“I just need a little more time,” says the determined hero of director Stephen Fingleton’s single-take thriller Nightride, over and over again. “That’s what they all say,” someone replies at one point. No s**t. We’ve all heard this line before. A likable antihero doing one last job before going straight isn’t exactly a novel concept, and neither is the one-shot approach. However, the film is executed with just enough finesse to qualify as a fun little distraction, the cinematic equivalent of a midnight snack.
This time, the likable antihero is drug dealer Budge (Moe Dunford), whose last job before eloping with Ukrainian girlfriend Sofia (Joana Ribeiro) involves “50 keys,” a vile mysterious figure called Joe (Stephen Rea’s voice), Joe’s orangutan henchman Troy (Gerard Jordan), and lots and lots of driving around. Budge is frequently tailed, almost killed, then forced to kill – but he’s resolute throughout, telling the pleading Sofia, “I’m not running.”
The somewhat convoluted plot of Nightride gradually unravels in a nifty fashion. Fingleton seems to acknowledge his many influences, the chief one being Michael Mann’s entire filmography, which is discussed in detail in an inspired scene. Stephen Knight’s Locke, in which Tom Hardy’s character similarly stayed on the phone during one extended, intense car ride, is another direct influence. While not quite as charismatic as Hardy, Dunford commands attention, violently clenching his jaws while letting slivers of vulnerability slip through.
“Budge is frequently tailed, almost killed, then forced to kill…”
Augmented by a pulsating electronic score, the film’s meticulous choreography intermittently verges on spectacular, particularly when Budge pulls on a mask, strides into a house, and presses a pistol against a man’s forehead. Fingleton and cinematographer David Bird manage to pull off some unexpectedly creative choices, such as twisting the camera upside down and moving from the outside of the car in the first half to the inside in its second. A cop’s blurred face is a nice touch.
Nightride could have used more of that boldness. As watchable as the chisel-jawed Dunford is, shots of him driving and talking on the phone drag on too long. Certain elements don’t quite gel, veering into contrived territory. At one point, our hero swerves off the main road and rasps, “Let’s f*****g do this,” twice, glaring at his opponent. Minutes later, he gets his a*s handed to him and pleads, “Don’t do this.” These blunt, anticlimactic resolutions needed some sharpening.
Speaking of sharpening, someone should’ve smoothed the hell out of screenwriter Ben Conway’s risible dialogue. “My heart is made of steel forged by her hands,” Budge proclaims at one point. “This isn’t who you are,” he’s told, to which he responds, “It’s who I have to be.” Here’s another snappy exchange: “That’s not enough time.” “I’ll make time.” The film’s mantra, “time is luck,” is cheekily lifted directly from a Michael Mann film, which doesn’t make it any less nonsensical.
Nightride promises to take you on a ride, which it does; a bumpy one, filled with detours and ennui-inducing stretches. Nevertheless, the filmmaker does a lot with a little, and for that, he deserves major credit. Here’s hoping his next cinematic endeavor will favor substance over style.
"…promises to take you on a ride..."
