NIGHT PATROL - - BLOOD THIRSTY COPS

Review by Steve Barton II

With the recent murders of Renee Good, George Floyd and so many others at the hands of police (and masked vigilantes playing cops), a movie like Night Patrol can be traumatic, but also powerful. Night Patrol follows a Los Angeles gang member (RJ Cyler, Power Rangers) who has a run-in with a police taskforce, where he quickly realizes they are more than just thirsty for violence. The movie also follows a cop duo in the LAPD, one of them being a former gang member (Jermaine Fowler, The Blackening) and his partner (Justin Long, Jeepers Creepers) who gets brought into the Night Patrol to pick up where his father left off. 

One thing you can’t deny about Night Patrol is that it has a style that is gonna turn many people off immediately. It has the feeling and look of a 70’s grindhouse action/horror movie mixed with blaxploitation. The elements that create that tone are the hip-hop score, hilarious characters like conspiracy theorists and voodoo worshipers, realistic Los Angeles setting, and brutal shootouts that rival a few war films. There are a few scenes of brutal police violence that are done so well that it will certainly invoke anger and sadness in the most stoic viewer. The fight choreography and the way those sequences were shot left a lot to be desired, but otherwise the cinematographer accomplishes some unique shots that capture that music video feel. There is a montage with the cops working together, responding to emergency calls and the way it’s shot, edited and acted reminded me immediately of David Ayer’s cop drama, End of Watch. 

While it will inevitably be compared to last year’s critical darling Sinners with it being a social commentary on racism using vampires, the similarities end there. Sinners used its large budget to its advantage creating massive sets and prohibition era costuming, where Night Patrol purely relies on the star power from its cast! Justin Long will sell a few tickets on his name alone, but the additions of hip-hop stars Freddie Gibbs & YG as well as Phil Brooks (a.k.a. CM Punk from WWE) bring their own built in audiences to this carnival of chaos.

When it comes to special effects in Night Patrol, a few of the scenes seemed to have more priority and budget than others and it is very noticeable. A few scenes with the vampires looked great and had its own unique look, but others were on par with a Twilight fan film. The addition of the voodoo magic powers and the goofy Green Lantern ring almost made the situation a bit too cartoonish and possibly into offensive territory with how the practice of voodoo is portrayed. The movie would’ve definitely benefited from pulling the reins back on a few ideas, but it seems like all four writers got to keep their favorite ideas, even if it makes no sense to the overall plot.

Night Patrol comes at a very interesting time with police violence and racism being at the top of everyone’s minds and social media feeds. It tackles these important ideas from a new-ish perspective, but the main appeal is the cast of conspiracy-fueled rappers and CM Punk’s best performance outside of a squared circle! If films like From Dusk til Dawn or Attack the Block are ever playing at a drive-in theater and needed an opening film to set the mood, look no further than the weird, but fun little movie called Night Patrol!

Night Patrol is in theaters starting January 16th!

Rating: 3/5