Run Hide Fight Hollywood ignores real-world threat
Director Kyle Rankin is carving out a path in cinema that is less about spectacle and more about stark, uncomfortable reality. He is a filmmaker who seems to write movies out of a deep-seated fear, primarily his own.
Catching attention with projects like The Battle of Shaker Heights” class=”title”>The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003) and Run Hide Fight” class=”title”>Run Hide Fight (2020), Rankin is now tackling a theme that keeps him up at night: the collision of college students rejecting America while embracing the Palestinian cause. This intersection of protest and radicalism leaves a chilling vulnerability in the national landscape, forcing a confrontation with the very real threat of radical Islam.
This trepidation fueled Rankin’s latest venture, Run Hide Fight: Infidels” class=”title”>Run Hide Fight: Infidels, a new DailyWire+ original that serves not only as a tense action film but also a sharp satire of the modern Left. The narrative plunges viewers into a scenario where a group of students must fight for survival when their campus is overrun by Islamic terrorists—the same students who weeks prior were protesting all things Israel. The simple, desperate question hanging over the action is stark: Many won’t make it.
To navigate this chaos, the film introduces an unlikely potential savior: a retired Delta Force soldier (Jonathan Majors) who arrives on campus to deliver a stern warning about the dangerous alliance between the modern Left and Islamic radicals.
While the plot offers intense action, the film is also a masterclass in unexpected humor. It teems with comic relief, balancing the farcical campus radicals with standout performances, including scene-stealer David Lucas, as the narrative spirals into high-stakes absurdity.
Rankin, however, is careful not to let the satire overshadow the underlying message. He views the film less as pure political commentary and more as an “80s, ‘90s action movie with more humor than expected.” He admits that the humor functions as a tool, a way to ingratiate the film with an audience, a lesson he learned early in his career when feedback pointed out a lack of a single, definable joke.
Yet, Rankin isn’t afraid of the heavier themes. He acknowledges that his screenplay contains projection—a reflection of his own beliefs about America—but he uses the narrative to deliver a potent warning to Hollywood. He insists that the industry must stop turning a blind eye to potent, volatile themes like the fallout from woke gone wild and Islamic terrorism, warning that emerging content creators will soon feast on these narratives without due consideration.
The film’s gravitational pull is amplified by the involvement of Jonathan Majors, the charismatic actor who has recently navigated immense personal and professional turmoil. Majors’ recent legal troubles and subsequent public scrutiny have cast a long shadow, making his return to the screen in Infidels” class=”title”>Infidels a significant moment. Rankin, who has worked closely with Majors, remains gracious, noting his professionalism on set and calling him “Coach.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the film’s direction, some critics have noted its radical departure from cinematic norms. The film’s audacious choice to feature “wrong” villains and mock the status quo has sparked debate, with some outlets questioning the film’s trajectory. One major publication even dubbed the work “racist” sight unseen for daring to pivot away from industry standards.
Rankin credits producers for giving him the freedom to craft an “ensemble action picture” that deliberately disregards typical Hollywood mandates. He feels blessed to make these kinds of films, asserting that he has the license to make the movies he wants, pushing the industry to look statistically at who the real bad guys are, rather than relying on tired, made-up villains.
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