Night Fare (2015)
Gareth Jones
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Starring Jonathan Howard, Fanny Valette, Jess Liaudin, Jonathan Demurger
Directed by Julien Seri
It’s been two years since Manchester native Chris (Howard) suddenly upped and left his life in Paris behind, skipping shores back to the UK. Now he’s returning to, apprehensively, re-initiate contact with his old friend Luc (Demurger) and ex-girlfriend Ludivine (Valette).
To his visible upset, it seems that in Chris’ absence, Ludivine has moved on romantically to an awkward relationship with hopped-up party boy Luc, and the wedge between the group is immediately apparent.
When he’s taken for a night out on the town by Luc, Chris decides – against his better judgement – to tag along on a cross-town trip to Luc’s friend’s apartment. On the way, the pair flag down a taxi manned by a disconcertingly silent and stony-faced driver (Liaudin) – and on reaching their destination, Luc decides to pull a runner instead of paying the man. Penniless Chris is therefore forced to do the same… and so begins a frantic night of terror for the pair as the wronged driver relentlessly hunts them down – his meter running the entire time.
Ultra-stylish and pulsing with a fantastic synth score, Julien Seri’s Night Fare is a tense and, at times, brutal chase flick that keeps the adrenaline pumping throughout. Jess Liaudin’s lethal taxi driver is a soon-to-be-legendary new entry into the stalker stables – sporting impeccable costume design that renders his muscular bulk all the more intimidating and a silent-but-violent modus operandi that comes across like a mixture of Matt Cordell, Jason Voorhees and The Terminator‘s T-800.
As Chris and Luc cross paths with vicious drug dealers and dirty cops, their ruthless pursuer is always just a few steps behind, ready to lay waste to anyone standing between him and his targets – yet, adding an extra layer of depth to the story, he does appear to have something of a moral code behind the threatening veneer; he isn’t just an indiscriminate killer.
As the night wears on, Night Fare‘s visuals continue to impress, with some aesthetically impressive presentations of the Driver’s vehicle stalking the neon-lit Paris streets like a shark following the scent of blood. Alongside the meter visibly ticking up as scenes change – you get the impression that there’s truly going to be hell to pay for this particular ride – the human drama also unfolds between Chris, Luc and Ludivine, leading to the revelation of just what happened to cause Chris to skip country without so much as a nod in his girlfriend’s direction.
And a revelation it most certainly is, painting a much deeper picture of the characters and creating a visible arc to Chris that works even as it allows the main focus to remain on the chase – something which he comes to believe may be some form of cosmic penance for past transgressions.
It all leads to a swift change of tactic for the finale, which delivers a surprisingly well presented animated sequence and uncovers a completely unexpected mythology behind the role of the uncompromising taxi driver. Perspectives shift, a box of surprises is opened and Night Fare elevates its villain from silent killer to something different altogether. Yes – it does, regrettably, slow the pacing abruptly but it’s a turn so compelling that this minor wrongdoing can be immediately forgiven in favour of one word… “Wow.”
Flawlessly presented, delivering excellent performances and one of the best on-screen antagonists in a hell of a long time, Night Fare is a tension-filled sleeper hit that has much more going on under the hood than you’d expect. Vicious violence underpins a tale of sin, repentance and redemption in the most unlikely of places. Enjoy the ride – it’s one of the best you’ll take all year.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
