The story begins with a provocative critique of modern society's obsession with sensational stories, videos, and news about murder and chaos, arguing that these obsessions serve as distractions from the misery of everyday life. The film then introduces Skizm, an underground fight club where individuals are thrown into deadly contests for the entertainment of viewers across the country. Among the fighters, the most notorious is Nix, portrayed by Samara Weaving, known for her brutal prowess and relentless drive. She frequently faces new challengers, but she always emerges victorious through violence and skill.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to Miles Lee Harris, played by Daniel Radcliffe, a seemingly mild-mannered and introverted computer programmer. He leads a monotonous life, working at a dull job under the thumb of a rude boss named Zander. During his free time, Miles obsessively lurks on Skizm message boards, fascinated by the violent culture surrounding the illegal fights. His quiet world begins to unravel when a Skizm administrator manages to track his IP address, forcing him to shut down his laptop to avoid further detection.
Things take a darker turn when Miles receives a bizarre message from Nova Alexander, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, his ex-girlfriend, whose picture he accidentally liked earlier. In dreams, he envisions a peaceful moment in a park with Nova where she draws a tattoo on his arm, symbolizing their connection. But his idyllic fantasy quickly shatters when he is rudely awakened by the CEO of Skizm, Riktor (played by Ned Dennehy), and his violent goons—Dane, Effie, and Fuckface (Set Sjostrand). They smash his laptop, tranquilize Miles, and fit his hands with guns, turning his life into a nightmare.
Miles is soon faced with an impossible challenge: he must kill Nix within 24 hours, or he will be killed himself. Meanwhile, Nix is given the same mission—kill Miles, with her last fight before she hopes to escape Skizm’s deadly world. She completes a drug-fueled massacre of some goons and then tracks Miles’s phone to find his whereabouts. Her attempt to kill him at his apartment is thwarted as Miles narrowly escapes, creating chaos on the streets with the deadly guns bolted to his hands.
In his desperate attempt to hide, Miles encounters a police officer, but the scene quickly becomes humiliating as the officer draws his weapon and Skizm drones broadcast his vulnerability live to viewers tuning in for entertainment. Miles flees into an alley, unintentionally shooting a cop, then helps cover up the wound before fleeing again. He later unexpectedly reunites with Nova in a park, trying to explain his bizarre situation. However, he shows her the guns, which causes her to panic and pepper spray him before she runs away.
Later, Miles finds solace in the company of Glenjamin, a homeless man played by Rhys Darby, who helps him dress and feeds him a battered hot dog. Meanwhile, Nova is questioned at a police station by Detective Degraves (Grant Bowler), who later reveals a disturbing truth: he once put Riktor behind bars, but after his release, Riktor targeted Degraves’s family with a car bomb, killing his wife and son. It turns out that Nova is Degraves’s daughter, now mentally scarred and seeking revenge, explaining her volatile behavior.
As Miles tries to escape the chaos, he attempts to have his tracker removed from his phone with the help of coworkers, but Zander’s harassment pushes him over the edge—leading him to draw his guns on his boss. Before Zander can react, Nix appears and shoots him dead. Miles seizes the opportunity to escape in a stolen car, with Nix in pursuit on a motorcycle. An intense chase culminates in an abandoned building where Miles tries to reason with Nix, but she remains determined to kill him—her PTSD triggered by explosives briefly distracts her.
Miles’s efforts to communicate with Nova are interrupted when Riktor’s goons kidnap her, demanding Miles kill Nix. He mistakenly ends up involved in a violent drug transaction, where Nix arrives just in time to shoot the dealers and inadvertently causes one to bleed out painfully. The chaos leads to Miles being captured by police and taken to Skizm headquarters. There, he surprises everyone by fighting back, shooting two villains, and teaming up with Nix, who reveals her own tragic backstory—her name is Irene Degraves and her vendetta is rooted in losing her family to Riktor.
In a daring plan, Miles and Nix expose themselves to the camera, revealing that they are alive and determined to take down Skizm. They set a trap for Riktor and his henchmen, leading to brutal confrontations involving explosives and fierce hand-to-hand combat. Nix, embracing her savage nature, sacrifices herself in a final explosive attack on the henchmen and her own life, after telling Miles to kill Riktor for her. Miles follows a message left by Nova to the rooftop, where Riktor attempts to escape. Despite being shot multiple times, Miles keeps fighting, ultimately overpowers him, and throws Riktor off the ledge.
As Riktor hangs on, he taunts Miles with plans to franchise Skizm globally—an idea Miles dismisses by loosening his grip and causing his death. The viewers watching cheer the apparent victory, although Miles’s blood loss causes hallucinations, including a brief fantasy where Nova runs to him—only to be horrified to realize she’s witnessing his violent act. The film concludes with Miles having the guns removed, and while he does not rekindle his relationship with Nova, she has created a comic book inspired by his heroics, titled “Guns Akimbo,” celebrating his unexpected rise as a vigilante.
Now committed to tracking and dismantling Skizm worldwide, Miles transforms from a timid programmer into a reluctant hero, determined to end the bloody chaos that nearly destroyed him. His story is a raw, darkly humorous tale of ordinary people forced to become extraordinary in circumstances that challenge their morals, resilience, and humanity.
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