Night Call

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Director Michiel Blanchart’s ‘Night Call‘ is a gripping 97-minute French and Belgian action thriller, set primarily over the course of one eventful night in Brussels. This film skillfully conveys its main themes while keeping viewers enthralled. The story follows a young man on a transformative journey that will indelibly mark his life.

In a simplified manner, Jonathan Feltre portrays Mady Bala, a locksmith who’s always on call and also attends college part-time. He roams the city at night, answering distress calls from people in need of his services. One such call comes from Claire (Natacha Krief), a young woman who’s locked herself out of her apartment. Upon reaching the address, Mady is welcomed by Claire and guided into her building. In a moment of trust, Mady makes two questionable decisions that lead to significant problems.

Mady requires payment upfront and some form of identification. However, when Claire mentions her purse being locked within her home, he quickly forgets his rule. Charmingly captivated by Claire, our naive hero consents to aid her, unknowingly leaving himself alone in the apartment while she fetches cash from the ATM.

Indeed, Claire doesn’t return, and it takes a few minutes for Mady to realize he’s been deceived. However, things take an alarming turn when the actual tenant of the apartment shows up – a neo-Nazi who becomes enraged upon seeing a young minority in his space. Without hesitation, he attacks violently, and in self-defense, Mady ends up killing the man.

The narrative unfolds amidst growing demonstrations in the city, sparked by a police-involved death of a young African American man. This situation serves as a catalyst for Mady’s decision not to contact the authorities, but it seems that this aspect is used primarily as a convenient plot point rather than delving deeply into the racial tensions at hand. While I have no doubt about Blanchart and co-writer Gilles Marchand’s good intentions, their portrayal of these issues appears more like a story device than a thoughtful examination throughout the film.

Although Blanchart should be praised for maintaining the fast-paced narrative, it’s when the character Yannick (Romain Duris) enters the scene that things truly escalate. We discover that the man Mady had killed was holding onto cash that rightfully belonged to Yannick. With no other information except that the money is missing, the deceased man is dead, and Mady seems involved, Yannick instructs his henchmen to apprehend Mady. He then proposes a deal: locate the girl and restore the stolen money by morning, or face the consequences himself.

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2025-01-15 18:57