Meanwhile, Zahler and Courtes focus on the growing threat posed by the inmates, which allows them to get the absolute most out of Richard Brake and Darren Kent, actors whose striking features are used to maximum effect. We sympathize with the kitchen staff as they’re reluctantly thrust into authoritative roles they’re neither qualified for nor prepared to assume, and cheer them on as they attempt to put their petty differences aside in the name of survival. With long takes cast in thick shadows, characters who make sound decisions under duress, and the knowledge that one of the inmates has assumed the role of a malevolent ringleader, it’s this section of the film that works best. However, that deceptive air of sanctuary proves decidedly short-lived once lightning strikes, and the staff - desperate to reach a landline in the days before cell phones - realize that help isn’t coming anytime soon. The result is a restrained setup that swells with pregnant tension as we’re introduced to the inmates from the safe side of the protective glass that shields the kitchen staff. Craig Zahler develops the conflicts both in the band and among the hospital staff. An experienced visual stylist, Courtes gives Asylum Blackout a compelling surface aesthetic by alternating between the grimy personal lives of its aspiring rock-star protagonists and their antiseptic place of employment.
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June 2023
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