The grungy 90s-style action thriller comes back with a vengeance in SXSW’s He Bled Neon. Starring a diverse ensemble of talent—including Joe Cole, Rita Ora, Marshawn Lynch, Paul Wesley, and Josh Holloway—the debut feature for director Drew Kirsch taps into a vibrant style punctuated by its zippy Las Vegas setting. Ethan (Cole) returns to the city he left behind after learning that his brother, Darren (Wesley), has suffered a tragic overdose. But Darren’s death was no mere accident—Darren was murdered, and now Ethan will do whatever it takes to unearth his brother’s killer. As we follow Ethan down a destructive path revisiting old stomping grounds, screenwriters Tim Cairo and Jake Gibson lean into the absurdities of this dark world. Grimy and stylish, He Bled Neon packs one hell of a sucker punch.
Narrated entirely by Ethan, the film immediately deconstructs the glitz and glam of sin city. “When you’re born here, you don’t even see the lights anymore,” Ethan says. Instead of following the slot machine wonderland of the Vegas city streets, we instead focus on the dangerous world of the cocaine and fentanyl empires. Frankie Filth (Sean Dillingham), a shady character working towards building a casino, becomes the catalyst for the entire story. A masked vigilante slits Frankie’s throat in the opening scene, aided by exotic dancer, Megan (Rita Ora). With Frankie out of the way, the current drug scene devolves into chaos.
After a nostalgic opening credits sequence that unfolds in a blast of neon lighting and pulsating synth music, the story pivots to Los Angeles. Ethan used to be in a group along with his brother Darren back in Las Vegas, but has shifted in a decidedly different direction in an attempt to outrun his past. His new life has been carefully constructed far from Nevada, complete with a cute dog, hot fiancée, and a firm job that’s only moments away from making him partner. An anonymous text changes everything with the news of Darren’s passing. Try as he may to leave it behind, Vegas comes calling, and the past demons along with it.
Learning that Darren’s death may be tied to the violent underworld he once escaped, Ethan spirals. He sheds the skin of his new life to fall back into old habits, forced to collect his former colleagues to help get to the bottom of the mystery. Joe Cole plays Ethan with a bold intensity, clearly shaken to his core by Darren’s death. As Darren, Paul Wesley appears in glimpses and flashbacks to help form a complete picture of his grizzled character. He Bled Neon thrives on its atmosphere over its performances, with seedy bars, desert highways, and smoky backrooms helping add to the retro aesthetic. The deeper Ethan gets into his “investigation,” the muddier the chaos becomes. Along the way, he also reconnects with Megan, whose complicated history with both brothers adds a dash of emotional tension.
The action spectacle that eventually plays out may be a little understated, but from an indie standpoint, it’s practically seamless. Brutal hand-to-hand combat—and a particularly explosive moment utiziling Megan—really stands out. If anything, Josh Holloway could have been utilized even further. Considering the character study on Ethan is the central focus, that may be just a mild caveat. Beneath the violence lies a story about brothers, and the hardships of truly escaping the suffocating grip of one’s hometown. A great performance from Joe Cole—a long way gone from Peaky Blinders—underlines this gripping revenge saga, drenched in decadent imagery.
He Bled Neon screened at 2026’s SXSW Film & TV Festival.
