It’s not often a film can leap from genre to genre effortlessly and still make sense. The few that are able to pull it off normally do so by setting the tone early and continuing to bridge themes together in an understandable way.  Nightshooters, written and directed by Marc Price, succeeds in this way by delivering a brutal, action-packed black comedy that offers up a healthy dose of thrills, laughs, and bloodshed. 

This British movie starts off with footage from a zombie flick that the protagonists of the story, a rag-tag film crew, are shooting in a derelict old building. We soon find out that the only reason they’re even there is to grab a few final overnight shots before the building is demolished the next morning. Right off the bat, it’s evident this is a group of varied personalities. There’s the aging star (Doug Allen) who isn’t able to perform his own stunts, the talented young stuntman (Jean-Paul Ly) as his replacement, and an assortment of other wise-cracking crew, all of whom seem to not really get along with one another.

All is going as well as can be expected, aside from the bickering and occasional temper flare-ups, when their night gets turned completely upside down. That’s when we’re introduced to a group of gangsters, lead by the foul-mouthed Tarker (Richard Sandling), who are up to no good in the building next door, directly within eyeshot of our film crew. To their abject horror, all are witness to the brutal murder of two people the gangsters had held captive, and to make matters worse, the thugs take notice of this fact right away.

From there, Nightshooters becomes a fast-paced game of cat and mouse between the merciless gang and the hapless film crew. It tries very clearly to be part Die Hard and part Home Alone, and in some ways succeeds, while in others it unfortunately falls flat. 

To start, there are a lot of characters on both sides, and not enough time is spent in the first act giving us enough to easily discern one from another. Characters’ names aren’t stated enough to immediately know who is who, and while they do have distinct personalities, once the chase begins, they tend to cluster up and feel similar. Though this serves well from a body count perspective, there is a sense of detachment once some of the deaths start happening. 

Speaking of deaths, Nightshooters is definitely a movie with ultra-violent moments and shocking kills. Fortunately, it’s done so in a way that feels creative and different as we see the out of their league filmmakers attempt to use what they have on hand to fight against the heavily armed gangsters.

There’s also the underlying sense of urgency with the impending demolition of the building once the sun comes up. This is mentioned by the characters, but there is never any reference to exactly what time it is, or how much time they have left before they’re all blown to smithereens. It feels like a lost opportunity to truly up the stakes if we knew whether they had hours, or minutes, and if we could feel this sense of dread more from the group as they try to survive the night. 

Despite this, Nightshooters manages to mix the violence and confusion with an equal amount of dark laughs and heartfelt moments. There are genuine points along the way where, though brutal as they may be, the deaths of certain characters are really felt on a deep level. This helps to ground the movie during times when it may seem like it’s beginning to spin out of control. 

The actors put their all into their roles, and it should be especially noted that kung-fu phenom Jean-Paul Ly is one to keep an eye on. His scenes are far and away the highlight, and his talent is impossible to ignore. His fighting style is quick and precise, but has that thrilling charm reminiscent of Jackie Chan that can make even the most savage scene feel fun. 

While not inherently horror, Nightshooters as a whole isn’t for the faint of heart. It does, however, deliver a fast-paced, if not slightly overlong, genre-bending wild ride that’s a  wallop of a viewing for those who love action and humor.

6 out of 10