The Raid (now titled The Raid: Redemption) may have been one of the most buzzed about midnight entries at TIFF 2011, but also playing to great response was the French thriller Sleepless Night. Warner Bros. was quick to snatch it up with plans for an eventual American remake in 2014. But the thriller, which also played at last year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin (read our review), has a lot going for it. Double crosses, a kidnapping, and heists gone bad. What’s not to love?
Plot Synopsis: Sleepless Night tells the story of Vincent (Tomer Sisley), a respected and dedicated police officer – or so it seems. After he and a colleague are recognized while stealing a massive bag of cocaine from drug dealers employed by local mob boss Marciano (Serge Riaboukine), Vincent quickly finds himself trapped in a situation that no parent would envy: his son has been kidnapped with the promise of execution if he doesn’t immediately deliver the bag back to its rightful owner. Vincent heads to Marciano’s nightclub on the outskirts of Paris to make the swap, but competing interests and misplaced loyalties soon threaten to complicate the exchange. The ensuing game of cat-and-mouse quickly spirals into madness, sprawling across every seedy back room and pulsating, claustrophobic inch of the crowded dance floor. With enemies on all sides and time working against him, the night to come might not only be the longest but also the last of Vincent and his young son’s life.
The French thriller drops into theaters on May 11 and VOD on April 17.
