"NIGHT CALL" (2024) Is A Pulse-Poudning Action-Thriller That You HAVE To See! (REVIEW)
We’ve talked before about the adjacency that other genres have with horror, particularly in our Collector’s Crypt column. While our mainstay is horror and all things tangentially related to it, we also appreciate that some films bend genres and have much broader appeal. Take action movies as an example. For many genre fans, action films are and have been a staple of their media diet for as long as they can remember. Whether you grew up with James Cagney films or Arnold Schwarzenegger ones, action films often deliver the same thrill we get from horror, just in a more propulsive and explosive way. The rise of highly choreographed and stunt-driven action movies like “John Wick” has ushered in a new era of action movies that offer bone-crunching violence in a tightly wound narrative that will have you gripping your armchairs in suspense. One such film in this vein is “Night Call,” from writer and director Michiel Blanchart (see our interview here) and coming to theaters on January 17, 2025, from MAGNET Releasing. Is this a cheap imitation, or a revelation in suspense filmmaking?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
This night is like all the others for Mady, student by day, locksmith by night. But Claire, the enigmatic young girl he helps out that night, is not who she claims to be. Mady has only one night to prove his innocence in a city in turmoil.
HOW IS IT?
We’re going to cut to the chase (no pun intended) here, “Night Call” is a masterclass in the propulsive action film category that takes a simple premise and elevates it with perfect pacing and high-energy setpieces. In fact, the second note on our notes 15 minutes in was “Holy fucking shit.” “Night Call” works because it has an empathetic lead played perfectly by Jonathan Feltre and a cast of characters that are far more grounded than what you’d come to expect from something as audacious as this. Its only fault is in an ending that doesn’t resist the temptation to tidy things up, but it is a small gripe with what is otherwise one of the most exciting films we’ve seen in a while.
“Night Call” is focused on Mady, a locksmith who is just trying to listen to classic French music and do his job. When he’s called to open a lock under suspicious circumstances for Claire (Natacha Krief), his entire night gets hijacked as he is engulfed in having to track down stolen money in the European metro of Brussels. Mady, played by Jonathan Feltre, is a sympathetic character from the start who is the perfect patsy for Claire and the people she has ripped off in the process. Mady isn’t a superhero, and we are not given any reason to believe that he’s some John Wick in hiding, but that’s all part of his charm. His reluctance to be placed in these situations is only bested by his luck in escaping these situations, often by a slim margin. Opposite of Mady is Yannick (Romain Duris), a crime boss who is far more personable and moralistic than your average heavy. He’s not here to eradicate loose ends with a trail of bodies, instead favoring a quid pro quo style of dealmaking mixed in with some heavy doses of blackmail. Most interestingly, Yannick isn’t just another bad guy, but just like Mady, out for his survival due to a series of decisions that we aren’t privy to, but are alluded to as fatal for him. As Yannick’s goons chase Mady throughout the city, we learn more about what exactly is going on and the role Mady plays in an evolving story of deception that is underpinned by themes of being trapped in a world of crime with little hope of escaping it.
On the surface, it would be easy to discount “Night Call” as just another action movie a la “John Wick” or “The Raid,” but those films traffic in more fantasy than reality. “Night Call” isn’t about establishing a high body count, as there are few deaths in the film let alone shown on screen, but rather focused on survival. That theme takes shape in many ways, from Mady literally trying to survive the night, to more socially conscious themes like the survival of non-white people in the aftermath of police brutality that led to protests. It’s something that US audiences have a direct relationship with, but it is never overpowering the story or the characters but rather adds context that helps to create the world in which Mady and all of us exist. Despite taking a more realistic approach to the action, the set pieces themselves are just as exciting and engaging as the more outrageous ones seen in the aforementioned films. The standouts are the opening scene with Mady in the apartment and the opus that is the bike-to-subway chase scene that should fool even the most proficient editors into thinking it was done in a single shot (check out our interview posted above with Director Michiel Blanchart to learn more about how he shot this). If there is one stain on this pristine action shirt, it’s that the ending feels a bit too tidy for the story being told. While it doesn’t take away from the overall film, it does feel a little too neat as opposed to a more natural ending point that occurred 15 minutes prior. Nevertheless, it does lend itself nicely to other themes established early on so we give it a pass because of all the goodwill established up to that point.
LAST RITES
“Night Call” is one of the most engaging and exciting action films to come out in years. By taking a more grounded approach to highly choreographed material, and establishing characters that aren’t just tropes, but complex people who you feel connected to regardless of which side of the story they represent.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
“Night Call” will be in theaters on January 17, 2025, from MAGNET Releasing.
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
