Movie Review - American Night

American Night ** (out of 5) (R) Although this is an ambitious project mixing a major crime family with the world of upscale art (real and forged), it turned out to be more confusing than compelling. It’s hard to tell who we’re supposed to root for and why, as chaotic events unfold in a very non-linear narrative. The film dangles elements of Goodfellas, The Godfather and Scarface, among others, with plenty of violence and a fair dose of eroticism. The whole just falls short of the sum of its parts.

Emile Hirsch plays a variation on Michael Corleone as the son of the Big Don, destined to lead the family, but really wanting to be an artist. Daddy hates that wimpy part of his boy’s nature; Hirsch chafes. He’s also a simmering psychopath, which manifests in his brutish approach to abstract painting, and other more violent ways. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as a master art forger, trying to go straight by opening a tony art gallery with the help of his lady (Paz Vega), who is an art expert for a major museum. Unfortunately, Meyers is in debt up to his eyeballs to several highly impatient creditors (including Michael Madsen and some vaguely-defined Chinese investors) with their own underworld agendas, jeopardizing his forthcoming grand opening. Hirsch is forced into the family business, while still clinging to his creative aspirations, which puts Vega in the middle of a triangle that’s not exactly romantic. Jeremy Piven circles the story as Meyers’ brother – a junkie stuntman with his own financial woes. And, for icing on the cake with too many layers, everyone is fighting over an Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe to give us a highly valuable MacGuffin.

The preceding paragraph covers the highlights, but viewers will have a hard time keeping the sequence of events straight, with flashbacks and alternative perspectives on replays of several key moments. Hirsch does surprisingly well in a role that’s a huge stretch from his usual nice-guy realm. Performances are excellent all around. The glamorous sets are first-rate. The violent parts are everything one expects for the genre and large budget, including several that stand out for both style and scale. As a writer, Alessio Della Valle crammed a lot of action, including one particularly sizzling erotic scene, into the script for this overpopulated cast. As a director, he seemingly had no idea of how to balance his artistic side with good ol’ storytelling. Some important questions remained unanswered, even after an epilogue that cleared up parts of what we’d just seen. Della Valle needed an editor with a firm hand to make the pieces fit as meaningfully for viewers as they must have in his own head. Admirable effort; poor execution. I wish I could have been on the same page as its creator.

Opens in theaters and on demand 10/1/21.