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American Night
2021 123 min Italy, United States of America, Bulgaria R 16+
★4.8
Action, Thriller, Crime
Director: Alessio Della Valle
Trailers
Description
A neo-noir set in the New York City's corrupt contemporary art world where the art dealer John Kaplan and the ruthless head of New York's mafia, Michael Rubino, fight for money, art, power and love.
Starring
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Actor
Emile Hirsch
Actor
Paz Vega
Actor
Awards
1 nomination total
Key opinion
American Night is widely dismissed as a disjointed and pretentious crime thriller that fails to deliver on its promotional promises. Despite featuring an eclectic international cast, the film collapses under the weight of an incoherent, non-linear script and an overly stylized visual approach.
| Screenplay | The screenplay is burdened by a chaotic, fragmented narrative structure that makes character motivations opaque and the story nearly impossible to follow. | |
| Originality | The film utilizes misleading marketing by promoting a 'heist' premise that is entirely absent from the actual narrative. | |
| Acting | Emile Hirsch's portrayal of the unstable crime boss Michael Rubino provides a rare point of competence and intrigue amidst the surrounding chaos. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the stylistic choices are split; some viewers appreciate the atmospheric score and visual flourishes, while others find the heavy reliance on stylized editing and flashing fragments to be exhausting and pretentious. |