The plot features classic video-game tropes including a damsel-in-distress setup (later subverted by Estelle's betrayal), extreme violence, parkour sequences, and an over-the-top villain, with no dialogue or arcs addressing identity, systemic oppression, patriarchy, or social justice. Casting draws heavily from Russian actors (Andrey Dementyev as Henry, Danila Kozlovsky as Akan, Svetlana Ustinova) plus Sharlto Copley as Jimmy and Haley Bennett as Estelle, fitting the Moscow setting without any race- or gender-swapping of established characters or forced diversity.

Director Ilya Naishuller created the film explicitly as a first-person shooter homage with no stated activist intent. Reception focuses on motion sickness complaints, graphic violence, and video-game style rather than any political messaging; isolated critic claims of 'sexism' or 'male gaze' target the film's unapologetic action tropes, not embedded progressive content. No LGBTQ representation, intersectional themes, or creator statements on inclusion appear in any sources.