Watch Painkillers

Painkillers is a sci-fi thriller that takes audiences on a gripping journey through parallel worlds and the human psyche. The film follows John Clarke, a military doctor who returns home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan only to be haunted by the loss of his comrades in combat. Suffering from extreme PTSD, Clarke is recruited by a private military contractor to participate in a medical trial for a new drug that promises to eliminate the pain of traumatic memories.

As Clarke undergoes the experimental treatment, he experiences vivid hallucinations that transport him to alternate realities where he confronts his own demons and battles for survival against enemies both human and supernatural. Clarke struggles to maintain his sense of reality and grapples with the consequences of tampering with the human mind. The experimental treatment seems to offer solace to Clarke at first, but as his visions intensify, he begins to question whether the cure is worse than the disease.

Painkillers is both a psychological suspense story and a multi-dimensional sci-fi adventure that explores the limits of the mind and the human will. The film was directed by Peter Winther and stars Tahmoh Penikett as John Clarke, a conflicted soldier who is searching for redemption amid the chaos of war and the complexities of modern medicine. Lesley-Ann Brandt appears as Clarke's wife, Gail, who struggles to reconnect with her husband as he spirals deeper into his own trauma.

Colm Feore rounds out the cast as Dr. Troutman, the genius behind the experimental drug and a shadowy character with motives that are far from clear. Throughout the film, Clarke's interactions with Dr. Troutman hint at a larger conspiracy lurking behind the medical trial, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the already labyrinthine plot.

The film's visuals are stunning, as Painkillers uses computer-generated effects to create a number of surreal and otherworldly landscapes that Clarke must navigate. From ghost towns filled with menacing apparitions to a ruined city submerged in water, the film's alternate realities are eerie and captivating.

The sci-fi elements of Painkillers are well-executed, as the film seamlessly blends high-tech medical equipment and futuristic weapons with supernatural horror and surrealism. The result is a film that is uniquely unsettling, as Clarke and the audience are never quite sure what lies around the corner.

Though Painkillers is not without its flaws, it is a solid genre film that offers a fresh perspective on PTSD and the military-industrial complex. Its nuanced exploration of the human psyche and the consequences of playing god with the mind make it a compelling addition to the sci-fi thriller canon.

Painkillers is a 2015 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.1.