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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Attaque nocturne remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you either want to spend fifteen minutes in a dusty, dimly lit office watching a woman sweat through her nerves, or you don't. If you’re into the old-school French stuff where people talk fast and look guilty, you’ll dig it. If you need pacing that doesn't feel like a stage play, skip it.
The whole premise is just wild. A woman walks into a station at night, cool as a cucumber, asking for help dumping a body. Not because she's a career criminal, but because she’s worried about her "honor." It’s the kind of logic you only find in these older dramas.
The lighting is basically just one or two bulbs fighting against the dark. It feels like someone filmed it in a closet. I kind of love that. It forces you to look at their faces instead of the scenery.
Madeleine Guitty is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think she’s about to either confess or start laughing. It’s twitchy. It’s great.
There’s a moment where the commissioner just... stares at the wall. It goes on for way too long. I’m pretty sure he was just waiting for the next line, but it works because it makes the whole room feel suffocating.
It’s not quite as intense as Who Shall Take My Life?, but it shares that same weird, desperate energy. You get the sense that everyone is hiding something, even if they aren't the ones carrying a corpse.
It feels a bit like Better Behave in the way it handles social pressure, though it’s much darker. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a weird little snack of a film. Just don't look for a deep moral lesson, because you won't find one. 🌙