Inferno

Inferno

Year: 1999

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: John G. Avildsen

RomanceDramaAction

After the death of his close friend Johnny, drifter Eddie Lomax rides into the desert town where Johnny lived, only to be beaten and have his motorcycle stolen by a local gang. Determined not to accept the injustice, Lomax teams up with handyman Jubal Early and receives help from several town women as he embarks on a violent quest for revenge.

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Timeline & Setting – Inferno (1999)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Inferno (1999). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Salt flat, small town

The opening sequence unfolds on a stark salt flat, setting a sun-baked, harsh mood. The story then moves between a rugged town and its surrounding desolate stretches, giving a rough, survivalist backdrop to escalating violence. Key locations include a diner, the Bomb Bay Cafe, a hotel, and backrooms where gangs operate, shaping a claustrophobic world of conflict.

🏜 Desert 🏙️ Town 🧭 Desolate landscape

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:26

Main Characters – Inferno (1999)

Meet the key characters of Inferno (1999), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme)

A haunted drifter who escalates from drinking to violent vigilante justice after trauma from his Army days. He shows ruthless determination to retrieve his motorcycle and mete out revenge, yet also hints at strategic planning when manipulating rivalries. His moral compass is murky, allowing both protector-like acts and brutal killings.

🗡️ Vengeful 💣 Violent 🧭 Calculated

Johnny Six Toes (Danny Trejo)

A former ally who reappears to aid Eddie and ultimately sacrifices himself to distract attention from Eddie. He embodies loyalty and grit, acting as a catalyst for Eddie's pursuit of revenge. His presence underscores the costs of camaraderie in a town built on violence.

🗡️ Loyal 🧨 Courageous 🪨 Rugged

Rhonda Reynolds (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick)

A friend of Johnny who becomes a confidant for Eddie. She navigates the violence with resilient practicality, aligning with Eddie despite the turmoil. Her role anchors the human impact of the town’s strife and the quest for protection.

💪 Resilient 🫂 Relational 🧭 Pragmatic

Jubal Early (Pat Morita)

A diner regular who helps tidy up the aftermaths, acting as a pragmatic fixer in a violent town. He embodies sly, resourceful survival instincts and a willingness to get his hands dirty for the greater good. His presence highlights the gray morality of a community steeped in conflict.

🧰 Fixer 🗺️ Streetwise 🗡️ Calculating

Eli Hamilton (Bill Erwin)

An older gunsmith who frees Eddie and supplies him with firearms, becoming a mentor-figure in the cycle of violence. His actions reveal a pragmatic but morally ambiguous stance toward crime and power. He uses leverage and knowledge to influence outcomes.

🧰 Supplier 🗡️ Opportunist 🧭 Realist

Petey Hogan (Jonathan Avildsen)

The youngest Hogan brother who is targeted by Eddie and represents the new generation of local gangsters. His fate intersects with the town's violent feud, highlighting the cost of vengeance and cycles of retaliation.

🔥 Young Violent 🧭 Impulsive 🫱 Gang member

Matt Hogan (David 'Shark' Fralick)

A Hogan brother who confronts Eddie in a final duel; his death and the ensuing town reaction reveal the consequences of vendetta. He embodies the masculine code of honor and the brutal enforcement of gang rivalries.

🗡️ Rival 🧱 Brute force 🫶 Family ties

Leon (Gregory Scott Cummins)

An associate of the Hogan crew who personifies the local gang network. He engages in violent skirmishes with Eddie and the Heathens, illustrating the network of crime that underpins the town's chaos.

🕵️‍♂️ Gang member 🗡️ Violent 🧭 Streetwise

Old Man Buyer (Philip Bruns)

An elder figure in town commerce who operates within a weathered, semi-lawless economy. His presence signals how local power dynamics fund the cycle of violence and influence outcomes behind the scenes.

🏦 Merchant 🧭 Local power 🪙 Wise elder

Old Woman Buyer (Natalie Barish)

An elder woman in the market scene who reflects the town’s older generation and their stake in a fragile social order. Her interactions add texture to a community under duress amid ongoing violence.

👵 Elder 🗺️ Market presence 🪙 Community

Mrs. Henry Howard (Priscilla Pointer)

A member of the town’s social fabric who becomes entangled in local tensions, illustrating how personal ties can complicate and intensify violence in a small community.

🏠 Social ties 🧭 Local power 🗡️ Complicity

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:26

Major Themes – Inferno (1999)

Explore the central themes of Inferno (1999), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚔️ Revenge

Eddie's drive to avenge Johnny fuels the main arc, pushing him to kill and destabilize the town. The pursuit of personal justice smears ethical lines, as rival factions and alliances exploit Eddie's vendetta. Violence compounds, leading to costly consequences that reshape the community’s sense of order.

🧠 Trauma

Eddie is haunted by Army atrocities, turning pain into a force that provokes further violence. The film probes how trauma distorts identity and motivation, driving impulsive actions and strategic moves alike. Relationships fray as memories and guilt underpin deadly choices.

🛰️ Myth & Media

Eddie leaks a UFO-related tale to stir fear and curiosity, transforming disappearances into tourism-driven prosperity for the town. The story examines how sensational narratives alter a community’s fortunes and moral landscape. The UFO motif serves as a satire of rumor, spectacle, and crowd-driven economy.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:26

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Gritty desert revenge stories like Inferno

Lone figures seek brutal justice under a harsh, sun-bleached sky.If you liked the harsh desert setting and violent quest for justice in Inferno, you'll find similar movies here. This collection features gritty neo-westerns and revenge dramas where lone protagonists operate outside the law in sun-bleached, hostile environments. These stories share a dark tone, high intensity, and a focus on brutal, hands-on retribution.

grittyvengefulbrutalsun-bleachedisolatedtensemelancholicharsh

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a lone wolf protagonist, often a drifter with a painful past, who enters a corrupt or hostile community. A personal tragedy—such as the loss of a friend—triggers a violent, linear quest for revenge. The story unfolds through a series of escalating confrontations, leading to a final, cathartic showdown where justice is delivered at a great personal cost.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared setting—the symbolic and literal emptiness of the desert—coupled with a straightforward revenge plot. They create a cohesive vibe of isolation, sun-scorched tension, and a morally ambiguous brand of justice, making them feel like spiritual siblings in their aesthetic and narrative approach.

Movies with bittersweet revenge endings like Inferno

Violent quests for justice that achieve a goal but leave deep scars.For viewers who appreciated the costly victory and bittersweet ending of Inferno, this thread collects movies where revenge comes with a price. These films feature heavy emotional weight and dark tones, culminating in resolutions that mix justice with grief or sacrifice. If you like stories where the hero wins but is forever changed, explore these titles.

bittersweetvengefulmelancholicgrimviolentheavycostly victorysomber

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a linear path of vengeance driven by a clear inciting incident. The protagonist engages in a series of violent acts to achieve their goal, often improving the situation for a community or achieving personal closure. However, the conclusion is tempered by the loss of allies, the burden of trauma, or the realization that violence cannot fully heal the original wound, resulting in a poignant, bittersweet resolution.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their specific emotional payoff. They deliver on the visceral thrill of revenge but subvert a purely happy ending by emphasizing the psychological and emotional toll. This shared narrative structure—goal achieved, but at a cost—creates a distinct and resonant viewing experience for audiences seeking stories with depth beyond simple catharsis.

Unlock the Full Story of Inferno

Don't stop at just watching — explore Inferno in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Inferno is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Inferno Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Inferno, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Inferno Summary

Inferno Timeline

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Inferno Timeline

Inferno Spoiler-Free Summary

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Inferno Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Inferno

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Inferno: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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