‘Their crypto fortune is at stake’
Take the Night is a 2022 American crime thriller about a surprise birthday stunt that turns into a real-life kidnapping.
Written, directed, co-produced by and starring Seth McTigue (shorts: Mans Best; Rem; Blueprint; Mom; Trekkie Loves Becky), making his feature directorial debut. Produced by Julien P. Bourgon, Mark Heidelberger, Todd McTigue and Franco Sama.
The film also stars Roy Huang, Brennan Keel Cook, Sam Li, Shomari Love, Antonio Aaron, and Grace Serrano
Plot:
An elaborate surprise birthday stunt heads into increasingly dark places when career criminals that are hired to stage a fake kidnapping go rogue. Older brother William (Roy Huang) secures a crew to stage a fake kidnapping of his brother Robert (Sam Song Li). However, the crew has plans of their own. The brothers must put aside their sibling rivalry if they want to save the family fortune…
Reviews:
“McTigue’s screenplay provides a few twists and a-ha moments, but at its heart, Take the Night is a drama about brothers who are the victims and victors of their own complex family dynamics. The story shows how important a role parental nurture takes, regardless of a family’s status and wealth. McTigue wears a lot of hats here and he shows promise in the process.” At Home in Hollywood
“Take the Night is a solid indie thriller that’s well-made and well-acted. It feels sort of like a gritty ’80s noir crime flick but it’s not as bloody or profane as movies from that era—whether it is limitations of budget or just a matter of taste, Take the Night reins back the violence and lets the drama take center stage.” Fantastica-Daily
“It’s a good thriller with excellent performances. The film also has impressive production values, and the cinematography is top-notch. The world that McTigue built feels authentic, particularly for an indie film. What the film needed to push it into the 8 or 9 range is more… as in pushing the boundaries of the action and pushing the characters to their limits.” 7.5 out of 10, Film Threat
“The characters, performed with quiet resolve and some sympathetic melancholy by the cast, and the various ideas, about class and family and friendship and being bypassed by the world, are sidelined, never to really take the focus again […] With Take the Night, McTigue shows himself to be a filmmaker with a solid sense of momentum and atmosphere. His uncertain and incomplete storytelling is this movie’s downfall.” Mark Reviews Movies
“McTigue’s script is sufficiently twisty and tight enough to maintain interest, despite the fact that there’s relatively little of the violent action one at first expects. Instead, his focus is on gradually revealing the complexities of need among various protagonists in a narrative that finally makes another time leap to reveal some longer-term consequences…” Variety
” …makes some rookie mistakes and misses a few opportunities to take the film to the next level, but Take the Night is a solid first feature made from a script that was tricky to pull off. It’s made even more impressive by the number of behind-the-scenes roles McTigue plays. He’s helped by a talented cast and an effective score by Jonas Wikstrand…” 3.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
YouTube reviews:
Trailer [1080p HD]:
Release:
In the US, Saban Films released Take the Night theatrically on July 8, 2022. Digital and On-Demand (VOD) releases follow on July 12, 2022.
Cast and characters:
Seth McTigue … Chad
Roy Huang … William Chang
Brennan Keel Cook … Todd
Sam Song Li … Robert Chang
Shomari Love … Shannon
Antonio Aaron … Justin
Grace Serrano … Melissa
Ashwin Gore … Rekesh
Bobby Nish … Isaac Chang
Kelvin Han Yee … Chang Father
Leah Zhang … Chang Mother
Pierce Kang … Young William Chang
Kai To Kai To … Young Robert Chang
Thomas Bell … Investigator
Valéry Lessard … Sandy
Bryan Fitzgerald … Bruce
Kenneth Beck … First Police Officer
Marlon Aquino … Second Police Officer
