Blackout

This movie has B/A list actors yet the script and some scenes are awful. Completely cliché and disjointed at the same time. Budget is not an excuse. There are action movies that have way lower budget and were at least interesting if not gripping: Hardcore Henry, Upgrade, The Raid (only 1million), etc. I've even seen better stuff from Youtube creators. Josh Duhamel should just stick to romantic comedies and light hearted stuff like the Mighty Ducks. He hardly felt dangerous or menacing in action roles. Abbie Cornish's acting was also was disinterested and looked like she was just in for the paycheck.

The only reason I can think this got made is because Nick Nolte has bills to pay. A few decent fight scenes and short running time but still silly. Reminds me of Tim Olymphant doing a bad version of an action star in Hitman. To think Nick Nolte, one of better actors in the past century is in this makes me wonder if he knew what he was doing.

This is nothing more than a B movie action rip off of Jason Bourne. There's a reason no one pays for this in cinemas. If it's bad enough, Netflix will pick it up for streaming. Giving this garbage even 2 stars would be kind but that's because I grew up watching Nick Nolte movies. Back when he used to do good movies.

Let's put our cards on the table. The Bourne story (killer with memory loss) is one of my all-time faves. I actually read the "hardcover" when it first came out (if you are not familiar with that term, Google it!). The movie trilogy is top-ranked on my list of the greatest films of all time (see below). So, off the top, I really really WANTED to love this film. But, alas, Fate had other plans. As I have explained in my other reviews, one of the hallmarks of a low-budget indie is the gratuitous use of loud music to "fill in the awkward pauses" between the weak writing and bad acting. BLACKOUT has plenty of gratuitous loud music. Another giveaway is the use of recycled actors. Plenty of those here also. But what about the ACTION scenes, you ask? The good news is there are plenty of those too. And it looks like that is where most of the budget ended up. In fact, at the 35 minute mark, protagonist Duhamel escapes a killer using the signature judo move from the grand finale of REDBELT 2008 (also on my list of the best all-time films). "A" for effort. "B-" for result. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This type of movie is why Netflix is in trouble. They fund this garbage, throwing money at a terrible script and awakening Nick Nolte from his annual hibernation. Poor old Nick is slurring and carrying on, completely unconvincing in a Mickey Rourke style cameo of ludicrous casting. Omar puts in a solid bad guy act but his pony tail wig distracts. Abbey looks mildly embarrassed and Josh Duhamel looks like his misses the big budget Transformers days when the catering cost more than the budget for this entire film. Some laugh out loud bad moments, so bad I was looking for Damien Chapa's name as the director.

This is a skip for anyone over the age of 14. It uses the Jason Bourne lost memory and could possibly be a spy, criminal or soccer dad...who knows and people are trying to kill him. The director chose to go with shaky cam for ALL the action scenes. I do not mind shaky cam to promote tension or give the feel of what it is like to be fighting someone...but this shaky cam was used to disguised everythingincluding not haviing a good story. So many illogical scenes like people firing automatic weapons from point blank range(multiple times) and not even grazing the target. Double-digit ex machina scenes. A female character in a very intense action movie where she is killing people in hand to hand and gun and yet makeup and hair does not even have a smear. And do not get me started on Nick Nolte who looked and sounded worse than Weekend at Bernies (after he died). This is just sadness.