If you are an injured murder suspect, who would you like to take with you during your escape from a hospital? In Point Blank, the answer is a male ER nurse who knows how to help you stay relatively pain free. Of course, persuading that guy to go along wouldn’t be easy. Someone might have to threaten his family to get him involved.

I’m happy to report that Fred Grillo and Anthony Mackie (both from Marvel Movies) portray these key roles with gusto in this fast-paced action thriller. They play two men with very different backgrounds who must work together to save themselves from the police and rival gangs. Grillo endows the man wanted by the cops with a rough-edge humanity; and Mackie earns our empathy right away as a caring and capable nurse (who wants to be a doctor). He gets through to us early in touching scenes with his pregnant wife.      

Even before the title comes on screen, we are treated to a sequence that promises lots of action to follow. And I was not disappointed. My favorites include the vigorous fight in an animated car wash, an ultra-suspenseful car chase, and a clever mock movie set piece.         

Two on the run. What have they done?

Accused killer and scared plus one.

The chase is on and action packed.

Fast cars, gunshots, all suspense stacked.

When pregnant woman gets kidnapped,

her nurse husband feels he is trapped.

He’s involved in the crime for now

and wants to help her, but just how?

We wonder who the bad guys are.

Surprises come from near, not far.

The actors make their roles seem true.

Action fans, Point Blank’s for you.

Fans of Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock) should enjoy her steely performance as a tough police lieutenant who calls all the shots here. Her iron will actually made me shudder.

Teyonah Parris (If Beale Street Could Talk) plays Mackie’s pregnant wife, and she impressed me with her ability to project a wide range of emotions with authenticity. I hope to see this talented actress in more films. But I never want to watch a pregnant lady be brutalized like this in a movie again. (Or, of course, in real life.)

So who cares if the ending of Point Blank seems a bit cheesy? It’s the exciting journey that counts.    

(Released by Netflix; not rated by MPAA. But I would give it an "R" for lots of violence throughout.)

For more information about Point Blank, go to the IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes website.

Director: Joe Lynch

Writers: Fred Cavayé and Adam G. Simon