The Night Clerk (2020)

The Night Clerk is a sleek, late-night thriller that trades cheap jolts for a slow, intimate unease, the kind that creeps in under the fluorescent hush of hotel corridors and won’t leave. Tye Sheridan gives Bart a quietly gripping interior life—watchful, anxious, brilliantly observant—while Ana de Armas brings warmth and volatility that turns their connection into the film’s beating heart rather than a mere subplot. Michael Cristofer shoots it with an elegant, contemplative calm that makes every glance and pause feel loaded, so the tension comes as much from what’s felt as what’s said. It won’t be for everyone if you want a fast, twisty procedural or are put off by morally thorny behavior, but if you like character-driven crime dramas with mood, empathy, and two actors who linger in your mind, this one is worth checking in for.

The Night Clerk wants to be a tense, character-driven thriller about a socially isolated young man caught in a murder investigation, with a side of awkward romance and moral ambiguity. The problem is the “thriller” part rarely kicks in: the mystery feels thin, the procedural beats are pretty routine, and the movie often settles for a moody vibe instead of real suspense or surprises. It’s also built on a voyeurism premise that can feel uncomfortable without being explored in a particularly sharp or satisfying way, so if you’re hoping for a smart cat-and-mouse game, you may end up bored or frustrated. That said, Tye Sheridan brings a watchable vulnerability, Ana de Armas adds warmth, and if you’re in the mood for a low-key, slow-burn drama with crime elements rather than a pulse-pounding whodunit, it may be an okay one-time watch.