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‘Dark Night’ Review: Dir. Tim Sutton (2017)

Dark Night review: The lives of six strangers intersect at a suburban Cineplex where a massacre occurs.

Dark Night review by Ben Read.

Gun culture and Gun crime in the US has, and always will be, a prevalent and sensitive subject. Despite your own personal views and opinions on the weapons themselves, it appears that, despite Obama’s admirable and ultimately futile efforts, firearms are here to stay. Now, Dark Night. A film loosely based on the horrific Aurora shootings that occurred during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, is automatically going to provoke controversy and discussion. The moral and ethical implications of releasing this film a mere 5 years after the shocking event, will undoubtedly spark a debate that will polarise viewers. Indeed, Tim Sutton took on a mammoth task when choosing to adapt these events. But how does he address this in the film?

Strangely, despite one direct visual reference to James Holmes himself, Dark Night actually sidesteps the foreboding and ever-looming conclusion of the narrative. Instead, the film favours a much more quiet and understated look at how the presence of firearms in the US can impact the lives of those around us. Taking a subtle, fly-on-the-wall approach, the film follows 6 individuals in their day-to-day lives. Each of these people are clearly suffering from different forms of mental illness, or trauma, and each of them have a different relationship with weaponry. This cleverly concocted form of storytelling actually addresses the larger themes within the script, without ever disrespectfully treading on the toes on the real life tragedy.

Dark Night review

Of course, it ultimately doesn’t matter which one of these troubled individuals becomes the foreshadowed cause of another massacre. The point of Sutton’s story is that it could have been either of them, and that a firearm can have unforeseen ramifications of almost anyone. That being said, it doesn’t detract from the final reveal of which one becomes the (presumed) killer. The films conclusion leaves the audience with a haunting implication of the true horror to come. In fact, despite the very little actual dialogue spoken throughout the course of the film, Dark Night presents us with one of the most terrifying inspections into gun culture since Natural Born Killers. The politically loaded film capitalises on the real-world, and extremely relevant, fear of the seemingly average man. Because let’s face it, if 2017 has taught us anything it’s that the world is not a safe place anymore.

In this respect, it’s easy to see why some viewers may walk away more disturbed by this than most horror films on the market. Sutton’s ghostly dream-like visuals help to create an extremely unnerving and uncomfortable atmosphere, but this may also detach audiences from the film and undermine his ultimate goal. Overall, there is a lot to take away from Dark Night in terms of its message and political relevance. But, the lack of real substance within the script prevents the film from reaching true greatness. Either way this interesting start to a potentially great career for Sutton, and we can’t wait to see what the promising director has up his sleeve next.

Dark Night review by Ben Read, August 2017.

Dark Night is released in UK cinemas from 18th August 2017.

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