In his feature debut, Belgian filmmaker Michiel Blanchart takes a simple and familiar action movie setup and gives it his own twist by adding relevant social commentary. In "The Night Call," young locksmith Maddie (Jonathan Felt) spends a violent and eventful night in Brussels. He tangles with evil characters, forms touching friendships, and races against time to save himself. Blanchard has proven himself adept at lending different shades to all of his actors, shifting audience loyalties and making his films more than the usual brutal action fare.

After Maddie loses her key, a mysterious but affable woman named Claire (Natasha Cliff) asks her to open her apartment. After she flirted with him, he allowed her to cheat on him and steal a large plastic bag. Suddenly, he's alone in a stranger's apartment, looking like a burglar. There's a lot of money in the bag, the stranger is a violent gangster, and Maddie is soon on the run on his own, with a gang of bad guys chasing him. Chief among the gangsters hunting him are the menacing Yannick (Romain Duris) and his tough but sensitive goon Theo (Jonas Bloquet).

Maddie is a resourceful and smart young man. He used his intelligence to successfully convince his opponents of his innocence. His talents as a locksmith come in handy many times, allowing him to stop bad guys - at least temporarily. But before long, people start getting killed, and a cat-and-mouse chase closes in on Maddie, with dangerous and deadly consequences. All this happened on a night when Brussels witnessed massive protests over the police murder of a young black man.

At first, these demonstrations sit on the periphery of the film—more like background noise than an integral part of the plot. Slowly, they become the driving force of the narrative, giving Night Call a meaningful social impact. Maddie only joined when it suited him, thinking that staying in the crowd would help him escape. However, as he begins to understand the true nature of what he is involved in, similarities to what is happening in the city become apparent.

In addition to his focus on social issues, Blanchard has proven himself adept at dynamic action filmmaking. "Night Call" moves easily from one fixed clip to another. As Blanchard mentioned in press reports, he was clearly influenced by American thrillers like "Collateral" and "Training Day." There's even a direct homage to the former, with a chase scene set inside a raucous nightclub. However, this is a sensible tribute and not just a copy-and-paste of genre triumphs. Blanchard has a keen eye and talent. Additionally, Sylvestre Vannoorenberghe’s cinematography keeps the action tense while capturing the nuances of the many performances.

Duris exists as a menacing and sinister villain. Bloquet is reminiscent of his compatriot Matthias Schoenaerts in Rust and Bone, bringing a similar sense of macho sympathy to his character. But Feltre's central performance keeps the film intact. His eyes are wide and his face is filled with fear - a drive to survive that drives the film through its many twists and turns. He's believable as a criminal, but also believable as a guy who hums Petula Clark's tender "La Nuit N'en Finit Plus" while working.

For viewers looking for an entertaining action-adventure, Night Call delivers on its promise. But it also serves as an introduction to writers and directors who understand the genre and are willing to give it a modern interpretation filled with topical themes. By covering this wider canvas, Night Call shows that it's more than just one man's nightmarish adventures. It's different from the usual programmer shows by giving viewers real-life problems to think about.