By George & Josh Bate
There’s no place on the planet like Las Vegas. The American city aptly nicknamed Sin City has expanded over the last century into a tourism-driven metropolis in which any vice you can think of is within an arm’s reach. Casinos populate every street corner. Alcohol flows freely. And people from all around the world arrive to the Nevada desert to have the time of their lives. But underneath the glitz and glamour of Vegas is a far seedier, more harrowing underbelly. As beauty and over-indulgence are embraced, heartbreak, poverty, and broken dreams run rampant. It’s within this underbelly of Vegas that the new crime thriller He Bled Neon comes to life.
Making its world premiere at SXSW 2026, He Bled Neon stars Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, A Prayer Before Dawn) as Ethan, a young man living in Los Angeles and aspiring for a promotion in his soon-to-be father-in-law’s reality company. When news of his estranged brother Darren’s (Paul Wesley) death arrives, Ethan heads home to Las Vegas for the first time in years and reunites with his and Darren’s old friends Megan (Rita Ora), Prince (Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch), and Luis (Ismael Cruz Cordóva). Tensions are high among the old friends, especially following Ethan’s abrupt departure several years earlier, but they reluctantly come together to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Darren’s death.
He Bled Neon is the latest in a long line of crime thrillers following a character, who, after fleeing from their shady past, is drawn back into the world they so desperately want to leave behind. Director Drew Kirsch’s film may not possess the most unique of premises, but its effectiveness in soaking its protagonist (and, in turn, its audience) in a palpably grimy, dilapidated, and crime-infested world render it an atmospheric and intense viewing experience.
After a brilliantly choreographed prologue chronicling the murder of a Vegas boss, the instigating incident that kicks off the narrative, He Bled Neon travels west to Los Angeles and introduces us to Joe Cole’s Ethan. He wears a nice suit, is engaged to the girl of his dreams, and is ready to interview at her father’s prestigious real estate agency. All signs would point to a high-functioning, well-adjusted young man. But Cole wears a tormented history on his face and in his eyes. Outwardly, his character’s life is enviably successful, but there appears to be a quiet anguish lurking just beyond the surface. This mirrors the film’s portrayal of Las Vegas, a city that masks its myriad of problems with a facade of opulence and excess.
When Ethan receives news of his brother overdosing, he travels back to Las Vegas and his tumultuous life of crime that came before his migration to Los Angeles starts to re-emerge. Joe Cole, known for his role as John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, makes for an unassuming and unexpected lead for this kind of film at first. Cole is of slighter stature, wears a fancy suit, and has a gentleness about him that collectively makes every piece of information we learn about Ethan’s sordid past all the more surprising. At first, one may conclude Cole is miscast in the role, but, over time, it becomes clear that the decision for him to play Ethan is perfect as it allows the viewer to steadily learn unexpected dimensions of a protagonist as he confronts his past.
Ethan’s collision with his past sees him come face-to-face with old friends and fellow criminals, who he left behind three years prior. The screenplay poorly orients the audience to the timeline of events, simply alluding to the fact that Ethan abandoned Vegas some years ago before eventually revealing this happened three years ago nearer the conclusion of the film. Regardless, Ethan’s return home is unwelcomed by everyone and leads to numerous tense encounters between Cole and characters played by Rita Ora, Marshawn Lynch, and Ismael Cruz Cordóva. Together, the four (+ the deceased Darren) comprised a motley crew of criminals with ambitions to conquer Vegas’ criminal underworld. The viewer wouldn’t necessarily know this, however, at least at first, as the screenplay from Tim Cairo and Jake Gibson (from an original story by Nate Bolotin) steadily unravels the characters’ history with one another, rather than spilling all the details immediately with one misguided exposition jump.
While the decision to slowly roll out details of our protagonist, his criminal past, and his old friends imbues He Bled Neon with a sense of intrigue, it comes at the expense of genuine emotional coupling to Ethan. Cole plays Ethan with a stoicism fitting for his current predicament and yet, as we know very little of his character until further along, investment in his journey is somewhat difficult. This is only amplified by Ethan’s brother Darren being a non-entity in the film, outside of several fleeting and non-verbal visions Ethan has of him. Without understanding much, if anything, of their brotherly bond and only becoming privy to details of the dynamics of the collective group later on, Kirsch’s film keeps the viewer at an unfortunate emotional distance.
Although He Bled Neon may not evoke in viewers the raw emotions its characters undergo, the film finds its greatest triumph through immersion into a version of Vegas rarely depicted on-screen. Las Vegas plays such a monumental role in the film that it is essentially a character unto itself. The desert setting and the juxtaposition of the glamor and the seedy inform each and every scene of the movie and give the film an immersive quality. When Ethan is in danger, we feel in danger, such is the unsettling atmosphere that Kirsch cultivates. His film perfectly and succinctly captures the importance of on-location shooting when crafting movies as He Bled Neon would simply not be nearly as nail-biting or suspenseful without soaking viewers in the seedy soul of Sin City.
Encompassed by tropes of a crime thriller, He Bled Neon occupies the revenge movie and murder mystery genres. Its potency as a revenge movie, as stated, is disappointingly undercut by its failure to earn true investment in our protagonist’s desire for vengeance. As a murder mystery, however, the film proves more compelling, although it reveals its cards too early and converges on a frustratingly predictable resolution.
In following Ethan’s pursuit of revenge and answers, He Bled Neon also drifts into the action movie genre more often than one would think for a film of this scale. Kirsch crafts a number of well-choregraphed and grounded combat sequences, with one in particular occurring in a pawn shop and involving a character named The Dentist standing out for its intensity and energy.
Intensity and energy also come from a pulsating score from Grammy nominated musician ZHU. Director Drew Kirsch draws on his sensibilities as a prolific music video director (he helmed the video for Taylor Swift’s hit ‘You Need to Calm Down’) in using ZHU’s score to create an enthralling rhythm for He Bled Neon. His film often feels like a music video due to its sharp editing, constant use of music, and lighting, all of which elevate a film bolstering a fairly generic crime thriller premise to unexpected heights.
VERDICT: 7/10
Premiering at SXSW 2026, He Bled Neon takes viewers away from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas and immerses them in the seedy, grimy underbelly of Sin City. Director Drew Kirsch’s feature directorial debut is the latest in a long line of crime thrillers following a character, who, after fleeing from their shady past, is drawn back into the world they so desperately want to leave behind. But expert use of real locations, a pulsating score by ZHU, and raw quality to its filmmaking elevate the film beyond its generic crime thriller premise to render it a palpably atmospheric watch. Peaky Blinders alum Joe Cole steadily grows into the role of a man who turned away from a life of crime, only to be pulled back in, delivering a performance that masks anguish with outward composure, much like the film’s portrayal of Vegas itself. While unfortunate emotional distance comes from the decision to slowly reveal details of our protagonist and his criminal history, the film impresses with its number of intense and well-choreographed action sequences and a winding, albeit predictable murder mystery. He Bled Neon spotlights and immerses viewers in a different, decidedly shadier side of Las Vegas than what we typically see in films and television, delivering an atmosphere that overcomes narrative stumbles.
