Frank Grillo is Duffy, a PTSD-suffering ex-soldier who’s wandered into Los Angeles looking to make some money to buy his mother a headstone and give her some dignity in death. When he gets into a ruckus in a bar, he comes to the attention of Max (Mekhi Phifer), who offers to set him up as a bare-knuckle fighter. Duffy wins his fights easily, but the daughter of Max’s sister inadvertently gets the pair mixed up with a gangland villain (Dermot Mulroney) and a corrupt cop (Jaime King).
Lights Out (we assume as in ‘punching his lights out’) plays as a routine action drama and is full of well-choreographed and shot fight scenes. As the story plays out, character elements are not as strong as they should be, and action superstar Scott Adkins (Avengement) is underused, merely appearing only in flashbacks and doesn’t last too long during the bombastic finale.
It’s a movie that plays to its strengths, and when it’s hitting those moments (and smashing skulls), it’s a fun and exciting romp. Grillo’s portrayal of the shell-shocked ex-soldier is spot-on. It’s both scary and sad. Sadly, the human drama and violence is let down by the predictable plotting.
LIGHTS OUT is out now in the US.
