Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cliched action movie has graphic violence, language, nudity.
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Blackout
What's the Story?
In BLACKOUT, a man (Josh Duhamel) wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who he is or why he's there. At his bedside is Anna (Abbie Cornish), who tells him that his name is John Cain, that they're in love, and that just outside the door is his best friend Eddie. In spite of his condition, Cain immediately senses that there's something not right about Eddie and that Anna isn't telling him the truth about their relationship. As he slowly regains his faculties, Cain escapes his room and tries escaping from the hospital, but finds that escape won't be easy, as there are dozens of weapon-toting members of a drug cartel who seem all too eager to kill him. Cain starts to believe that he too is a member of a drug cartel, but he also suspects there's something more to all of this, as memories of a stolen briefcase flutter in his returning memories. As he pieces all of this together, Cain must figure out who, if anyone, is on his side as he continues fighting his way out of the hospital.
Is It Any Good?
A shaky premise becomes more and more ludicrous as the movie goes on. Blackout starts out with a man who is in a hospital in Mexico waking up with no idea who he is and no memory of how he got there. He's informed by a doctor that he has post-traumatic amnesia. If rest won't fix our hero, rest assured that getting shot, kicked, stabbed, and syringed at by dozens of drug cartel henchmen will most assuredly do the trick, and the rest of the movie seems like it's mostly just an excuse to film Josh Duhamel beating people up with everything from his fists to syringes to hospital food trays.
Of course, it's not just Duhamel's character's amnesia that creates a sense of distrust among all parties. The proverbial "Feds" are in the mix as well (DEA, CIA), and, natch, they're not to be trusted either because, you know, it's all one big conspiracy, maaan. The action sequences themselves aren't bad, no matter how thoroughly absurd most of them are. Perhaps something more could've been done with this premise, but the result is uninspired at best.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about action movies like Blackout. How is this similar to and different from other action movies you've seen?
What are some of the cliches in the movie? Why do cliches tend to lower the quality of a film?
Was the violent content necessary for the story, or did some of it seem excessive? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 12, 2022
- Cast : Josh Duhamel , Abbie Cornish , Omar Chaparro
- Director : Sam Macaroni
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , Lesbian Movie Writer(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 81 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 19, 2022
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