Vincent is really a well-respected cop, as well as a devoted husband and father. But below the surface of his idyllic living, Vincent is involved that has a very dangerous group involving gangsters and drug retailers. When Vincent and his partner are caught stealing a massive quantity of cocaine from your powerful drug lord, the darker side of Vincent's life threatens to destroy his family and also career. In a race from the clock, Vincent must return the drugs in order to save his son's life.
Jardin wastes no time easing to the action, as the movie starts up on police partners Vincent (Sisley) along with Manuel (Laurent Stocker) intercepting the cocaine hand-off in what becomes a vehicle chase and bullet-laden wrestle. We learn that the cops are planning to keep the stash pertaining to themselves, but when mob boss/nightclub proprietor Marciano (Serge Riaboukine) catches wind in the double-cross, he kidnaps Vincent's son Thomas (Samy Seghir). The ensuing race against time and energy to rescue his child, which ends up involving other cops from the force (among all of them the lovely Lizzie Brocher? as Vignali) takes place almost entirely within the bowels with the nightclub.
A single-location film is a feat unto itself, but Jardin makes a pair of incredibly smart decisions: First, he treats the location like a character, introducing us to the various components – rear rooms, kitchens, walk-in freezers, overhead crawl spaces, bathrooms, pool halls, dance floors – and builds on the importance, eventually involving them inside action. Second, he utilizes a shrill score, the duality of blown-out as well as shadowed lighting, handheld camera techniques and intensely cramped set pieces to be able to mount the building tension which has a sense of disquieting claustrophobia. The director was so intent on authenticity when it came to a feeling of suffocation that they refused to open way up walls or build special set pieces for that camera to fit directly into; every location is authentic, and every shot is determined up within it. No Hollywood tricks are engaged here, and it makes all of the difference.
In addition to Jardin's deft function behind the camera, Sisley's devotion to his role – both emotional and physical improvement of his character – is actually palpable. Whether he's breaking down in a stairwell, beating a man in a back room or behind the wheel during a high-speed follow, Sisley is giving 110 percent. Plus, he does his own choreography and stunts. Watch your backs, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Daniel Craig and Company. – this guy may be the truth, and he's nipping at the heels.
Sleepless Night is one of those thoroughly satisfying, endlessly entertaining and fully adrenaline-inducing films that grips on and never lets go. There are echoes involving Hitchcock films, The Raid, Die Hard and Travel within its frames (although Jardin would inform you he was primarily influenced by South Korean cinema for instance Oldboy), but it does by itself justice by proving to become a fully developed standalone little bit of cinema. Don't wait for the remake to set this one on your own radar: Jardin's version of Sleepless Night may be the original, and an instant classic.
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