The atmosphere is suspect when young locksmith Mady (played by Jonathan Feltre) arrives at his most recent job: Claire (Natacha Krief), his client, exudes the tremors of a femme fatale with a conscience. She promises to return with cash and quickly enters and exits the unlocked apartment when it’s time to pay.
It should come as no surprise that Claire never pays her bill, but Michiel Blanchart’s fast-paced urban thriller “Night Call” doesn’t dwell on this deceit for very long before gleefully removing another rug from under poor Mady, this time in the form of a neo-Nazi brute whose apartment our Black hero has inadvertently entered. Cue a bracingly choreographed brawl in close quarters.
From this point on, the tussles and twists increase, forcing the friendly, Petula Clark-loving Mady to change into an action-hero overnight. To avoid giving away too much, Mady’s predicament includes a gang led by French film star Romain Duris, as well as stolen money.
Although the facts that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement are sometimes and sometimes deftly employed to inform the plot, “Night Call” is not a message movie. For example, Mady’s hesitation to call the police puts him in a difficult situation. As Mady runs, rides, and drives throughout Brussels that night, there are cops everywhere because of a large-scale anti-police brutality demonstration. The Belgian capital is a grungy, nighttime playground of bodegas and boîtes under Blanchart’s control.
Even though the movie follows a well-known plot point—a normal Joe is drawn into the underworld—Blanchard’s witty directing and the amount of mileage he gets out of the city’s cracks elevate it to the top of the crime-action hierarchy. You’ll recall that it was at least an enjoyable journey if the minor details are unmemorable.
Call at Night
Unrated. Featuring subtitles in French. Duration: 1 hour and 37 minutes. available for purchase or rental on the majority of major platforms and in cinemas.
