Luc Zian’s The Midnight Gag embraces the pulpy fun of the crime genre with its moody atmosphere through a contemporary lens. This thriller is a cool throwback to classic crime films of the 1940s-50s.
The year is 2028, and criminals have taken over major cities. We follow Detective Travis Jackson (Luc Zian, who also wrote and directed the film) in Vancouver, Canada. Travis receives information from his friend, Frank (Julio Rod Martin), about a serial killer with a notorious reputation. Aspiring actress and model Sofia (Natalie Anaya Diaz) recruits him after being drugged, sexually assaulted, and filmed by the killer. He is initially reluctant, but she is desperate as the police will do nothing to help her.
“Jackson receives information from his friend, Frank…about a serial killer with a notorious reputation.”
Things escalate when the killer, Bones (Brodin Ference), learns that Travis is on his trail. He uses his resources from the criminal organization, the Midnight Gag, to threaten the detective. He receives threats via texts and written notes from Bones to not get involved. Travis’s world gets thrown upside down when his current girlfriend, Jane (Anna Garoucheva Gonzalez), is kidnapped by the perverted killer. Bones has him at his weakest point. Eventually, Jackson is forced to confront the memory of his dead wife in a twisted climax. Will Bones get caught?
The Midnight Gag excels in creating a seedy version of Vancouver. Mardin Rabanifar’s cinematography displays the city in sickly yellows and greyish blues. Zian’s score is an effective combination of 1980s synth and public-domain tracks from classical composers. These aesthetic elements make the film a pleasurable viewing experience.
Zian leans heavily into the prosier elements of the film noir genre. He has a couple of voice-over moments that will draw comparisons to Fred MacMurray’s performance in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity. The stand-out performance is Brodin Ference’s role as Bones. Ference’s charisma and imposing figure flips the script on one’s expectation of a serial killer. This killer isn’t scrawny or a soft-spoken outsider; Ference’s classically handsome looks add to his creepiness. Although the film’s plot meanders at times, it is far outweighed by Zian’s strong filmmaking.
The Midnight Gag is worth a watch if you enjoy Alfred Hitchcock’s works and the film noir genre. I hope we get a sequel to wrap it up after the film’s surprise cliffhanger!