La nuit se traîne

Wow... After seeing the trailer first, I was expecting a lot of this film. And I sure wasn't disappointed after seeing it.

I have to say, I've seen quite the Belgian blockbusters and hidden gems, as I collect them (as they are hard to find sometimes), but this one is up there among the best for me.

Non-stop brutal action scenes will come your way, well acted and super engaging from the start.

A simple yet clever story that delivers in a very realistic way, without trying to be anything else.

Apart from... - maybe - the very end.

The ending felt somewhat anticlimactic, given the progression of the story, and they did put in a tiny little political stance. However, it didn't make the main story fall short in any way, but I wasn't sure what to think of the ending as it was.

Overall, a solid 9/10.

Although 'La nuit se traîne' is set in Brussels, it has all the characteristics of a run-of-the-mill thriller from Hollywood. A gentleman-criminal living in a luxury high rise overlooking the city? Check. A high speed car chase ending in a crash? Check. A man escaping from his pursuers by entering a subway car that's about to leave the platform? Check. Two creepy looking thugs using violence againt anyone standing in their way? Check.

These tired Hollywood clichés and the abundance of violence stand in the way of what this film could have been: an original and well-written nail-biter with an interesting social dimension. The screenplay is clever enough. The film takes place during one night, in which locksmith Mady is drawn against his will into a dirty affair which keeps on getting more complicated and, for him, more life-threatening. In order to safe his life, he has to retrieve a large sum of cash before dawn. The events take place against the background of a large Black Lives Matter-demonstration.

But instead of concentrating on the story, the film takes unnecessary detours, and fails to explain some improbabilities. On the plus side, the director has put a lot of effort in filming the nocturnal streets of Brussels, and succeeds in showing the city from a nice aesthetic perspective. For viewers who are familar with the city, trying to recognize the locations is a nice game.

Since a short while now - several years - this kind of French spoken actionners are only available on streaming platforms, certainly not released in movie theaters. The main surprise here is Romain Duris as the villain; as also was Frank Gastambide in CARJACKERS or Jalil Lespert in GT MAX. French actors for whom the villain roles was a premiere...I love this. Here the movie is riveting, very well made you always wonder where the story leads you to. It is a crime film, not a drama, or crime drama. But you have films better than this one, French - Belgian here - actionners, which, I repeat, are straight to streaming platforms. Curious and unexpected ending.

I saw this movie with my school, not expecting much from a Belgian movie. I was proved wrong within the first 5 minutes. This movie is shot so beautifully, colors were amazing. The action is great and the story is simple yet interesting.

With their small budget they created a great movie I would watch again. Definitely a recommender.

I almost forgot to mention the acting, it was phenomenal. The actor that plays the main lead "Mady" can express emotion really well. Especially anxiety and anger. I also really liked the substory (no spoilers) and you kind of have to interpret the end, but I think it's made pretty clear.

10/10, great movie.

In the movie Night Call, Maddie is a student who works as a locksmith at night. One night, she goes to Claire, a mysterious woman, to open her apartment door. After helping Claire, Maddie realizes that Claire lied about her identity and deceived her. Following this incident, Maddie is unintentionally involved in a dangerous adventure in which she must prove her innocence during one night....

About the movie The movie Night Call is a French action thriller film directed by Michiel Blanchart in 2024. The movie Night Call stars Jonas Bloquet, Jonathan Feltre, Natacha Krief, and In the end, it was a very ordinary movie.