In Out of Death (2021), Bruce Willis steps into the boots of a weary ex-cop caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase with crooked law enforcement. It sounds like the kind of gritty thriller that should write itself—high-stakes, suspenseful, morally gray. But while the setup is rich with potential, the final product struggles to rise above its low-budget limitations and thin screenplay.
Despite flashes of tension and a few solid performances, Out of Death ends up feeling like a missed opportunity—a thriller that promises more than it delivers.
Set in a remote and wooded mountain town, the film opens with Shannon Mathers (Jaime King), a grieving woman taking a solitary hike to spread her father's ashes. But her moment of peace is shattered when she accidentally witnesses a shocking crime: a corrupt deputy committing cold-blooded murder during a shady drug deal gone wrong.
From there, Shannon finds herself hunted through the forest by dirty cops willing to do whatever it takes to cover up their operation. But she’s not entirely alone. Nearby, Jack Harris (Bruce Willis), a retired police officer mourning his late wife, hears the chaos and steps in to help. Though emotionally withdrawn and far from his prime, Jack’s old instincts kick in, and he becomes the unlikely protector of a woman targeted by her own supposed protectors.
The rest of the film follows their efforts to survive the manhunt, expose the corruption, and escape the unforgiving wilderness alive.
One of the main draws of Out of Death was the presence of Bruce Willis, a legend of the action genre. But fans expecting a Die Hard-style resurgence will be disappointed. Willis appears in the film sporadically, often in isolated scenes, with minimal dialogue and action. His character’s involvement feels passive—almost like he’s walking through the role rather than inhabiting it.
This was one of the last few films Willis completed before his retirement due to aphasia, a neurodegenerative condition that affects speech and cognitive function. While his physical presence still carries weight, the performance is subdued, and not by artistic design. Knowing this context adds a bittersweet undertone to his scenes, which are clearly constructed to minimize his screen time and lines.
Despite this, Willis still brings a weathered charm to Jack Harris. There are moments—glimpses—where you see echoes of the everyman hero he perfected. But ultimately, it’s a supporting role packaged as a lead.
The film’s main antagonist is Sheriff Hank Rivers, played with snarling intensity by Michael Sirow. Alongside his partner, the ruthless Deputy Pam, the duo represents small-town authority turned feral. Their motivations are thin—greed, desperation, a cover-up gone too far—but the performances are committed, if not always believable.
There’s a grindhouse simplicity to the villainy here. These aren’t layered characters; they’re corrupt and dangerous because the plot needs them to be. While that’s fine for a B-movie thriller, the lack of nuance makes it hard to invest emotionally.
One of the film’s few consistent strengths is its use of location. The wooded terrain provides a believable sense of isolation and danger. It’s a smart setting for a low-budget thriller—natural obstacles, hidden paths, and constant suspense about what (or who) is behind the next tree.
Director Mike Burns makes the most of the environment, often using long takes and sweeping drone shots to establish mood. The forest becomes a character in itself—cold, vast, and unforgiving. The cinematography gives a sense of scope that the script never quite matches.
Out of Death suffers most from its writing. The dialogue is often clunky, exposition-heavy, and at times unintentionally funny. Characters explain their motivations out loud in ways that feel forced. Tension builds in the first act but fizzles through repetitive chase sequences and underwhelming confrontations.
The story attempts to balance two emotional threads: Shannon’s grief over her father and Jack’s mourning for his wife. But these emotional beats feel tacked-on rather than integrated. There’s little character development—just survival.
At a brisk 90 minutes, the film is easy to sit through, but it rarely surprises. Every beat is predictable, and every twist is telegraphed well in advance.
Out of Death had all the ingredients for a lean, suspenseful action thriller—attractive leads, a stark wilderness setting, and the ever-reliable trope of the reluctant hero stepping in to protect the innocent. But due to a weak script, thin characters, and production limitations, it never fully delivers.
As one of Bruce Willis’s final performances, it holds a kind of nostalgic, tragic weight. But judged purely on its own merits, the film is uneven at best—a low-budget survival tale that can’t escape the shadow of what it might have been.For action fans, it’s a curiosity. For those seeking deeper thrills or character-driven suspense, it’s a film that feels out of breath long before the final shot.
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