High art and low art is at war with itself in The Night Clerk, a thriller with aims to be something more. At times, this independent film offers up an intriguing look at an unusual protagonist. At other points, however, it falls victim to cheesy B movie tropes, torpedoing its effectiveness. A surprisingly stacked cast is underwhelming, largely due to the material, preventing them from elevating things much. For every moment that compels, at least one other confounds. This flick has the kernel of something interesting within it, but sadly it’s too far concealed within mediocrity to be worthy of a recommendation. Opening this week, it’s a misfire, all in all.
The film is a thriller with some light character study elements thrown in. Bart Bromley (Tye Sheridan) is a night clerk at a hotel chain. Highly intelligent but on the autism spectrum, Bart spends his days observing people, hoping to imitate them and fit in. He even employs some rather questionable methods in order to do so. One night, his observational tactics lead him to witness a woman being murdered at the hotel. Unable to explain how he knows about the murder, Bart quickly becomes a person of interest for Detective Johnny Espada (John Leguizamo), the lead investigator on the case.
A cast led by Tye Sheridan, featuring both Ana de Armas and Helen Hunt, as well as others, should offer up more than this movie is ultimately able to. Sheridan tries hard in the lead, but the character is so broadly written, his tics come off too theatrical and not at all believable. He’s the focus, so that leaves very little for de Armas and Hunt to make much of an impact. Both are incredibly talented actresses, so it’s fair to want more from them. Unfortunately, filmmaker Michael Cristofer does not deliver. The writer/director leans more into the noir aspects of the flick, which never quite pays dividends.