Dark Night

Since i live in Sweden, i have a different approach on guns than many Americans. Personally, i don´t need to own a gun, or guns for self protection. If i want to make anyone go away, i just play Gene Simmons ( the tounge guy from rock band Kiss ) solo album Asshole from the year 2004. Anyone who listens to this album will be so terrified, they will leave you alone. So you see, you don´t need a gun, just play this album to make people afraid. Guns have always been a big problem in America. And every year we hear about mass shootings and murder, where guns are usually involved. I know many Americans feel they have the right to protect themselves, and carry a gun whenever they want. But does this mean you solve all problems ? Does this mean this is the best way to handle every situation ? I think we who live all over Europe have a different approach on guns, and there is a reason to that. We don´t grow up in families, where we are taught that you need to own a gun. Instead, we are taught to solve problems, in much more effective ways. Speaking about gun issues, how many of you have seen the excellent documentary film Bowling For Columbine ? The film, directed by Michael Moore, tries to dig inside the truth, behind the problems with guns in America, and how easy it is to get ammunition. Of course the film also take on The Columbine Massacre, the mass shootings at the Columbine school. It was after this film i wanted to see more films, made by director Michael Moore. He kept on making more documentary films, and i have to say that he managed to make all of them interesting. Since America have had problems with guns for many years, you can tell that it must be difficult. Many Americans want the right to carry guns, anywhere they want. But what if some people should not carry a gun ? Take the Colorado Shopping Mall Shooting as an example, that happened in 2012. James Holmes walked into a cinema and killed 12 people, and injured 70 people. I still remember watching CNN about what happened that day. When i read that a film, based on the story of the Colorado shootings in Aurora, i became curious. Could this be a very fascinating look what happened that day, or is it a typical straight to dvd release no one will remember ?

Six strangers are about to intersect at a suburban Cinemaplex. What they don´t know, is that one man is about to enter, and finish innocent lives. Who is this man, and why does he want to murder so many people ?

Dark Night is not a film that everyone would see. This is a film that takes patience to see. If you don´t have patience to watch, you might as well skip this one. Now, i like independent films in all kinds of genres. I actually prefer smaller films, because we have seen many times how a smaller budget deliver quality. Not with all releases of course, but most of them do have something to offer. When it comes to Dark Night, there is an interesting story inside the film. If only the story could have been told in a much more darker way. For the most part, we only get to know a few details about the characters, and many of the scenes feels drawn out to just fill the film´s empty spots. Don´t expect a lot of dialogue, instead we get to see different locations, and meet different people that are supposed to be connected with the story. Unfortunately, this could be one of the most boring films i have seen in quite some time. There are a few interesting scenes, but overall this film lands in a very safe spot with nothing unexpected. If you want to tell the story in an interesting way, you need to make sure that the characters feel interesting. And this is one of the problems i have with this film, i don´t really feel anything about these characters. This is the third film from director Tim Sutton, and i have not seen his previous films. It is such a shame that director Tim Sutton does not dig deeper into the awful shooting in Colorado, when one man killed a number a people in a theatre. If he could have stuck to this story, on a much deeper level, Dark Night could have been really interesting. The film only manage to make some interesting views, on what happened before the shootings. I was actually looking forward to see Dark Night, so i am really disappointed. With so strong material to use for a story in a film, we should have been offered something more than this. I will say though that i like the performance by actor Robert Jumper ( who portrait the shooter at the Shopping Mall Cinema ). He does give at least one of the better performances of this film. Dark Night is not an awful film, but have too little power to affect us. I hope director Tim Sutton still keep doing independent films, because i can tell he likes to tell stories in smaller scales. I suggest you watch Bowling For Columbine instead, and see another side of American culture.

Rating: DD