NIGHT PATROL
(director/writer: Ryan Prows; screenwriters: Tim Cairo, Shaye Ogbonna, Jake Gibson; cinematographer: Benjamin Kitchens; edvineitor: Bradin French; music: Pepijn Caudron; cast: Jermaine Fowler (Xavier Carr), Justin Long (Ethan Hawkins), Dermot Mulroney (Sarge), Phil Foster alias the WWE Wrestler CM Punk (Deputy), YG (Tripp), RJ Cyler (Wazi), Freddie Gibbs (Bornelius), Nicki Micheaux (Ayander), Nick Gillie (Captain Freeman), Jon Oswald (Rivette), Three Deuces (Flying Lotus, a Blood); Runtime: 103; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Josh Goldbloom, David S. Goyer, Narineh Hacopian, James Harris, Mark Lane, Keith Levine; RLJE Films &Shudder; 2025-USA/UK)
“An incoherent supernatural action and social message film about bad cops policing the ghetto.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A comedy/horror thriller about corrupt cops that turns into an incoherent supernatural action and social message film about bad cops policing the ghetto. It’s ambitiously but weakly directed and co-written by Ryan Prows (“Lowlife”/”V/H/S/94”) with Tim Cairo, Shaye Ogbonna, and Jake Gibson.
In Los Angeles, rival Black ghetto gangs, the Crips and Blood, unite to fight the cops when attacked by them in their housing project.
Xavier Carr (Jermaine Fowler) is an ex-gang member of the Crips who turned his life around and has become a rookie cop, hoping to do good for his community. The Black cop is teamed up with the veteran white cop Ethan Hawkins (Justin Long), an ex-military special ops man. Ethan’s desire is to join the semi-secretive unit of the LAPD Night Patrol, supposedly headed by someone sinister who is only referred to as the Deputy (Phil Foster, alias the WWE Wrestler CM Punk).
Primo (Zuri Reed) is the sister of the Blood’s gang leader, who hangs out with Xavier’s little brother Wazi (RJ Cyler). After the execution of Primo by Ethan, Wazi escapes and seeks out Primo’s older brother Bornelius (Freddie Gibbs) for help. When Wazi’s arrested in the opening scene, he’s grilled in the police station by the hard-nosed Captain Freeman (Nick Gillie) who tries to get the wounded in the chest vic to confess he killed Primo.
Ethan’s deceased but undead legendary policeman father, Sarge (Dermot Mulroney), suddenly emerges from the darkness as a vampire and is revealed as the real head of the Night Patrol. He encourages his son to become an assassin for the white supremacist unit after he completes his initiation kill assignment.
Meanwhile Xavier pauses to ponder what he’s gotten himself into by joining the bigoted police force, and Primo’s brother tries to deal with his anxious Zulu mystical Crip mother Ayanda (Nicki Micheaux) as she prepares her gifted magical ring to fight off the assault from the vampire white cops.
The big twist comes at the halfway mark when it turns from an outdated 1990s styled cop flick to a convoluted ultra-violent racist vampire flick. Those not repulsed by all the gore might find the cartoonish violence entertaining. All I found was trite dialogue, an ugly story, atrocious acting, and that astonishingly the menacing Crips and Bloods were treated better than the LAPD.
It played at the Fantastic Fest.
REVIEWED ON 3/2/2026 GRADE: C-
dennisschwartzreviews.com