Initially, it seems like the protagonist in writer/director Michael Winnick‘s Disquiet has a perfect life. He has a beautiful wife, a good job, and a baby on the way. However, after a near-fatal car accident, he wakes in a hellish limbo in an abandoned hospital. This feature starts at a 10, and it doesn’t relent from there. It’s a fast-paced film with some decent effects and a well-utilized setting. While the concept is a bit hollow and the ending a bit predictable, there are more positives than negatives.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as Sam, a father-to-be who leads a  comfortable upper-middle-class lifestyle with his wife, Sarah (Anita Brown). However, a minute or two into the runtime, Sam is nearly killed in the accident and wakes up in a creepy hospital where he’s immediately attacked by an elderly patient, played by Bradley Stryker. This is one vicious patient who appears and then suddenly disappears. All of this happens within the first 10 minutes of the film, and there are few moments of reprieve for poor Sam. While the film has some real flaws, its pacing is not one of them. It remains entertaining during its lean runtime.

Eventually, Sam meets others in the hospital in a similar situation. None of them can escape. There’s even a racist cop (Joel Berg) who shot an innocent black man, Carter (Trezzo Mahoro), who’s also trapped. The supporting cast is generally good, and in fact, many of these side characters are more interesting than Sam. That’s one of the film’s downfalls. Meyers does a fine enough job in the leading role, but his story isn’t given enough meat. Eventually, we learn he’s not exactly a stand-up gentleman, but some of the flashbacks deserved more time and attention to flesh out his character and his troubled relationship with Sarah.

Negatives aside, this film has some cool monsters, including faceless zombies, unnerving nurses, a void-like abyss, and, as already mentioned, a feral old man. The non-stop action also ensures this movie never drags or feels dull. There’s also some gnarly camera work that makes for a trippy ride. However, there’s a lot going on in this film, including plenty of action and a morality tale. This movie would have been better served if it leaned into one over the other, either a total action/horror/thriller ride or a deeper morality tale that focused more on the message. It fumbles trying to balance both. We even have a character named Virgil (Garry Chalk), a not-so-subtle nod to the guide in Dante’s Inferno.

Overall, there are worse ways to spend your time than giving Disquiet a try. It has some impressive effects, a haunting score, and non-stop action. The leading man’s storyline is a bit flat, and the twist is predictable, but the feature is still an entertaining 90 minutes with some Jacob’s Ladder vibes.

6 out of 10