If you’re wise, you’ll want to answer this ‘Night Call’
Ever since the Trayvon Martin shooting, the image of a young Black male in a hoodie instinctively elicits feelings of fear and dread for that person’s fate. It’s impossible not to believe there aren’t hundreds of George Zimmermans lying in wait, looking for any excuse to “stand their ground.” It’s a powerful sentiment that Belgium filmmaker Michiel Blanchart exploits to the max in his debut feature “Night Call.”
It’s a stylish action-thriller with its share of edge-of-your-seat moments, but what elevates it above the norm is the subtle social commentary Blanchart weaves into his yarn about Mady (Jonathan Feltre), a Black college student earning his keep as an overnight locksmith in Brussels. When we’re introduced, he’s on his knees, shadowed by an older white couple who’ve left their keys inside their apartment. On the other side of that door is an agitated dog, barking and growling at Mady.
You may interpret the scene differently, but for me, it instantly conjured up images of the American South in the decades before the Civil Rights Act. Blanchart’s ability to make such an impact in roughly 30 seconds is impressive, but he’s just getting started. As Mady departs, en route to his next assignment – swathed in the sweet sound of Petula Clark’s prophetic “La nuit n’en finit plus” – he is momentarily delayed by a throng of marchers protesting the murder of an unarmed young Black man by Belgian police. You’d expect Mady to feel a kinship, but his expression is one of mild annoyance.
It’s an obvious use of foreshadowing, but at that point, neither we nor Mady could possibly predict the hell about to break loose. It begins benignly enough. Claire (Natacha Krief), a flustered young woman, tells Mady she’s locked out, her keys and purse inside. Her lack of cash and ID gives Mady pause. But she’s cute and engaging, disarmingly so. Again, Blanchart cleverly plays on our assumptions and our penchant for assigning types based on appearance. How could she not be who she says? So, once more Mady finds himself on his knees in the presence of a white person.
After he pops the lock, Claire asks Mady to wait outside a moment, before emerging with a trash bag and a story about needing to head downstairs to toss the rubbish and hit the ATM for his 250-Euro fee. “Just wait here,” she instructs him. Mady’s instinct has been not to trust her, but she’s so endearing he wants, almost needs, to believe her excuses. Bad move. Within seconds, the rightful resident of the flat – a neo-Nazi, no less – walks in, his rage level at 11. Surely, Mady is about to die.
And if not for his perpetual MacGyver-like resourcefulness, Mady would be a goner. But he escapes, battered but no worse for wear. Not so for the other guy. Mady wants to summon the police, but he knows how it would look: a Black man standing over a dead white guy. So, he opts for tidying up the “crime” scene. But in the middle of wiping down fingerprints, two thugs show up, accosting Mady before hauling him off to answer to their boss. That would be Yannick (Romain Duris), a new father and slick-looking crime lord who owes a great deal of cash to the Armenian mob.
Thus begins one wild and crazy night, as Yannick grants Mady a reprieve: with the proviso that he finds Claire and the thousands she allegedly stole from the dead man’s apartment, and do it before dawn, or else. To supervise the operation, Yannick dispatches his two goons, Theo (Jonas Bloquet) and Remy (Thomas Mustin).
What ensues is a potent blend of kineticism and pulse-pounding excitement, as Blanchart puts his excellent cast through a physical and emotional wringer. Mayhem and double-crosses abound, most of them cunningly designed to make your heart skip a beat. The thrills include a trio of superior chase scenes, one on foot, one by auto and another atop a bicycle Mady pilfers during a getaway, eventually riding down several flights of stairs leading to the Brussels subway. The action is superb. And through it all, I found myself fixated on Mady’s hood, flopping up and down throughout the night.
In other words, Blanchart had me where he wanted, impelled to consider the significance of a young unarmed Black man in a hoodie being chased by a gaggle of white men be they, criminals or cops. And you wonder whether it would have been as effective had a white dude been cast as Mady? Of course not.
At the center is Feltre, a hugely appealing actor with large, soulful eyes and an irresistible, innocent face that had me at hello. I needed zero coaxing to accompany Mady through every triumph and indignity. He’s a real find, exuding so much charm you’re fully convinced of Mady’s ability to wriggle his way out of scrape after scrape. Ultimately, it’s the intelligence, compassion and agility exhibited by Feltre that leaves a lasting impression. Ditto for Duris, who fashions a complete enigma in the ruthless Yannick. Is he a total sociopath, or do we at times spot a glimmer of humanity?
As impressive as they are, it’s Blanchart who’s worthy of the loftiest praise, both for his excellent use of subtext and his skill at creating intense action and suspense on a minuscule budget. “Night Call” may seem slight at first, a pandering genre picture. But look closer and you’ll discover a flick with plenty of substance, an exhilarating example of nuts-and-bolts filmmaking that there’s just not enough of anymore. Keep an eye on Blanchart. He’s sure to blow your mind.
Movie review
Night Call
Rated: Not rated
Cast: Jonathan Feltre, Natacha Krief, Jonas Bloquet, Romain Duris and Thomas Mustin
Director: Michiel Blanchart
Writer: Michiel Blanchart
Runtime: 91 minutes
Where: In theaters Jan. 17 before streaming Jan. 24
Grade: B+