Perhaps to underscore the dark turns the film takes, cinematographer Rainer Lipski tends toward very low lighting. Give McTigue credit for keeping the narrative lean and the story short — it clocks in at just 82 minutes, with Jonas Wikstrand’s score nicely amplifying the tension.
Unlike the trailer, which lays out the story chronologically and logically, the film itself jumps back in forth in time to unnecessarily add momentary confusion — perhaps to kickstart the film with the action and then going back. There’s a bit of business with a lime green Maserati MC20 (also featured prominently in the poster) that may have something to do with getting the most out of a one-day rental.
Its racing around gives the film an Los Angeles feel (where it was actually shot) instead of New York (where it was supposed to be set).
“Take the Night” also has the feel of a short film bulked up a bit; with its central idea given a twist before its end. That time is used to develop the individual stories of the participants. And while we don’t get to know a whole lot more about the Chinese brothers, except that the younger one is sentimental about gifts from his late dad.
The gang brothers are drawn to the grave of their late father as well. And individual members of the gang all have their back stories as well leading up to the big heist, including a hot former basketball prospect who is now down on his luck, played by Shomari Love of “The Chi.”
That the pranking brother also has to pay employees of their firm overtime to attend this failed surprise party also means that he may not have a lot of friends of his own. Ultimately, it’s hard to feel a lot of sympathy for any of the characters.
Dark in tone and grim in execution, “Take the Night” shows promise in McTigue as a crafter of movie yarns. But you kind of wonder how it would have turned out if they had done it as a comic caper after all.
Released in theaters earlier this summer, “Take the Night” is available on video on demand on platforms such as YouTube, Vudu. Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.