The Midnight Man (2016)

Very well executed

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

this movie is the greatest on the topic of gang member's story, has totally new concept, so the rating needs to be above 8, i'll advise people to stop rating low without watching the full movie. the movie has off the hook story , has good script, fresh acting, new mindset and the viewers wants this type of movie in the crime , action, thriller type of movie, which is well served. i'll say it's a must watch for people who are interested in such type of movie topics. also have a bit of time period in kisses & sex in the car(just one adult scene which include all these in a period of 3 minutes approx), but it's OK, i'll say because some viewers wants it and also the storyline is very strong. watch and help increase the rating, because it is one of the best movie of this genre for me! acting is realistic, genuine, bind you for full movie times, plot is never weak, i loved the new concept, and a full package for crime, thriller, fight, action and a bit of mystery puts a high standard to other movies for this category.

The Midnight Man is a movie that I accidentally stumbled upon, without any previous reference and without ever having heard about it before. I watched it with barely any expectations of what it would be about, but it certainly took me by surprise when it forcefully grabbed me and dragged me into its imaginative storyline, right from the beginning.From the very start, this adorable and humorous crime movie picks up a steady pace that it maintains until its very last scene, and that has you constantly wondering what will come next. When I was done watching, I had enjoyed it so much that I just had to go and find out more about it, and that's when I was in for a few more surprises.I had not expected this to be the work of independent movie makers with a limited budget. I watch movies frequently, and I am able to appreciate the art of independent movie producers just as readily as that of high-end blockbusters. I think that what we are dealing with here, first and foremost, is a combination of excellent writing, directing, and acting. The unique amalgam of these talents that is presented in this movie manages to keep the focus of the viewer on the storyline, in a way that cleverly distracts your attention from any setbacks that might be caused by budget limitations or lack of resources. It is pure talent and brilliance, in my opinion, to be able to make a film that way, and to do it so successfully.I discovered that much of what we are seeing and experiencing is depending on the talents of Brinna Kelly, who plays the secondary lead role in the movie, or the 'co-lead', if you like. As it turns out, her contribution to this film goes far beyond that, as she is also the (co-)writer of the story, and the producer. Since, in my opinion, the storyline with its witty (sometimes hilarious) dialogs is such a major factor in the excellence of this flick, I believe that her contribution to its effectiveness must have been of cardinal significance. She skillfully and elegantly plays a surprising, fascinating, and somewhat hard-to-fathom character named 'Zan' in this film, providing an excellent balance against the role of the lead character, Grady, charismatically played by the British actor Will Kemp.I think that Grady was actually done so well, that another story could be written around his character, as a sequel to this film. I probably feel this way mostly as a result of Kemp's excellent acting, but it must also be a matter of good writing, and good casting. He manages to remain believable throughout the movie, provided that the viewer is tuned in to the subtly sarcastic sense of humor that permeates this movie from beginning to end. The humor has a distinctly British feel to it, while the movie itself has more of an American air and style. It may well be that the 'Britishness' is Kemp's own effect on the script. That said, the tongue-in-cheek dialogs are absolutely delightful, and contribute strongly to the attractiveness of the entire movie. When it comes to the acting in this film, Will Kemp 'makes' it; Brinna Kelly adds the magic.D.C. Hamilton is the director and co-writer of this movie, and apparently has a background in TV production and editing mostly. His previous work with Brinna Kelly was on a short movie called 'The Midnight Monster', which I have not yet had the pleasure to watch. When I found this title, I was amused by the fact that apparently, an allusion to that movie is being made in 'The Midnight Man'. Given the pivotal importance of the director in making a good script come to life, D.C. Hamilton undoubtedly deserves a huge portion of the credit. It certainly looks like the Hamilton-Kelly combination forms the basis of a powerful team with a promising potential for putting out superb works of art.Although I believe that all actors were excellently cast, and did a wonderful job, two of them specifically deserve to be highlighted here. Doug Jones plays a bone-chilling role as 'torture-expert' Vick, and William Forsythe impresses as the intimidating villain Fairbanks. Both these talented actors shine brightly, effortlessly immersed in their roles, as true veterans of the film industry.Last but not least, I think the movie score plays an important role in giving this movie that 'big feel'. It helps set the right mood, is never too prominent or pushy, and is woven seamlessly into the fabric of the storyline, the dialogue, and the action scenes.I think that The Midnight Man suffers only from one thing, and that's simply: not enough people seeing it. I watched it again, shortly after having seen it for the first time, and this time with the pause button under my finger. Truth be told, I was now able to see how and where a bigger budget would have been able to lift this movie to even higher levels, even though none of this had even come to my mind when I watched it the first time around.Nevertheless, this doesn't take away anything from the credit that these talented filmmakers deserve for what they proved to be able to create with what was available to them. On the contrary; it underlines even more that we are dealing with people of true artistic talent, who are inevitably going to make a serious impact in the movie world if they keep putting out such wonderful labors of love.Bottom line: watch The Midnight Man, and invite others to watch it. Take my word for it, you will enjoy it. Then, join me in looking out for this awesome team's next work.

The Midnight Man is a reasonable B-Grade action flick.The background story includes some genuine originality too. An assassin who cannot feel pain or sensory pleasures, such as touch. Its a rather different premise, that's turned on its head, with interesting results. The selection of a good cast of seasoned, mostly television based actors really lifts this film. There's a decent amount of moderately funny, mostly gallows humour, on offer from the lead and supporting cast to off set the action scenes. Perhaps the only downside to this film is it does languish somewhat in the middle. There is a discernible loss of the pace which could have been fixed with a more considered storyline and a little more action and less idle chat. All in all, I liked The Midnight Man. Its in no way exceptional but it is watchable and for the most part, entertaining. Six out of ten from me.

In a world where action movies become more visceral, more demanding in their production and cinematography, "The Midnight Man" employs a sluggishly poor combat. Nevertheless, it also offers a few funny exchanges with solid script and presentable acting performance. The end product is a somewhat enjoyably one night stand with glaring flaws which are forgivable depending on your expectation.Grady (Will Kemp) is a fixer for a mob boss with unique ability to not feel pain. In one bad night, he must eliminate four targets that may have more connection than he thinks. There's a shade of Ryan Reynolds here, as Will Kemp dons a similar witty agent while running from one bizarre situation to the next. He gets the jester part right, although there's some shoddy moments when trying to emulate a hardened criminal.Brinna Kelly as Zan, the unlucky paramedic who got caught in the crossfire, is a fairly decent love interest and weird partner. Usually, this kind of Jason Statham's Transporter suave romance doesn't pay off, but the acting and chemistry makes it work more often than not. The supporting cast like Doug Jones and William Forsythe also deliver on the outlandishly named and portrayed characters.The problem, and it's a rather significant one, comes when it tries to do action sequences. It's utterly horrible, bordering on Bollywood level. This makes the sturdy, flamboyant or charismatic characters into feeble men trying to deliver a punch and fail. At a couple of points it becomes ridiculous, which perhaps might be serendipitous or even intentional, but it betrays the serious thriller tone it just builds for five minutes.Messy and sketchy, but hilariously entertaining at times. it's a sloppy trudge through a peculiar night elevated by its clever and humorous script.