Night Always Comes (2025) Dir: Benjamin Caron

Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DP_eVQzjIty/?igsh=eGZjbmxqMm5tdXB6

There haven't been many Netflix original films that I've felt compelled to watch this year, but this crime thriller, from director Benjamin Caron, did interest me. My main motivation for watching it was because of the casting of Vanessa Kirby, who I think is capable of producing some stellar acting, at times. The reviews placed this film very much in the mediocre zone, but it didn't put me off too much.

What became apparent about this film very early on was just how frustratingly unremarkable it was. It didn't stand out in just about any way, least of all visually. It was awfully plain, aside from the very occasional shot which inspired a very mild level of interest within me. Even the soundtrack left me fairly unsatisfied. A film like this was screaming for a good, rhythmic soundtrack to keep pulses up, and make the action more urgent and intense.

The screenplay wasn't brilliant, particularly in regards to dialogue - my goodness, there was no nuance whatsoever. The film had a strong emotional core to it, at least, which elevated its watchability considerably, if not completely. The inciting incident legitimately provided a very good leaping off point; it was relatable, it was grounded in realism, and it was very emotionally charged. The problem was what happened after that - it got ridiculous. Not only this, but it never felt at any point like the protagonist might fail, which took the punch out of a lot of the events.

As much and as highly as I rate Vanessa Kirby as an actress, I think she was a little bit miscast in this film. She just didn't quite fit the character's vibe, in my view. Her acting was solid enough, certainly not her most impressive performance, but it just didn't quite work as well as it could've. I just needed more energy from her during some scenes, but she was consistently too quiet and too calm - the few scenes where she did show a lot more emotion were by far her best.

Jennifer Jason Leigh was solid, but a little too one-note for my liking. Every scene she was in felt the same, which I suppose is better than being totally disjointed, but I was hoping to see something more varied, something more memorable, from an actor of Leigh's quality.

The film would have been so much better with more Zach Gottsagen in it. He was funny, he was endearing, and he was the lifeblood of this film. But, for whatever reason, he was barely on-screen, and even when he was, he was relegated to being in the background - a tool to make the main character more likable, which was genuinely such a shame.

I was more divided on the performance of Stephen James, because whilst his acting wasn't terrible, it was emblematic of the rest of the film, in that it just wasn't quite good enough. His character could have been very impactful, but James's acting didn't quite fulfil the character's emotional potential. Eli Roth was also worth mentioning, despite having very little screentime. He gave a very effective and disturbing performance, which was easily one of the most memorable in the film.

Overall, this felt like yet another missed opportunity for Netflix to produce a good film. I appreciate that not every film can be a hit, but Netflix has a very hit and miss record when it comes to their original films. I imagine this film will be forgotten about sooner than later, and not just by me. Unfortunately, it will likely go down as yet another disappointing, underachieving, crime thriller that nobody watches.