By Night’s End: Review

27th September 2020

Heather (Michelle Rose) and Mark (Kurt Yue) are a couple coping with the loss of their daughter. Their first Christmas will be difficult without her, but they intend to make the best of things, although it’s clear that they’ve drifted apart.

Then in the middle of the night they find a man has broken into their house, at first the man offers them $10,000 to let him go, but after he pulls a gun on them, Heather sees no choice but to kill him. Overcome with the shock and trauma of ending a life, Heather wants to call the police immediately. However, Mark proposes that they take an hour to search the house so that they can possibly find the $10,000 prize that their intruder was offering.

Little do they realise that their wannabe assailant has friends that are after the prize as well.

By Night’s End is a home invasion action thriller co-written and directed by Walker Whited. A cross between Die Hard and Home Alone, the film starts out as cat and mouse thriller. However, while Mark and Heather get closer during their high concept situation, the audience learns that Heather’s past as an Iraq veteran may come in handy as she has a particular set of skills.

What follows becomes more like a full-blown action thriller as it progresses and by the final act there’s an indication the movie may only exist to showcase Rose’s expertise as a stunt performer. By Night’s End is still enjoyable though, no matter how many action movie cliches may get thrown at the audience, although those looking for something more emotionally involving may be left disappointed.

However, for fans of the genre that knowingly throws back to its action influences there’s plenty to enjoy, particularly from the flamboyantly dressed villain ironically named Moody (Michael Aaron Milligan) who gives a suitably flamboyant performance.

By Night’s End may not be all that original despite its initial premise, but it’s fun and executed well enough to switch off your brain for 85 minutes. Who knows, there may even be a sequel set in an airport.

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