Painkillers (2015) User Reviews

A low budget B movie that might feel familiar

[krachtm · 5/10 · 30 September 2016]

The plot: after a botched mission, a group a marines wake up in a hospital without knowing how they got there.

Maybe it's because I've seen too many of these B movies, but I guessed about half of the plot twists in the first ten minutes. In low-budget B movies, there are only so many reasons that a group of commandos wake up in a hospital with no memory. On the positive side, there were some decent twists that I didn't see. If you're looking for a great plot, though, I'd say that you should skip this movie. It's fairly low budget, and it looks like it was mostly shot in a warehouse.

The acting was occasionally pretty bad. There's one scene early on where the squad is pinned down by enemy fire. One of the soldiers abruptly dies, and the others pretty much just shrug their shoulders and move on. I probably had a stronger reaction to his death than they did, and I really didn't care all that much. At other times, they overacted like hell. Colm Feore didn't have a huge role, but his scenes were pretty good.

It's a bit too long, and there some slow spots, but I didn't find it as boring as some other reviewers. I'm not entirely sure who I'd recommend this film to, but if you're into conspiracy-tinged thrillers, this might be up your alley. Someone said to watch it for ten minutes, then decide if you like it enough to continue. I agree with that.

More of a series premiere than a movie

[vindalootiger · 5/10 · 14 July 2017]

I tried to make this review "spoiler-free" as I felt this was worth watching. Good start, I agree with the other reviewers it felt a lot like a New Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode. Some interesting twists, some I saw coming but a few caught me off guard. I like the casting choices for such a small cast, they worked well together. Military action scenes in Afghanistan, seemed contrived at best. There were so many inconsistencies when it came to props and the behavior of actual soldiers. (The actual blank plugs in the assault rifles that were painted black were funny) I do not believe this movie was ever intended as an action movie. I believe the focus was meant as a psychological thriller with sci-fi and military-industrial conspiracy elements. Some of the action scenes felt like they were added to attract certain audience types. The movie did slow down at parts but it seemed to be for tension, atmosphere building and building background for sequels or a series. Way too many unanswered questions, some conveniently answered in the voice-over at the end. Deus Ex Machina . . . I have to agree with another reviewer as this felt like it was meant to be a 2 episode series premiere for syfy channel or its like. The movie was 1 hour and 45 minutes which is 30 minutes longer than most movies. There was a natural first episode ending about 42 minutes which reinforces the idea that this was a series premiere. It feels like there was added footage to make it a standalone movie and wrap it up with a nice bow Not great, but had it become a series I would have probably watched at least the first season off my DVR eventually. I liked it, not great but I did like it.

Horrible acting, horrible action / don't watch

[JorritM · 3/10 · 23 April 2016]

Having read some of the more positive reviews for this movie, I decided to give it a try. I can usually quite enjoy bad B movies, as long as they're entertaining. Unfortunately, this wasn't entertaining at all. Basically everything about the movie was bad. The problem though, is that it wasn't bad enough to actually be amusing, like The Room. On the other hand, it wasn't nearly entertaining enough to be enjoyable on its own for what it is. It's in the uncanny valley of average horribleness - basically, plain bland and boring. My advice: watch the first 5 minutes of the movie; if you're not entertained, then you won't be with the other ~90 minutes, so you'd probably be better off skipping this one. The only reason I'm not giving it 1/10 is because that imply it would be memorable for its awfulness, but sadly this movie isn't even that.

Just Painful

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 3/10 · 22 January 2021]

This movie, filmed nicely with some decent sets, was painful to watch. Sorta of a Mix between Total Recall and Jacob's Ladder. But no where near as in depth or as interesting,.,

Once the movie seems to run out of plot it disintegrates into jumbled action sequences which are downright horrid.

This one can only get a 3/10

YOU WILL FEEL A LITTLE PINCH

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 21 May 2018]

The DVD cover pretty much covers the entire plot. Major John Cafferty (Tahmoh Penikett) leads a group of military people on a top secret mission into an Afghanistan cave. They get out minus their memories of the event. Most of the film takes place in a hospital setting with the actual trip being a flashback.

If you look at the DVD cover you get to see what the "otherworldly" artifact looks like.

The film would have been better if there was less hospital time and more tunnel time. The finding of the object and much of the film was designed to be disjointed which didn't work too well. It ended as if they are going to generate a series...perhaps for SyFy. Mark acting and dialogue as "needs improvement."

Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Average

[hopeharmer-90861 · 3/10 · 8 January 2016]

The acting isn't bad as I've seen some say. The story line is so so & parts don't make much sense. The script is definitely a B flick. Cinematography is also good. Its just too bad they didn't put more of an effort into the script. It's not a complete waste of time but not a movie you're going to talk about expect to try to figure out what really happened. It's not one of the worst I've seen. Only about 50% disappointed. An A for acting, A for cinematography but a C- for storyline & script. A lot of things don't add up & there seem to be some conflicting information about what is what. For example, at one time he says his wife does in a car accident. But yet she's still alive. Daughter died in accident as well but he did it for her? Those 2 pieces of info don't lend very much to the storyline itself.

Close, but Meh

[keygirlus · 6/10 · 22 September 2020]

Could have been good if the screenwriters had finished any of the plotlines or character development. Agree with another reviewer, feels like a low budget pilot to what could have been a good series, but crippled by the format and budget. Writing would need to be a lot tighter to wrap story in a film time frame. Good starting point if anyone wants to write and fund a good version.

Awesome New Film

[shredvt · 10/10 · 12 January 2016]

What a great time our family had watching this cool new film. Along with our teen age sons, we were captivated by the twists and turns from the very beginning. Jacob's Ladder and the Truman show meets the Twilight Zone, this film suspended belief completely yet was grounded enough to keep us guessing and intrigued. We had a few questions at the beginning but slowly all was revealed in a poignant and interesting way. Maybe too many gunfire exchanges for mom, but all was redeemed by characters that were well defined and evolved as their motivations were unveiled- along with a very interesting plot twist that kept us on our seat until the end. We had so much fun watching this movie together, can't wait for "Painkillers 2!"

OK - good TV

[herpetologistkevin · 6/10 · 19 February 2016]

Not bad but it feels like an overlong episode of the new Outer Limits. Not surprising as the latter was filmed in Canada often with Canadian actors in Canadian settings - as was this movie. It's not one of those amazing Outer Limits episodes that stay with you but one that's not bad. Enough twists to keep you interested. The actors have been doing their craft for years so they're good at it. Penikett and Feore both act as they do in most things. The two female leads were more animated and their roles were actually better than the star. Durance was Durance in a very small role. I did like the outdoor winter shots as they weren't faked and filmed in the Badlands around Drumheller, AB. Studio shots were dull, dark and limited. Again the feel of a TV show and not a movie. In fact I wonder if this wasn't anticipated as a pilot for a TV show. It plays it safe aiming for a TV audience. The ending (spoiler) has a voice over of 6 more spheres and they want the Penikett character. So not a sequel for one movie but a series - but more TV than movie. So if you watch it as you would a TV episode then you likely will enjoy it.

Contrived low budget sci fi that would've worked if n their channel

[jackmeat · 6 November 2015]

My quick rating - 4,6/10. Contrived, poorly acted low budget sci fi action. I'll let this summarize it so I can move on: Led by Major John Cafferty, a squad of US soldiers are sent on a mission,deep into the mountainous regions of Afghanistan with orders to extract a mysterious top secret package. Now they are back home in a military hospital because they have no memory of what happened to them, or even who they are. In time, they start to recall the strange events that occurred: apparitions that appeared, luring some of them to their deaths and readings of a powerful electromagnetic energy from a strange unearthly power source. But there is no time to dwell on the past, they need to face the bitter truth about how they ended up in Afghanistan to begin with and the betrayals that wiped out their minds and nearly destroyed their lives.

Stellar B Movie

[daniel-mannouch · 6/10 · 29 August 2019]

Led by Major John Cafferty, a mercenary group is sent deep into the mountainous regions of Afghanistan with orders to retrieve a mysterious and top secret package. Upon their return, they awake in a private facility with no memory of what happened or who they are and half of their team dead. Fed a new PTSD drug to help induce their memories, a secret comes to light...just before they're sentenced to death.

Playing out more like a sci-fi channel film than an action war film as it's DVD packaging suggested, it's immediately evident that Tour of Duty's screenplay is better than average, maintaining an impressive juggling act of military industrial complex conspiracies, paranoia thriller tropes and well rounded characters to sugar it all on top.

The plot twists are skillfully executed and the lore built up around them is both accessible and believable. It's a TV movie for sure with it's basic lighting and camera work which make no attempt to hide the fact that most of this was shot on a studio set, but what these kind of low budget sci-fi tv shows lack in aesthetic quality, they make up for in plot density. Also. some dialogue was inaudible, but I was never confused by any series of events. The story just keeps going and I found myself never too bored for long. For a B movie such as this, that is high praise indeed and it is deserved.

This is a conspiracy thriller done right. It has self-awareness, it cares for it's characters, the cast is game and the plot is engaging. I had fun. This is the kind of the normy, middle of the road fare i just can't get mad at. It doesn't promote any dangerous ideas, it's never too mean-spirited and it is fast paced throughout. Maybe I don't myself watching it again, but as someone who is well versed in direct to dvd genre films, trust me when I say there are way worse ways you can spend 101 minutes.

i wasn't expecting this much quality and suspense!

[hellotherefredhere · 10/10 · 16 January 2016]

Wow What a great movie. I was expecting a movie about a war mission, and boy was i wrong. I did not know anything about this movie at all going in and 9 times out of 10, I wind up clicking on the next movie on the list. Not this time, I was blown away. The sci-fi aspect was woven in perfectly, the scenes were perfect. The only weak part was the believability that these people shot all their ammo just straight ahead and not like in a firefight. Now, don't take this the wrong way, I grew up with weapons in the country, so don't let this deter you, just be aware, it is sorta funny, luckily,it is only a few scenes, so no big deal, still done well though. I would call this a B movie that turned into a great movie, so just sit back and enjoy.

The big surprise for me, was the dad from family ties was one of the main characters, and I always enjoy his performance and this was among his best. great editing and fairly believable and very emotional with some gripping scenes. I want to tell you about them sooooooo bad, but it might detract from the suspense and who done it. The amnesia bit at the first was a perfect setup and not letting you really know what is going on was perfectly done. It was almost like Hitchcock would have done it. cud dos(sp?) to the crew and producers. nice job

Loved it

[sonnyjim-80898 · 10/10 · 9 February 2016]

I live this movie!

Colin Feore is one of my favorite actors, and has much training in both theater and film, and his talents are certainly not wasted in this film. Not only is he a welcome sight in this film, but the male who plays the lead character is a good choice for the role. The female characters are strong, and its nice to see scifi/thrillers with prevalent feminist characters. The script is quite good, as it introduces the audience into a sphere of mystery, while feeding enough clues to allow the story to unfold. It is a suspenseful, high stakes debrief, and the audience realizes the events that took place in Afghanistan as the characters do, and its awesome to see their development as more of that knowledge is remembered. The scifi aspects of the movie are well received, and they set this film apart from your traditional shoot em up action pictures. Considering the resources these guys had to work with, it was worth every penny to watch.

Would recommend to any scifi/thriller lover!