‘Concern the Night time’ Wastes Each Its Premise and Its Lead

Neil LaBute‘s films have all the time had one thing of an edge to them with titles like 1997’s Within the Firm of Males delivering a scathing, mean-spirited commentary on the sexes. He took a flip in the direction of style fare in 2006 with the a lot maligned however nonetheless entertaining remake of The Wicker Man, and he’s been dabbling ever since. Final 12 months’s apparent however amusing vampire flick, Home of Darkness, survived on the power of each Justin Lengthy and a few sharp dialogue, however his tackle the house invasion subgenre lacks each. That mentioned, Concern the Night time nonetheless finds some very minor thrills as dumb guys make the error of messing with Maggie Q.

Tes (Q) is a veteran of each the Iraqi Struggle and an dependancy to alcohol, and her current finds reminiscences of each nipping at her heels. A weekend away for her youthful sister Rose’s (Highdee Kuan) bachelorette celebration ought to be a break from the storm, however as a substitute she’s instantly at odds together with her different sister, Beth (Kat Foster), over previous disagreements, attitudes, and actions. The household drama is placed on maintain, although, when a gaggle of an area lowlifes begins capturing crossbow bolts into chests, eyeballs, and mouths. It’s as much as Tes to assist the ladies struggle again within the hopes of surviving the evening.

Residence invasion thrillers are available a wide range of types and tones, however the most effective know that a couple of key parts are essential for achievement. The protagonists ought to be some mixture of endearing and interesting, the antagonists ought to be threatening and lethal, and there ought to be no scarcity of rigidity and ingenuity. Assume David Fincher’s Panic Room (2002), Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers (2008), or the Spanish chiller Kidnapped (2010) for a few of the finest. However, sadly, it’s barely value pondering of LaBute’s Concern the Night time in any respect.

From its odd and pointless in media res opening — a bloodied Tes limping down the street on their lonesome, one thing that by no means occurs within the movie — to equally pointless timestamps that repeatedly seem with a black display, the movie lacks something resembling an engrossing tempo. Concern the Night time stumbles via its first act with uninteresting inventory characters till it lastly pops to life with a beat ripped from 2011’s superior residence invasion flick, You’re Subsequent, as a crossbow bolt flies via the window leaving one of many ladies lifeless. What ought to kick issues into gear as a substitute triggers lots of speaking as LaBute’s script introduces the lads exterior who proceed to attempt to discuss the ladies out as a substitute of merely storming the home.

LaBute’s themes turn into all of the extra apparent, and like Home of Darkness, all of it comes right down to how males drool and ladies rule. You’ll get no argument from me on that depend, however the script — which runs the gamut from uninteresting to only plain dumb — is paying the thought lazy lip service reasonably than discovering a narrative to go together with it. Tes repeatedly tells the ladies that they should struggle again, however when you suppose that’s establishing a turning of the tables, it’s as a substitute for naught as just one scene exhibits a few the women attacking a dude. Tes instructs one other lady to expire as a distraction, however nobody sees the lady and she or he has to verbally get the dangerous guys’ consideration. They may have simply all gone out the again and escaped!

Concern the Night time feels as if LaBute wasn’t absolutely listening to the tip product and as a substitute felt content material hitting a handful of particular beats. The preliminary kill, Tes taking out the primary dangerous man, a “last” shot of Q carrying Converse and sitting on the entrance steps of bloodied home (LaBute clearly noticed 2019’s Prepared or Not) — all minor highlights, however every part between these scenes teases annoyance greater than rigidity. Add in a corpse in body for a pair minutes *and clearly nonetheless respiratory* and an epilogue that goes on method too lengthy, will get some particulars mistaken, and exists solely to repeat the movie’s simplistic thesis, and also you’re left with one thing of a large number.

If there’s an upside to Concern the Night time, it’s a minor one in that it’s all the time good seeing Q in a lead position. 2021’s underseen Martin Campbell motion/thriller, The Protege, exhibits that Q nonetheless has each the charisma and motion chops to headline a movie, however whereas she’s good right here it’s not almost sufficient to beat the movie’s quite a few points and the dearth of depth together with her character. She provides a methodical and interesting sufficient efficiency, however the one space you anticipate a movie to let her shine is the motion, and LaBute merely refuses. The kills and fights are pretty simplistic and missing in motion, and curiously, LaBute can’t even muster a cathartic satisfaction to any of the invader’s demises.

Concern the Night time merely doesn’t work, and the one factor left to concern right here is the specter of extra Neil LaBute films.

Associated Subjects: Maggie Q, Neil Labute

Rob Hunter has been writing for Movie Faculty Rejects since earlier than you have been born, which is bizarre seeing as he is so rattling younger. He is our Chief Movie Critic and Affiliate Editor and lists ‘Broadcast Information’ as his favourite movie of all time. Be happy to say hello when you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.