Blackout

David M. Parks and Leeanne Bauer team-up as directors and scriptwriters of this crime action thriller which stars Bauer, Mike Ferguson, Twana Barnett, Tyler James and Vu Mai.

Very bad news: the relations between the United States and China are reaching boiling point and war appears to be imminent. People in the U.S. are been instructed to remain in their homes are prepeare for a nuclear attack and in Vista, California, storehouse owners Ella (Bauer) and Noah (James) are getting ready for this. However, if this is not bad enough, a small gang of crooks led by Atticus (Ferguson) and Aisha (Barnett) plan to break into the building in order to acquire a USB stick that contains valuable data. Furthermore, Dog (Mario Daggett), Wolf (Chetavious Davis) and Wrench (Trent James), another group of outlaws, intends to enter the storehouse for their own reasons.

Heavily-tattooed criminals vs. former military people. Scenes of hand-to-hand fighting, shootings, people getting killed and plenty of guns. Bad guys invading a building during global post-apocalypse. An intriguing plot certainly and the world-changing events are seen through the eyes of the characters mentioned above, with the exception of news reports comminicated by a visibly distressed reporter. However, this is not an action-packed film with extended fighting. Rather, the main focus is on tension, drama and character exploration, the suspense regarding how the people who work in the invaded building are going to pull through, all of which is supported by Frederick Shands's dramatic music.

One particular part deserves special mention. Considering that the budget was tight, the filmmakers do impressive work during the scenes where the bombs hit, creating an atmosphere of devastation.

Generally, the acting is not too good but that does not ruin the viewing as the performances are decent enough to add depth to the characters. Some who stand out are Bauer as a tough woman with a military background and flashbacks reveal that she has experience in combat (along with her partner, Noah) and knows how to handle herself. Ferguson is cool as a tough outlaw who also has moral standards (along with his partner, Aisha) and Trent James is probably the one who stands out the most, as a psychopathic fiend.

The plot involves global tensions that unfortunately reflect the crisis that the real world is currently going through. Nuclear missile attacks, martial law, fallout, radiation, a lot of people getting killed, all these are present and feared in the film. Global conflict aside, the narrative also deals with crime, survival, loss, morality and self-reflection.

This is a low-budget feature that aims to entertain with the action scenes, to be a moving viewing with the drama and to provide a commentary about the unstable times that the world is going through.