Two hugely entertaining films are out right now. Both are foreign and set to be remade, so why not be the cool kid on your block and talk about how much you enjoyed the originals? I know I will.
Sleepless Night, aka Nuit Blanche. Regular readers may recall my delight last year at having filmmaker Nicolas Saada say mise-en-scène to me over cocktails in a Paris bar. Nicolas is the co-writer of this propulsive policier that again establishes its stakes with admirable simplicity. Crooked cop Tomer Sisley and his partner boost a cocaine stash. The local Corsican gangsters snatch divorced dad Sisley’s son in response and demand an exchange at their sprawling nightclub on the outskirts of Paris. Appropriately called Le Tarmac, it’s the size of an airplane hangar, kitted out with a first-class restaurant, a pool hall, and multiple bars, discos and karaoke lounges. Inventive use of all of them will be made as Sisley dervishes through the club once the hand-off goes awry, ducking well-meaning Internal Affairs cops, other bent gendarmes, the drugs’ owners and their bloodthirsty competition. Some dynamite script construction is on display as every casual bit of information pays off in unexpected ways. Available via on demand through the Tribeca Film Festival. Here’s the trailer.
