# Hellfire (2026 film)
**Hellfire** is a 2026 American action thriller directed by Isaac Florentine, written by Richard Lowry, and starring [Stephen Lang](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-lang) as a nameless ex-Green Beret drifter who arrives in a small Southern town controlled by a ruthless crime boss ([Harvey Keitel](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvey-keitel)) and a corrupt sheriff ([Dolph Lundgren](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolph-lundgren)).[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) • [2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hellfire) It was released on Digital and VOD in the United States on February 17, 2026, through Saban Films, with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment handling the video release.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) • [3](https://www.movieinsider.com/m24809/hellfire)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Isaac Florentine; screenplay by Richard Lowry[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) |
| Lead cast | Stephen Lang (the Man), Harvey Keitel (Jeremiah), Dolph Lundgren (Sheriff Wiley), Scottie Thompson (Lena)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) |
| US release | Digital and VOD, February 17, 2026; video release by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) • [3](https://www.movieinsider.com/m24809/hellfire) |
| Runtime / rating | 95 minutes; MPA rated R for strong violence, some language and drug material (cert #55789, rated 11/19/2025)[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) |
| Budget / box office | $1,950,000 estimated budget; $761 gross worldwide[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) |
| Filming | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) |
| Reception | IMDb 4.7/10 (about 2,200 votes); Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 22% from 9 reviews[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hellfire_2026) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The plot centers on a former Green Beret turned mysterious wanderer who arrives in a small town on the southern border and finds its inhabitants compelled by a brutal crime syndicate, led by Jeremiah, to help distribute narcotics.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hellfire) According to reviews, the setting is the fictional town of Rondo, Texas, in 1988, where the drifter is told to move on by Sheriff Wiley but instead takes work as a handyman from Owen Hayes, the wheelchair-bound owner of a dilapidated saloon who lives with his daughter Lena.[6](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/hellfire-2026-b/) • [7](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2026/02/14/hellfire-2026-review/) The townspeople call him Nomada.[6](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/hellfire-2026-b/)
Jeremiah traffics cocaine out of the local brewery, has connections to Mexican cartels, has bought off the sheriff, and employs armed goons including the martial-arts fighter Zeke ([Johnny Yong Bosch](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-yong-bosch)), while his son Clyde (Michael Sirow) handles the rough work.[6](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/hellfire-2026-b/) The British Board of Film Classification, which rated the film for strong violence and injury detail, describes sustained gunfights, a man beaten with a stick, a person set on fire, and [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war) flashback sequences.[8](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hellfire-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmta5mjiz)
## Production
Florentine, an Israeli director known for direct-to-video action films such as *Assassin's Bullet*, *Close Range*, and *[Hounds of War](https://www.edgepedia.org/hounds-of-war)*, directed the film and is credited among its producers alongside Johnny Remo, Sasha Yelaun, and Robert Paschall Jr.[7](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2026/02/14/hellfire-2026-review/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hellfire_2026) In an interview, Florentine said the film was shot when Stephen Lang was 70 years old.[9](https://media.muckrack.com/portfolio/items/8009370/160-filmcombatsyndicate_com_interview_isaac_floren.pdf)
Production companies included Skipstone Pictures, Inner Media, Millman Productions, Price Productions II, and Ron Lee Productions, with [Saban Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/saban-films) as worldwide distributor.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394/companycredits/) Filming took place in [Little Rock, Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/little-rock-arkansas), and the estimated budget was $1,950,000.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) According to IMDb trivia, Richard Lowry initially wrote the script with [Nicolas Cage](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicolas-cage) in mind; Cage passed because he wanted to move away from action films.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394)
## Release
The film was released on Digital and VOD in the United States on February 17, 2026, the same date listed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as the video release.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) • [3](https://www.movieinsider.com/m24809/hellfire) Release dates vary by source and territory: [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists May 14, 2026 in the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates) as the earliest release, while IMDb lists February 5, 2026 for several Gulf markets, and Moviebuff lists a limited theatrical release in Germany on February 20, 2026.[11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt14507394/credits/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394/releaseinfo/) • [13](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/hellfire) In the United Kingdom, Altitude Film Distribution handled home entertainment and VOD, with the BBFC classification dated January 12, 2026.[8](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hellfire-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmta5mjiz) A Japanese DVD release under the title 地獄のストレンジャー followed on October 2, 2026.[14](https://inter-film.com/hellfire/)
## Reception
The film drew modest numbers on both sides of the critic-audience divide. Its Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stood at 22% from 9 reviews, with critics split between finding it a serviceable genre piece and a formulaic one; Alex Maidy of JoBlo's Movie Network gave it 6/10, while Josh Bell of Crooked Marquee graded it C and Brent McKnight of The Last Thing I See gave it C+.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hellfire_2026) On IMDb it holds a 4.7/10 rating from about 2,200 votes.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394)
Commercially, the film grossed $761 worldwide against an estimated budget of $1,950,000, and The Numbers lists its domestic theatrical box office as not applicable, consistent with a primarily digital release.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394) • [1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29) Reviewers repeatedly placed it in the tradition of small-town revenge Westerns: Dennis Schwartz called it a "low-budget, derivative, throwback revenge Western" and graded it B, while David J. Fowlie of Keeping It Reel compared it unfavorably to [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood)'s *Pale Rider* and rated it one and a half stars.[6](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/hellfire-2026-b/) • [7](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2026/02/14/hellfire-2026-review/)
## References
1. [Hellfire (2026) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hellfire-%282026%29)
2. [HELLFIRE – Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hellfire)
3. [Hellfire Movie (2026), MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m24809/hellfire)
4. [Hellfire (2026) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394)
5. [Hellfire (2026) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hellfire_2026)
6. [HELLFIRE (2026) B – Dennis Schwartz Reviews](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/hellfire-2026-b/)
7. [HELLFIRE (2026) review – Keeping It Reel](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2026/02/14/hellfire-2026-review/)
8. [Hellfire – British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hellfire-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmta5mjiz)
9. [Planning The Havoc: Interview with Isaac Florentine, Film Combat Syndicate](https://media.muckrack.com/portfolio/items/8009370/160-filmcombatsyndicate_com_interview_isaac_floren.pdf)
10. [Hellfire (2026) – Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394/companycredits/)
11. [Hellfire – Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt14507394/credits/)
12. [Hellfire (2026) – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14507394/releaseinfo/)
13. [Hellfire – Moviebuff](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/hellfire)
14. [映画『地獄のストレンジャー』DVD/BD発売情報 – Interfilm](https://inter-film.com/hellfire/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2020s › Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license