The movie tells the story of Porter Wren, a scuttling tabloid columnist ensnared in an elaborate story of deception, blackmail, murder and sexual duplicity. But his job, his marriage, and his life are all threatened when he accepts to dig in a very nasty case of sexual obsession and blackmail.
The thrilling twists and turns of Harrison's plot are here, but DeCubellis's hazy pacing drains the film of the book's zest. Though great material mishandled is frustrating to view, there are nonetheless some bright spots.
A mystery film that involves videotapes, blackmail, seduction games and assassinations. In his ambition to create a noir film, director Brian DeCubellis fails in his attempt and only offers an incoherent story. [Full review in Spanish]
Director DeCubellis is frightfully beholden to the tropes of the genre, and the premise (involving blackmail, strange dares and an inexplicable horse story) is just not credible.
Despite being rife with crime, sex and darkness, Manhattan Night feels increasingly like a cheap ripoff of the genre it so very much wants to fit into.
