Stephen Hopkins’ Judgement Night didn’t make much of a splash when it debuted in October of ’93, except with its soundtrack, which consisted solely of collaborations between hip hop and rock acts (I still have the cassette somewhere). However, in recent years, it seems to have gained a bit of a cult following. Last night, I threw on the Blu-ray after having not seen the film in at least twenty years. I wouldn’t say it completely works, but certain aspects overachieve so much that it’s hard not to be taken with the overall effort.
Emilio Estevez stars as Frank Wyatt, a suburban man who is having trouble adjusting to his new role as a father. His wife, Linda (Christine Harnos, who was memorable in a much more substantial role as Kaye in Dazed and Confused), isn’t enthused with him going out to carouse with his single friends but reluctantly says goodbye when the crew shows up with a luxurious RV. Mike (confident Cuba Gooding, Jr.), Ray (mouthy Jeremy Piven), and Frank’s younger brother John (angry Stephen Dorff) are all determined to make sure the excursion to a boxing match is a booze-fueled good time, but a traffic jam forces the group off the highway and onto the gritty streets of Chicago. By chance, they witness the execution of a thief (Michael DeLorenzo) by a gangster named Fallon (ruthless Denis Leary). This sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse that plays out against the backdrop of a desolate, almost post-apocalyptic looking, Chicago night. Peter Greene (Zed from Pulp Fiction) and rapper Everlast (credited as Erik Schrody) have small supporting roles.
My main nitpick is with Lewis Colick’s script (Jere Cunningham also gets a story credit). There are a few head-scratching moments where story twists feel inorganic and forced. However, Hopkins directs the hell out of the piece, wringing every last bit of tension from the premise, effectively creating a suffocating atmosphere. DP Peter Levy’s stylistic camerawork is another huge draw that contributes to the engaging mood. Noir inflected images mingle with DePalma-eque close-ups and kinetic movement to create an interesting watch. The production design is also fantastic and compliments the overall aesthetic. The grimy deserted streets layer on a lonely, nightmarish quality that bolsters the feeling of inescapability. Sequences in a hardscrabble train yard and a dank sewer make for visually arresting set pieces. The dynamic between the principal actors is also a win for the flick. You get a genuine sense of history between the friends, and while Leary’s character is a little one-note, he’s still fun to watch. The aforementioned soundtrack absolutely features some bangers, though not every track is successful at blending genres for a pleasing outcome. Alan Silvestri’s bombastic orchestral score, on the other hand, is excellent in every way. While I’d say it sounds fairly similar to his work on the Predator franchise, it nevertheless lends some scope and dread to the thrills.
At nearly twenty-seven years old, I’d say that Stephen Hopkins’ Judgement Knight has some legs and qualifies as a bit of a hidden gem. Its 110 minutes fairly blows by, offering an edge of your seat type experience. It might not be the most realistic action thriller, but then again I think the otherworldliness of the visuals indicate that we’re supposed to accept the story as a nightmare or even a sort of fairytale. If you can let go of expectations of realism, I think there’s a lot to enjoy here. Judgement Night comes recommended, with some minor caveats.
Michael Cavender