I had the opportunity to attend the Nashville premiere of NIGHTBLADE and I was really excited to see this movie on the big screen. From Jim O'Rear and Scott Tepperman, a fantastic film-making duo, NIGHTBLADE was a fun, thrilling ride that kept me intrigued from the opening frame to the closing credits!
The film opens with some stellar aerial photography of Nashville and really sets the tone for the film. We are quickly introduced to our main characters; Andy (Scott Tepperman) and Nicky (Jim O'Rear) who play a pair of childhood friends who went their separate ways as they grew up. Andy is a cop, whose family was killed, and Nicky is the owner of a strip-club called the Pleasure Dome. Some time later, the men are partners at the club and get in some trouble with money. When a series of murders takes place involving the women who work at the club, a series of events is set into motion that intertwines the stories of other various characters and delivers a very surprising twist at the end.
There is a great ensemble cast in the film: Old pro Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes) is great as the grizzled detective on the case, the beautiful and very talent Betsy Rue (My Bloody Valentine) plays the lead heroine, who you really root for as the movie progresses and the awesome Robert LaSardo (Death Race) plays a thug who may or may not be involved in the murder conspiracy.
Jim O'Rear and Scott Tepperman both do great jobs in their roles, playing very flawed characters who are believable as friends who are torn apart as the movie progresses.
I was very impressed with the film and I hope to see many, many more productions by these men. It was a great time to check this film out on its premiere night.