddie. ("You should wear the hat, the hat shouldn't wear you.") Let's not forget about one of Payne's minions who looks just like Sonic The Hedgehog's nemesis "Dr. Robotnik". Also when Payne threatens a Mexican bad guy at gunpoint he pleads for his "Bambinos" which is clearly Italian.

Seeing as the movie takes liberally from "Robocop" and "Total Recall", it is safe to assume the writers were influenced by Paul Verhoeven. On a bizarre note, there are a lot of allusions to the songs "Y.M.C.A.", "In The Navy", and "Macho Man". It is also safe to assume they were clearly influenced by The Village People.

At the end of the day, "Blackout" is better than average Direct-To-Video fare. Bosworth and the rest put in enjoyable performances.

Don't forget: He hates menthol.

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