Sy is his usual expressive and jubilant self, but unlike his Hollywood career, when it comes to French cinema, he always manages to balance his exuberance with a delicate touch. I would have loved to have seen 'Night Shift' be exclusively based in the car, in a real time ride that gives each of these officers a chance to express themselves properly.Īs with any bottle movie, it is reliant on a brilliant cast that knows this script expertly well, and 'Night Shift' is no exception. It's clear why Fontaine decided to structure the film this way, as it goes a long way in eliciting the desired sympathy, but with so much to squeeze into a short film, you're left as an audience with minimal care. The first act is wasted with repeated scenes from different perspectives, elongated explanations spent setting up the lives of the officers. Treat your audience with respect and intelligence, and they will surely puzzle the missing pieces together. Audiences didn't need to know the full extent of the backstories, or why they are all in a wretched mood at the start of the journey. Virgine and her colleagues don't actually start their journey to the airport until about 40 minutes into the film, and with a run time of only 100 minutes, that's far too long to spend on a prologue. It would have allowed the ideas of this film to breathe and actually leave the audience with something to talk about afterwards. ![]() I would have loved to have seen 'Night Shift' be exclusively based in the car, in a real-time ride that gives each of these officers a chance to express themselves properly. However, Fontaine's desire to showcase all these themes are ultimately this film's downfall, as it struggles to stay focused on any one idea long enough to truly be explored. This is a fascinating premise that manages to touch on many prevalent themes currently dominating French culture, such as immigration, the role of the police, alcoholism, freedom of choice and more. Virgine sets out the try to convince the other officers that he should instead be set free, and what follows is a car ride filled with passionate arguments of morality, human rights, love and loss. ![]() Here, she discovers the awful truth that should he be returned home, he will almost certainly face execution. Virgine is greatly affected by something that is happening in her life, and it's this fragility that causes her to initially break the rules and read the criminal's records. Police are well-known for strictly following orders in trying to keep the peace, however, due to external problems they are all facing, they are forced to confront their own feelings rather than merely doing as they are told. On this car ride is Virgine ( Virginie Efira, 'Elle'), Aristide ( Omar Sy, 'The Intouchables', 'Jurassic World') and Erik ( Grégory Gadebois, 'J'accuse'). 'Night Shift' follows three Parisian police officers over the course of - you guessed it - one night shift, where they have been tasked in transferring a criminal to the airport so he can be returned to his home country. 'Night Shift' is the latter, and would probably be better served in that way.īased on the successful 2016 French novel by author Hugo Boris, titled 'Police', Luxembourgish writer and director Anne Fontaine ( 'The Innocents', 'Coco Before Chanel', 'Adoration') takes the helms to adapt this book for the screen, but unfortunately, it hits wide of the mark. ![]() Other times, you watch a film that could be expertly adapted to a stage play due to its refined nature and singular theme. Sometimes you watch a bottle film and can't help but think that it needed to be fleshed out more that the gimmick doesn't work. When utilised correctly and at its best, a bottle movie can be truly memorable and leave lasting impressions - 'The Hateful Eight' and 'Rear Window' immediately spring to mind as personal favourites. Critics cite the film's low scare factor resulting from the excessive use of horror gimmicks, implausible scenes and the lack of insight of the characters played by Yam Concepcion and Michael de Mesa.A bottle movie is one that is based almost entirely in one location, with a single cast list that is forced into the space, often to resolve a conflict.
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