“Night Patrol” is a bit like a broke, B-movie version of “Sinners” set in modern-day Los Angeles. White vampires — in this case, the members of a rogue nocturnal unit of the police department — plot to invade a housing project and feed on its Black residents. They intend to get away with it, too, by using the community’s rival gangs as scapegoats for the ensuing bloodshed.
The heroes, Crips and Bloods, must collaborate to survive the long night with big guns and a bit of Zulu magic. Directed by Ryan Prows, this horror romp picks up by the time of this madcap showdown against the L.A.P.D. — which is too little, too late, after its endless, amateurish drama.
At the film’s center are two brothers, sons of a spiky Crip matriarch and mystic (Nicki Micheaux). Xavier, a cop (Jermaine Fowler) is a traitor to his people. Wazi (RJ Cyler), who still lives with his mom, is secretly dating a Blood’s sister when, at the beginning of the film, the night patrol shows up and murders her in cold blood. It’s Ethan (Justin Long), Xavier’s partner and best friend, who pulls the trigger, ignoring his conscience out of obligation to his father (Dermot Mulroney), the leader of the night patrol. The clueless Xavier tries to make inroads with them himself — a futile endeavor considering they’re practically neo-Nazis.
CM Punk, the professional wrestler, plays a menacing deputy while Freddie Gibbs and Flying Lotus build out the cast of gang heavies with a playful swagger. Buckets of goop and gore in the last act, and a reanimated Long give “Night Patrol” some camp zing. But the lumbersome conspiracy-building in the front half, paired with flashy visuals and some performances fitting for a crude stoner comedy, make this a bleary experience overall.
Night Patrol Rated R for body horror, racial violence and community destruction. Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes. In theaters.
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