Night Always Comes Review: Enjoyable in Bursts and Its Own Worst Enemy!

Night Always Comes Review: Enjoyable in Bursts and Its Own Worst Enemy! | Leisurebyte

Director: Benjamin Caron

Date Created: 2025-08-15 12:30

Editor's Rating:
3

Night Always Comes Review: Taking place over one explosive night that changes everything, Lynette goes on a journey to secure funds to save her home and care for her brother. However, the road to happiness is paved with danger and confronting her own disturbing past.

The film has a runtime of 108 minutes and is adapted from the 2021 novel The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin.

Night Always Comes Review

In this desperate, tense drama-thriller, a desperate woman tries her best to secure funds that will save her home and her brother. However, it’s not an easy journey, as it never is, and makes viewers engaged in a anguished and hopeless manner hoping for Lynette to succeed somehow. The film captures the intensity of Lynette’s situation wonderfully although it isn’t able to hold on to it or give it a proper send off when all is said and done.

It captures the raw, emotional intensity beautifully thanks mostly to Vanessa Kirby, who delivers one of the best performances of this year. Kirby brings forth the anguish of a desperate woman on the brink of breakdown bringing forth a complex woman full of grit and vulnerability at every moment. I found myself relating to her more and more as the runtime went on and it’s difficult to look away from her plight even when it makes us uncomfortable.

As the clock ticks with urgency, one can’t help but take in the grounded sense of realism. Unfortunately, despite a brilliant Kirby, the plot is what falters in the end, taking implausible turns that feel silly in the grand scheme of things. The film could’ve been a hard-hitting and immersive experience, with the grounded tone and live-in locations taking us on Lynette’s journey without us even noticing it. But, it’s some of the twists and turns that ultimately turn this film into a half-baked watch.

The main points of discussion in the film surrounds economic desperation and social neglect and I found that Night Always Comes does a good job of addressing these issues. Again, Kirby is the reason why it hits so hard, but the pacing is mostly fantastic and turns the drama film into a thriller at times. Then again, the emotional payoff and some silly plot devices take us out of the experience constantly and the end is its biggest weakness, stopping itself just before the film can get juicier.

Final Thoughts

For fans of character-driven thrillers and fantastic performances, Night Always Comes will be an interesting and immersive watch. Yes, it has some glaring flaws, but it isn’t the worst and probably worth at least one watch.

Also Read: Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House Review: An Absolutely Heartbreaking and Infuriating Watch