NIGHT HUNTER (2018)
Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci, Brendan Fletcher, Emma Tremblay, Eliana Jones, Minka Kelly, Nathan Fillion, Mpho Koaho, Carlyn Burchell, Daniela Lavender, Jason Tremblay, Beverly Ndukwu, Lauren Cochrane, Will Woytowich, Sara Thompson, Graham Ashmore, Kristen Harris and Chris Sigurdson.
Screenplay by David Raymond.
Directed by David Raymond.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 98 minutes. Rated R.
Night Hunter is a pretty generic, rather ambiguous title. Sure, it imparts a vague sense of danger – but what is it about? Is it an African safari? A celebration of the dawn? A sci-fi adventure? A bio film? A police procedural about a serial killer? Ding ding ding, we’ve got a winner.
Of course, the title is less inscrutable than Nomis, the title that the film went by when it briefly got a short, limited release last year. What is that even supposed to mean? (For the record, it is Simon spelled backwards, a clue in the case which seems to have been deemphasized now that it is being released on video under a new title.)
And honestly, this sordid but actually sometimes very scary thriller rides on one of the oldest, most overused plotline tropes out there. Just a month ago, I called out another film [Killerman] for using the old cliched amnesia storyline – and here it is again, though in fairness Night Hunter does do something a little different with it. I won’t tell you what, because that would be a major spoiler. I won’t even tell you it necessarily works, but it is definitely something different.
So, what is it about this little serial killer melodrama which attracted such heavy hitters as Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, Alexandra Daddario, Nathan Fillion, Minka Kelly and more to sign on?
Honestly, for better or worse, Night Hunter has a bit of the feel of a big screen episode of the TV series Criminal Minds. People are fascinated by serial killers – the more depraved the better – and this is the territory in which Night Hunter treads.
It works in a particularly seamy area of this territory – the killer is a pedophile who imprisons and tortures young women. (Ironically, actress Daddario, who plays one of the lead detectives on the case had experience on the other side of the story as the young captive about 10 years ago in the film Bereavement.)
Plus, to make things even more complicated, the killer has multiple personalities and no memory of what he has supposedly done.
The guy is being chased by a group of miserable local cops; Marsha (Cavill), an insomniac divorcé whose daughter was victim to a horrible accident, Rachel (Daddario), a profiler who is separated but still married but having an affair with Marshall, and Commissioner Harper (Tucci), who is essentially the prototypical hard-boiled police chief.
There is also a vigilante out there, Michael (Kingsley), a former judge who has decided to take the law in his own hands in his private war on pedophiles. He teams with Lara (Eliana Jones), a jaded teen who uses herself as bait to bring perverts out of the woodwork. Together, they perform their own brand of hard street justice on the miserable men they capture.
These two groups collide when Lara is captured by Simon (Brendan Fletcher), the killer the cops have been on the trail of. Simon is captured relatively early in the film, but he claims no knowledge of Lara’s where-abouts, nor does he have info on any of the killings. None of his alternate personalities, each more pathetic than the other, admit to knowing anything as well.
Cue lots of cross-examinations, attempted escapes, subterfuge and red herrings. Some of it is genuinely scary, other parts are just silly, leading to the trick ending which is honestly kind of a ridiculous disappointment.
Does Night Hunter deserve the star-power of the cast it has compiled? Probably not. Is it worth seeing if it pops on in the middle of the night on cable or you stumble upon it on some streaming service? Sure, why not? It’s far from a good film, but if you are into this kind of thing, you could do worse.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2019 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 15, 2019.
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À la recherche d’une femme disparue dans le Dakota du Nord, un agent du FBI et un shérif se concentrent sur son mari, religieux zélé, mais découvrent quelque chose de bien plus étrange…
Origine du film : Canada, États-Unis
Réalisateur : Clay Staub
Scénaristes : Peter Aperlo, Clay Staub
Acteurs : Amanda Schull, Shawn Ashmore, Milo Ventimiglia, Bridget Regan, Jonathan Frakes, Sarah Constible, Beverly Ndukwu, Jan Skene, Adam Hurtig
Musique : Keefus Ciancia
Genre : Horreur, Science-fiction, Thriller
Durée : 94 minutes
Date de sortie : 5 janvier 2018 (États-Unis)
Année de production : 2017
Sociétés de production : Caramel Film, Mednick Productions
Distribué par : IFC Midnight, ACE Entertainment, Netflix
Titre français : Enlèvement
Notre note : ★★☆☆☆
“Devil’s Gate”, ou “Enlevement” pour la distribution française, un thriller d’horreur teinté de science-fiction d’origine américano-canadienne. Un métrage datant de 2017, co-écrit et réalisé par Clay Staub, qui signe là son premier long-métrage, après avoir été directeur de la seconde unité sur des métrages comme “300” (2006) ou “Justice League” (2017). Les acteurs principaux sont Amanda Schull, qu’on a pu voir dans “The Revenge” (2016), Shawn Ashmore, qu’on a pu voir dans “Acts of Violence” (2018), et Milo Ventimiglia, qu’on a pu voir dans “Killing Season” (2013).
L’histoire proposée par “Devil’s Gate” nous invite à suivre Daria Francis (Amanda Schull), une agente du FBI, chargée d’enquêter sur la disparition mystérieuse d’une femme et de son enfant. Accompagné dans ses investigations de Conrad Salter (Shawn Ashmore) alias Colt, l’un des adjoints du shérif, c’est tout naturellement qu’ils se présentent au domicile du mari de la disparue, Jackson Pritchard (Milo Ventimiglia). La maison isolée n’est guère accueillante et l’homme est agressif à tel point que les deux représentants de la loi doivent user de la force pour empêcher ce dernier d’user de la violence. Alors qu’ils perquisitionnent la maison, ils découvrent dans la cave un être dont ils n’arrivent pas à déterminer l’origine. Dès lors les conditions météorologiques se déchaînent contre eux, les confinant dans la lugubre demeure, qui semble cacher bien des secrets…
Les prémisses de “Devil’s Gate” sont vraiment excellentes. Le métrage débute avec la mort violente d’un premier individu qui finalement s’avère être un dommage collatéral des événements. Les débuts de l’enquête sont très captivants et on accroche aisément au récit. Mais brusquement tout tombe à plat dès que la première révélation se fait jour, soit à peine après une vingtaine de minutes. Alors qu’on s’orientait vers le concept d’une présence démoniaque, ce qui correspondait d’ailleurs avec le titre original, l’introduction de l’approche science-fiction avec la présence d’extraterrestres fait chuter le métrage dans le ridicule.
Du coup, plus rien ne fonctionne. Le côté religieux devient grotesque et n’a aucune raison d’être, dans la mesure où l’histoire se transforme en une vulgaire histoire d’enlèvement des humains par des extraterrestres. L’horreur n’est guère au rendez-vous, en dehors d’une ou deux scènes gores, c’est plutôt léger. Il n’y a rien d’effrayant dans “Devil’s Gate”, à moins d’être hyper-sensible. La photographie proposée par Miroslaw Baszak est plutôt asthénique, se limitant dans sa grande majorité à l’intérieur de la maison et de sa cave, ainsi que son extérieur proche. Les effets spéciaux sont propres mais basiques.
L’édition, signée Guillaume Girard et Yvann Thibaudeau, est probablement le point le plus positif, car elle nous évite de nous éterniser avec ce métrage qui ne dure que 94 minutes. La bande musicale orchestrée par Keefus Ciancia est discrète. La distribution offre d’honorables prestations, d’où Amanda Schull s’en sort le mieux. A contrario, Milo Ventimiglia, manque de crédibilité, probablement perdu dans un personnage qui ne sait plus où il en est, entre la religion, l’héritage familial, la disparition de ses proches, et sa propre identité… C’est beaucoup trop brouillon, même pour l’acteur qui semble ne pas savoir sur quel pied danser. Jonathan Frakes, bien que peu présent à l’écran, nous offre un personnage énigmatique, qui semble en savoir plus qu’il ne le laisse entendre. L’acteur donne beaucoup de relief à son personnage dans une proportion harmonieuse pour créer le mystère.
En conclusion, “Devil’s Gate” est un film raté, car le thème est brouillé par une absence d’orientation précise. Horreur, science-fiction, satanisme, enlèvement, surnaturel, extraterrestre, c’est trop désordonné pour qu’on se positionne dans l’histoire. L’histoire est chaotique, l’intrigue et le développement sont médiocres. Le rythme est plutôt soutenu, le récit est cafouilleux et la narration est linéaire. La photographie est simpliste, les effets spéciaux sont présentables mais basiques, la bande originale est sobre et l’édition permet de ne pas souffrir trop longtemps face au manque d’originalité du métrage. La distribution offre d’honorables prestations au service de personnages qui manquent également de fluidité. Un film dont on pourra se dispenser…
DEVIL’S GATE (2017) ★★☆☆☆ À la recherche d'une femme disparue dans le Dakota du Nord, un agent du FBI et un shérif se concentrent sur son mari, religieux zélé, mais découvrent quelque chose de bien plus étrange...
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S.S. Andros, The United States Customs Guide, 1859
Page 13: State of Maine. District of Pasmaquoddy. Port of Entry, Eastport. Collector, Robert Burns. District of Machias. Port of Entry, Machias. Collector, A.F. Parlin. District of Frenchman’s Bay. Port of Entry, Ellsworth. Collector, Thomas D. Jones. District of Penobscot. Port of Entry, Castine. Collector, John R. Redman. District of Waldoboro’. Port of Entry, Waldoboro’. Collector, John H. Kennedy. District of Wiscasset, Port of Entry, Wiscasset. Collector, Thos. Cunningham. District of Bath. Port of Entry, Bath. Collector, Joseph Berry. District of Portland & Falmouth. Port of Entry, Portland. Collector, Moses Macdonald. District of Saco. Port of Entry, Saco. Collector. A.A. Hanscom. District of Kennebunk. Port of Entry, Kennebunk. Collector, John Cousens. District of York. Port of Entry, York. Collector, Luther Jenkins. District of Belfast. Port of Entry, Belfast. Collector, J.G. Dickerson. District of Bangor. Port of Entry, Bangor. Collector, Dudley F. Leavitt.
Page 14: State of New Hampshire. District of Portsmouth. Port of Entry. Portsmouth. Collector, Augustus Jenkins.
State of Vermont. District of Vermont. Port of Entry, Burlington. Collector, Isaac B. Bowdish.
State of Massachusetts. District of Newburyport. Port of Entry, Newburyport. Collector, James Blood. District of Gloucester. Port of Entry, Gloucester. Collector, Gorham Babson. District of Salem & Beverly. Port of Entry, Salem. Collector, William B. Pike. District of Marblehead. Port of Entry, Marblehead. Collector, William Bartoll. District of Boston & Charlestown. Port of Entry, Boston. Collector, Arthur W. Austin. District of Plymouth. Port of Entry, Plymouth. Collector, Wait Wadsworth. District of Fall River. Port of Entry, Fall River. Collector, Phineas W. Leland. District of Barnstable. Port of Entry, Barnstable. Collector. S. B. Phinney. District of New Bedford. Port of Entry, New Bedford. Collector, C.B.H. Fessenden. District of Edgartown. Port of Entry, Edgartown. Collector, Constant Norton. District of Nantucket. Port of Entry, Nantucket. Collector, Eben W. Allen.
State of Rhode Island. District of Providence. Port of Entry, Providence. Collector, James A. Aborn.
Page 15: District of Bristol & Warren. Port of Entry, Bristol. Collector, George H. Reynolds. District of Newport. Port of Entry, Newport. Collector, Gilbert Chase.
State of Connecticut. District of Middletown. Port of Entry, Middletown. Collector, Patrick Fagan. District of New London. Port of Entry, New London. Collector, John P.C. Mather. District of New Haven. Port of Entry, New Haven. Collector, Minot A. Osborn. District of Fairfield. Port of Entry, Bridgeport. Collector, W.S. Pomroy. District of Stonington. Port of Entry, Stonington. Collector, B.F. States.
State of New York. District of Sackett’s Harbor. Port of Entry, Sackett’s Harbor. Collector, Wm. Holland. District of Genesee. Port of Entry, Rochester. Collector, Pliny M. Bromley. District of Oswego. Port of Entry, Oswego. Collector, Orville Robinson. District of Niagara. Port of Entry, Lewiston. Collector, George P. Eddy. District of Buffalo Creek. Port of Entry, Buffalo. Collector, Warren Bryant. District of Oswegatchie. Port of Entry, Ogdensburgh. Collector, Horace Moody. District of Sag Harbor. Port of Entry, Sag Harbor. Collector, Jason M. Terbell. District of the City of New York. Port of Entry, New York. Collector, Augustus Schell. District of Champlain. Port of Entry, Plattsburgh. Collector, Henry B. Smith. District of Cape Vincent. Port of Entry, Cape Vincent. Collector, T. Peugeot.
Page 16: District of Dunkirk. Port of Entry, Dunkirk. Collector. Oscar F. Dickinson.
State of New Jersey. District of Perth Amboy. Port of Entry, Perth Amboy. Collector, Amos Robins. District of Bridgetown Port of Entry, Bridgetown. Collector, William S. Bowen. District of Burlington. Port of Entry, Lamberton. Collector, Henry J. Ashmore. District of Great Egg Harbor. Port of Entry, Bargaintown. Collector, Thomas D. Winner. District of Little Egg Harbor. Port of Entry, Tuckerton. Collector, Isaac S. Jennings. District of Newark. Port of Entry, Newark. Collector, Edward T. Hillyer.
State of Pennsylvania. District of Philadelphia. Port of Entry, Philadelphia. Collector, Joseph B. Baker. District of Presque Isle. Port of Entry, Erie. Collector, John Brawley.
State of Delaware. District of Delaware. Port of Entry, Wilmington. Collector, Jesse Sharpe.
State of Maryland. District of Baltimore. Port of Entry, Baltimore. Collector, John T. Mason. District of Annapolis. Port of Entry, Annapolis. Collector, J.T. Hammond. District of Oxford. Port of Entry, Oxford. Collector, Tench Tilghman. District of Vienna. Port of Entry, Vienna. Collector, William S. Jackson.
District of Columbia. District of Georgetown. Port of Entry, Georgetown. Collector, Henry C. Matthews.
State of Virginia. District of Richmond. Port of Entry, Richmond. Collector. W.M. Harrison. District of Norfolk & Portsmouth. Port of Entry, Norfolk. Collector, Jesse J. Simkins. District of Tappahannock. Port of Entry, Tappahannock. Collector, Geo. T. Wright. District of Cherrystone. Port of Entry, Eastville. Collector, John S. Parker. District of Yorktown. Port of Entry, Yorktown. Collector, Wm. H. Curtis, Jr. District of Petersburg. Port of Entry, Petersburg. Collector, Timothy Rives. District of Alexandria. Port of Entry, Alexandria. Collector, Edward S. Hough.
State of North Carolina. District of Camden. Port of Entry, Elizabeth City. Collector, LD. Starke. District of Edenton. Port of Entry, Edenton. Collector, E. Wright. District of Plymouth. Port of Entry, Plymouth. Collector, Joseph Ramsey. District of Washington. Port of Entry, Washington. Collector, H.F. Hancock. District of Newborn. Port of Entry, Newbern. Collector, Wm. G. Singleton. District of Ocracocke. Port of Entry, Ocracocke. Collector, Oliver S. Dewey. District of Beaufort. Port of Entry, Beaufort. Collector, James E. Gibble. District of Wilmington. Port of Entry, Wilmington. Collector, James T. Miller.
State of South Carolina. District of Charleston. Port of Entry, Charleston. Collector, William F. Colcock. District of Georgetown. Port of Entry, Georgetown. Collector, John N. Merman. District of Beaufort. Port of Entry, Beaufort. Collector, Benj. R. Bythewood.
State of Georgia. District of Savannah. Port of Entry, Savannah. Collector, John Boston. District of St. Mary’s. Port of Entry, St. Mary’s. Collector, J.A. Baratte. District of Brunswick. Port of Entry, Darien. Collector, Woodford Mabry.
Page 19: State of Alabama. District of Mobile. Port of Entry, Mobile. Collector, Thaddeus Sanford.
State of Mississippi. District of Pearl River. Port of Entry, Shieldsboro’, Collector, Robert Eager. District of Natchez. Port of Entry, Natchez. Collector, John Hunter. District of Vicksburg. Port of Entry, Vicksburg. Collector, Wm. D. Roy.
State of Florida. District of Pensacola. Port of Entry, Pensacola. Collector, Joseph Sierra. District of St. Augustine. Port of Entry, St. Augustine. Collector, Paul Arnau. District of Key West. Port of Entry, Key West. Collector, J.P. Baldwin. District of St. Mark’s. Port of Entry, St. Mark’s. Collector, Alonzo B. Noyes. District of St. John’s. Port of Entry, Jacksonville. Collector, Thomas Ledwith.
Footnote 1: By an act passed June 30, 1834, all the ports, harbors, shores, and waters of the Mississippi River, within the State of Mississippi, were constituted a collection district by the name of the Natchez District, and a port of entry established at Natchez. Vessels bound to the port of Natchez from any foreign port, are required, under a penalty of $500 for neglect, to stop and report their arrival at the port of New Orleans, and receive on board a custom-house officer, who shall take possession of all the papers relating to the cargo on board, and deliver the same to the Collector of the port of Natchez, immediately after arrival at that port.
Footnote 2: By an act passed July 7, 1838, another district was established within the State of Mississippi, under the name of the Vicksburg District, Vicksburg being the port of entry. Vessels bound to this port are subject to all the regulations prescribed in respect to the port of Natchez by the act of 1834.
Page 20: District of Apalachicola. Port of Entry, Apalachicola. Collector, Robert J. Floyd. District of Fernandina. Port of Entry, Fernandina. Collector, Feliz Livingston.
State of Louisiana. District of Mississippi. Port of Entry, New Orleans. Collector, F.H. Hatch. District of Teche. Port of Entry, Franklin. Collector, R.N. McMillan.
State of Texas. District of Texas. Port of Entry, Galveston. Collector, Hamilton Stewart. District of Saluria. Port of Entry, La Salle. Collector, Darwin M. Staph. District of Brazos de Santiago. Port of Entry, Point Isabel. Collector, K.L. Harlalson. District of Paso del Norte, Texas and New Mexico. Port of Entry, Las Cruces, N.M. Collector, Samuel J. Jones.
State of Ohio. District of Miami. Port of Entry, Toledo. Collector, Dennis Coghlin. District of Sandusky. Port of Entry, Sandusky. Collector, Geo. S. Patterson. District of Cuyahoga. Port of Entry, Cleveland. Collector, Robert Parks.
State of Michigan. District of Detroit. Port of Entry, Detroit. Collector, Michael Shoemaker. District of Michillimackinac. Port of Entry, Michillimackinac. Collector, Jacob A.T. Wendell.
Page 21: State of Illinois. District of Chicago, Port of Entry, Chicago. Collector, B.F. Strother.
State of Wisconsin. District of Milwaukie. Port of Entry, Milwaukie. Collector, Moritz Schoeffler.
Page 22: State of California. District of Sacramento. Port of Entry, Sacramento City. Collector, Thos. W. Sutherland. District of Monterey. Port of Entry, Monterey. Collector, James A. Watson. District of Sonora. Port of Entry, Benicia. Collector, Timothy B. Storer. District of San Joaquin. Port of Entry, Stockton. Collector, Andrew Lester. District of San Diego. Port of Entry, San Diego. Collector, Jose M. Covarrubias. District of San Pedro. Port of Entry, San Pedro. Collector, John G. Downey. District of San Francisco, Port of Entry, San Francisco. Collector, B.F. Washington.
State of Minnesota. District of Minnesota. Port of Entry, Pembina. Collector, James McFetridge.
Oregon Territory. District of Oregon. Port of Entry, Astoria. Collector, John Adair. District of Port Oxford. Port of Entry, Port Orford. Collector, Robert W. Dunbar. District of Cape Perpetua. Port of Entry, Gardiner. Collector, Barclay J. Burns.
Washington Territory. District of Puget’s Sound. Port of Entry, Port Townsend. Collector, Morris H. Frost.
Page 84: Entry of Vessels from Foreign Ports.
Sec. 128. It shall not be lawful to make entry of any ship or vessel, which may arrive from any foreign port, within the United States, or of the cargo on board, elsewhere then at one of the ports of entry established by law, nor to unlade the said cargo, or any part thereof, elsewhere than at one of the designated ports of delivery; but every port of entry shall also be a port of delivery. Act March 2, 1799, Sec. 18.
Sec. 129. The master or commander of every vessel bound to a port of delivery, only, in any of the following districts, to wit, — Portland and Falmouth, except the ports of North Yarmouth, Freeport, and Harpswell; Bath, except the ports of Georgetown and Brunswick; Newburyport, New London; Middletown, except the ports of Lyme, Saybrook, Killingsworth, Haddam, and East Haddam; Norfolk and Portsmouth; Bermuda Hundred, (now Petersburg,) or City Point, Yorktown, Tappahannock, except the port of Urbanna; or Edenton, — shall first come to, at the port of entry of such district, with his ship or vessel, and there make report and entry in writing, and pay, or secure to be paid, all legal duties, port fees, and charges, in manner provided by this act, before such ship or vessel shall proceed to her port of delivery; and any ship or vessel bound to a port of delivery in any district other than those above mentioned, or to either of the ports of delivery above mentioned, may first proceed to her port of delivery, and afterward make report and entry within the time by this act limited.
Page 116: Footnote 2: The remaining provisions of this act are so far superseded by the provisions of the warehouse laws that it is deemed unnecessary to reproduce them here. Under the regulations of the department for carrying into effect these laws, foreign merchandise may be entered for warehousing at any port of entry, and transported under bond to any one of the designated interior ports.
Page 123: Sec. 203. Examination and appraisement to be made at port of importation. — The revenue laws require that, in all cases of importation of merchandise, the examination and appraisement of the same shall take place at the first port of entry; at which port, also, the actual quantity must be ascertained by weighing, gauging, or measuring, as the case may be, and the amount of duties ascertained and paid, or secured to be paid. Gen. Reg. Art. 330.
Page 136: Sec. 229. Duties on goods destroyed by fire or other casualty, while in warehouse or in course or transportation under bond, may be abated. — The Secretary of Treasury shall be, and he is herby, authorized, upon production of satisfactory proof to him of the actual injury or destruction, in whole or in part, of any goods, wares, or merchandise, by accidental fire or other casualty, while the same remained in the custody of the officers of the customs in any public or private warehouse under bond, or in the appraiser’s stores undergoing appraisal, in pursuance of law or regulations of the treasury department, or while in transportation under bond from the port of entry to any other port in the United States, to abate or refund, as the case may be, out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the amount of impost duties paid or accusing thereupon; and likewise to cancel any warehouse bond or bonds, or enter satisfaction thereon in whole or in part, as the case may be.
Page 149: Sec. 267. Transportation to interior ports. — To facilitate the transmission of merchandise in bond form a port of entry to any interior port of delivery, the importer of any goods, wares, or merchandise, residing at such interior port of delivery, may produce his invoice to the surveyor of the interior port, take the oath or oaths required by law, and execute the transportation bond before the surveyor of said port, who shall certify the sufficiency of the same, and transmit the bond to the collector of the port of importation; and the bond so taken shall be as valid and binding as though executed in the office of the collector where the entry shall be made. The invoice, with the oath attached, may be transmitted by the importer to his agent or attorney at the port where the goods are expected to arrive, who, upon their arrival, shall present the transportation entry, with bill or bills of lading therefor; whereupon the same proceedings shall be had as in other entries for transportation under bond from one port to another in the United States. Gen. Reg. Art. 471.
Page 283: Footnote: In all cases where imports subject to duty are seized for a violation of the revenue and collection laws, as the right to duties accrues to the United States on the arrival of the merchandise within the limits of a port of entry with intent to unlade the same, the legal duties must be collected and retained in the treasury, whether the merchandise be decreed forfeited or not. Merchandise fraudulently invoiced may be seized and forfeited, though the duties have been paid, and the goods delivered to the importer. Gen. Reg. Art. 866.
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