Ronda Noturna

It would have been much better to have a longer first part than the too unlikely second part. Anyway excellent Gregory Gadebois.

This is not a crime film. Although it takes place in a police station and then inside a police vehicle taking an illegal immigrant back to the border.

The director tries to make her story modern by retelling the same scene three times, that is, from the point of view of our three protagonists, in a form that takes its time. They then asked them to invite a foreigner to the airport to be deported to a horrific sin where he risks death. Anne Fontaine makes the right choice not to have the foreigner speak French, and above all not to have him express himself, to focus on the moods of our three policemen and their dilemma: should they respect the procedure, or let him go, i.e. Escape, with the risks incurred for them, and for him, who is not neutral.

The film exposes the personal background of each of our police officers, as any video-on-demand series now does. This background is a little boring at times. As does the sentimental intrigue between some of them. But the actors are good and committed, and we believe in their dilemmas.

Being or rather working for the police force is quite the hard work. It has a lot of responsiblities - it is not well paid. You are under constant criticism - and of course you have to deal with bad apples and that the general public perceives you a certain way because of them. The latter is not something that plays a role in this movie.

This is more a social drama/thriller that has to do with someone who may or may not be a criminal and since he is a foreigner (in France), has to be taken back to the country he came from. Actually not just a foreigner, but an illegal alien as the Americans like to say I believe.

There is more to him than meets the eye though - even if he himself is not able to express that. But before we delve into that part of the story we do spend some time with our two main protagonists, who have their own things going - no pun intended. But when they meet the immigrant ... well things happen.

Not action filled overall, but more edge of your seat kind of tension when you wait to see what happens next. Good acting and really well done with the script.

The real star of _Night Shift_ is cinematographer Yves Angelo, who shot tableaux after 2.35:1 tableaux of beautiful, impressionistic night scenes. Usually night scenes come off as garbage on my computer screen; not this one! Angelo was a highly regarded and award-winning cinematographer in the 90s (_Un Couer en Hiver_ being a particular standout). He dabbled in directing afterwards (_Colonel Chabert_ is very good) but has mostly stuck to director of photography duties since. His work with director Anne Fontaine in _White as Snow_ is interesting too, dynamic and atmospheric, although I didn't notice it was him when I saw the film.

It is admitted an odd screenplay coming from Anne Fontaine. Her recent films have centered around charismatic heroines asserting themselves, their ideals, in settings unfamiliar to them, and in the process rediscovering themselves. _Night Shift_ is in contrast an ensemble piece, a snapshot of the lives of three police officers in France. Omar Sy (famous for "Lupin") and Virginie Efira (who is in every other French film these days) do their best to dramatize their soul-destroying, family-wrecking vocation. It is adapted from a novel. The title "Police" is infinitely more evocative than the English one, as the film treats the immigrant in their charge, about to be deported, as a cipher. The cathartic ending is better than most reviewers would have you believe.

Come on Omar don't let things slip after Lupin, Intouchables etc etc don't get caught acting with a poor script.

Was easy going and painless.