Jamie Foxx brings every atom of his star power, attempting to sell us this violent Vegas-set action-thriller – remade from a French film from 2011 called Nuit Blanche – and so does the supporting cast, including Gabrielle Union, Michelle Monaghan, Scoot McNairy and Dermot Mulroney. But the sheer silliness defeated me. Foxx plays Vincent, a cop who steals a load of cocaine belonging to sinister druglord Rubino (Mulroney) who in turn owes this merchandise to the even nastier criminal Novak (McNairy). The bad guys take Vincent’s innocent teenage son hostage to get the drugs back and meanwhile, smart internal affairs officer Bryant (Monaghan) is on his trail.
The action takes place from dusk till dawn, mostly at a Vegas nightclub, hence the title, and there are some outrageously nonsensical plot absurdities, the most baffling being the moment when Vincent, in disguise and wearing a baseball cap, looks down in the club elevator so Bryant won’t spot him and then … looks up! So she spots him! And the chase begins! Because otherwise the plot wouldn’t move forward! A touch of humour would have helped here, instead of reflex batterings.
