Film Review – Night Patrol

January 15th, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Night Patrol (2025) is the amalgamation of several different ingredients. On the surface, it’s the story of corrupt L.A. police officers exploiting those of the black community. The abuse gets so severe that local gangs call a truce to team up and fight back. But the narrative has more to offer beyond its crime drama trappings. This is also a gruesome horror flick, with the cops being actual blood sucking vampires. The metaphor is obvious: those in positions of power drain the life out of people living in the margins. The community not only defends itself from being taken over by vicious monsters, but to prevent its very culture from being wiped out.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the story is broadly similar to Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed Sinners (2025). Both are about groups of people trying to survive against enemies looking to silence their voices. And both examine their themes through the use of vampires. But where Coogler’s film is masterful in its vision and craft, Night Patrol is more loose, scraggly, and less defined. Director Ryan Prows (who co-writes with Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, and Shaye Ogbonna) takes an ambitious swing here, melding the worlds of street gangs, police enforcement, and monster movies into an uneven whole. There are a lot of ideas but I’m not so sure the writing is strong enough to articulate any of them thoroughly. As a genre flick, it has some thrilling moments. As social commentary, it’s a little all over the place.

We start off with the murder of a black woman by shady police officers. This sets up a chain of events that leads us to several characters. We meet Carr (Jermaine Fowler) and Hawkins (Justin Long), two cops who will eventually be involved in the ramifications of the killing. Hawkins gets invited to join the “Night Patrol,” a squad aimed to suppress street crime. The Night Patrol (led by CM Punk) is a ruthless bunch that operates outside of police restrictions. Hawkins wants to join their ranks because his father was once a member. Carr is a former gang member whose brother Wazi (RJ Cyler) was at the crime scene. Carr and Wazi’s mother (Nicki Micheaux) believes in ancient “Zulu” customs. She places spiritual figures around her apartment complex for protection. The brother of the murder victim (Freddie Gibbs) is a gang leader who prefers using guns to avenge his sister’s death. All these opposing forces – including the vampires – comes to an explosive head during a long night of death and destruction.

Prows and his team throw a bunch of concepts into the film – maybe too much. The narrative covers social exploitation, loyalty, family, duty, etc., but none of it gets fully examined in a meaningful way. For example, one element involves Carr’s feelings about being a police officer in his own neighborhood. On one hand, he joins the force with sincere intentions, wanting to be one of the “good apples” and make a positive difference. On the other, he can be seen as a sell out to his family and friends – someone who joined the very police department that has discriminated and harmed his own people. This is an interesting beginning, but it sadly doesn’t go anywhere. It’s as though the writing/direction starts off on a strong foot but quickly loses momentum when trying to expand the character.

The same can be said – maybe even to a larger degree – for Hawkins. Justin Long is a fine actor, and he certainly goes for it all in a physically demanding role. But Hawkins lacks nuance. The writing intentionally makes him a difficult and complex person. An early scene paints him in such a despicable light that we figure him to be a straight up villain. Later, we learn a little more about him, about his father, and why he wants to join the Night Patrol. This molds him with a little more empathy. However, once the vampires arrive and all hell breaks loose, he once again flip-flops between admirable and hateful decisions. It’s a strange dynamic. The writing tries to get around this by explaining that his actions may have been manipulated, but on screen that is not articulated well enough. The switching back and forth is so drastic that it doesn’t come off as believable. Rather, Hawkins is inconsistent as a character. Interesting? Maybe. Cohesive? Maybe not. 

What the narrative lacks in character and social insight is nearly offset with its action and horror. As a genre picture, there is plenty to like. The special effects and make up deliver plenty of blood and guts to satisfy horror fans. Prows isn’t afraid to inflict violence at any time to amplify the notion that no one is safe. The cinematography (Benjamin Kitchens) delivers a grimy visual aesthetic, calling to mind grindhouse films. When people are transformed into vampires, the picture will distort or go into x-ray vision to highlight the loss of control. Much of this is pushed to the back end of the runtime, where the battle between civilians, cops, and vampires play out. While the effects are fun, the sense of place and geography gets a little muddled (everyone seems to be running in circles around the same housing complex). I did enjoy the character reactions to the chaos. One of the funniest exchanges happens when gang members gather in a circle to debate if they were facing vampires or demons, or if silver bullets are helpful or are only meant for werewolves.

Ultimately, Night Patrol lands right down the middle. Its themes are too generic and its character work lacks refinement. But on visual design, horror elements, and sheer entertainment, it succeeds. I admire its energy and willingness to go as big and bold as possible. Not everything about it works, and that’s totally ok.

Benjamin Kitchens, CM Punk, Freddie Gibbs, Jake Gibson, Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, Nicki Micheaux, Night Patrol, RJ Cyler, Ryan Coogler, Ryan Prows, Shaye Ogbonna, Sinners, Tim Cairo