We’re back again to add another ingredient to our Review Stew! This week we have a movie from my constantly growing Letterboxd watchlist. To say that this is a “popular” movie on Letterboxd would be a mistake. In fact, as of this writing, only 131 members have marked it as “watched”. Here comes number 132 as I dive into…Paris by Night (1988).
Title: Paris by Night
Director: David Hare
Released: November 17, 1988 (Brazil – Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival)
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes
Available to stream on: Prime Video
Clara Paige (Charlotte Rampling) is a British politician who will do whatever it takes to further her career. More often than not, this comes at the expense of her husband, Gerald (Michael Gambon).
After receiving a rather ominous phone call, Clara has reason to believe that she is being blackmailed. The culprit? None other than her former business partner, Michael Swanton (Andrew Ray), at least that’s what Clara believes.
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Clara approaches Michael on a bridge one night and shoves him off. With Michael now dead and out of the way, Clara hopes to get some normalcy back in her life. That is, until Michael’s daughter decides to take it upon herself to investigate the murder. What’s worse is that she’s enlisted Clara to help her find his killer.
Paris by Night (1988) managed to be frustratingly enjoyable.
On one hand, the editing is rather choppy in parts. There are very few smooth transitions between scenes. Also, it feels like a stage play more than a movie. Had this been a play and not a film, I think the possibility of it finding an audience would have greatly increased.
Yes, there are some tense moments and it does live up to the thriller genre by the end. However, there are a lot more wasted moments than there are suspenseful ones. Almost to the point of being painfully slow.
Now, that’s not to say that there weren’t things I enjoyed about it though. I love the cinematography. Almost everything takes place at night and the way the lighting and shadows are used work well to enhance the mood. I also quite enjoyed Charlotte Rampling as Clara, she always understands the assignment. Same can be said for Michael Gambon. In fact, it was even more fun to see him in a role before he became the Michael Gambon we all loved.
Would I tell you that this is worth dropping what you’re doing to go and watch? Not at all. Although, I would say that if you’re struggling for something to watch, Paris by Night (1988) is certainly deserving of at least one viewing.
Well, how about you? Have you seen Paris by Night (1988)?
If so, leave a comment below or reach out to me on Bluesky and tell me what you thought of it!
As always, you can follow me over on Letterboxd to stay up to date with everything else that I’ve been watching lately.