Director: Frederic Jardin
Starring: Tomer Sisley, Serge Riaboukine, Julien Boisselier, Joey Starr, Laurent Stocker, Birol Unel, Lizzie Brochere, Pom Klementieff.
Running Time: 96 minutes
Certificate: 15
With TAKEN 3 having been released this week, perhaps it’s about time to revisit this awesome little French action thriller. SLEEPLESS NIGHT holds many of the same ingredients that made the Liam Neeson starrers so popular. Actually, SLEEPLESS NIGHT far excels its bigger budget equivalent with more interesting characters and a punchier pace.
Tomer Sisley plays a corrupt cop who steals a whole lot of cocaine. However, after making a few mistakes during the heist, the gangsters that have been ripped off decide to take the cop’s son. This leads to a SLEEPLESS NIGHT in which Vincent (Sisley) must traverse a dangerous nightclub which sees him running back and forth as he double crosses fellow cops, gangsters, and must use the resources at hand. The single location offers a fantastic restriction to the action, as well as a number of sequences that provide both intensity and comedy.
Vincent is a morally ambiguous character, but one who has good intentions, at least throughout the course of the film. He’s also far from the perfect action hero. He trips, crawls away cowardly, and sometimes just scraps for his life. It may not lead to the most fluid action sequences around, but it gives us a grittier and more visceral violence. It’s not just about the violence either, as Vincent has to be a bit more resourceful than just throwing his weight around. The pressure also increases throughout with Vincent’s injury sustained at the beginning of the film making him gradually weaker and more vulnerable.
Small scale in appearance but non-stop action throughout, SLEEPLESS NIGHT provides an exciting 90 minutes. Despite the characters being involved in nefarious activities, you feel a solid connection without becoming so completely immersed that misgivings are forgotten. Hitting full speed in 2.5 seconds, SLEEPLESS NIGHT is best enjoyed as a ferocious ride with many bumps along the way, but rather than slowing you down, they give you that queer yet enjoyable feeling in your stomach.
[usr=3] SLEEPLESS NIGHT is out on DVD now.
