Nuit blanche

One of the films of last year’s Midnight Madness at the Toronto Film Festival that’s been flying way below the radar of the Czech fans of the genre (although in Rotten Tomatoes it has 100% positive reviews, with a 8.1 score). Hopefully this will change because it’s really good. In a nutshell, this is a French thriller about a police officer trying to rescue his son from kidnappers, a drug gang. The important thing is that most of the plot takes place during one evening and in the premises of a night club, which the protagonist crawls from roof to cellar. The director is very successful at conveying the feverish situation the protagonist finds himself in (together with the many other characters) and this makes the film almost surprisingly action packed, though the action is not the kind you would expect from an “action thriller” tag. It just keeps running from room to room, plus a couple of effective fights. Thumbs up, this film really deserves more attention. (29/04/2012)

A fun and thrilling romp from France set in one place (a huge nightclub) and a chase is for a bag full of coke. The film is well paced, the visuals are rather average, but that will be due to its age, the characters are likeable, and the fights are presented quite realistically, although there is no outright violence or rawness. It could have had an interesting twist or more substantial action, but it's fun. 6/10. (17/05/2021)