Look, I'm not here to kiss Netflix's ass. I've seen too many of their “original thrillers” come and go like bad takeout. But this trailer for Night Always Comes ? Yeah. It's got teeth.
Vanessa Kirby's been on a roll lately. From Mission: Impossible to Pieces of a Woman , she's carved out a lane as the kind of woman who doesn't just survive the chaos—she starts it. And in Night Always Comes , she's back at it, playing Lynette, a woman on a one-night, $25K sprint through Portland's seedy underbelly. All to keep her family from getting evicted. Because of course. It's 2025. Housing's a joke. And Hollywood's here to remind us with a grimy, neon-soaked fever dream.
August 15th, 2025 – Circle the Date. Or Don't. You'll Remember.
Netflix drops it globally on August 15th, 2025. So yeah, it's not exactly right around the corner . But still—mark it down. Or don't. Like I said, I'm not your mom.
Directed by Benjamin Caron—who's got a solid rep from Sharper and some Crown episodes that didn't make me want to scream—this one's based on a Willy Vlautin novel. Which, quick tangent: Vlautin's books are like if someone fed Raymond Carver a steady diet of cheap whiskey and eviction notices. So yeah, the tone's set.
Kirby's Got Grit. And a Lot of Anger.
Vanessa Kirby's got that look again. The one where she's not just mad—she's done . Done with the system, done with the assholes, done with the polite lies people tell to get through the day. She's not the hero. She's not even the anti-hero. She's the last person you want to corner in a back alley.
And Portland's the perfect setting. I mean, come on. The city's already halfway to noir. You've got the rain, the grime, the desperate people doing desperate things. Just swap out the jazz for synthwave and you're golden.
Cast's Got Some Heat, Too.
Supporting cast? Solid. Jennifer Jason Leigh—always great when she's allowed to be weird. Stephan James, who I still think should've been in everything after Homegoing . Randall Park doing something other than comedy? I'm here for it. And Eli Roth—well, let's just say I'm curious to see what he brings to a non-splatter role.
But honestly? I'm mostly here for Kirby. She's one of the few actors who can make a woman in crisis feel real. Not cinematic. Not dramatic. Just… real.
One Night. One Shot.
The whole thing takes place in a single night. Which is a bold move. Real-time thrillers can go one of two ways: either it's Before Sunrise with a pulse, or it's Phone Booth with less charm. This one looks closer to the former, but with more punches.
And hey, I like that. I like that it's messy. I like that it's not trying to be some clean, polished, “empowering” narrative. It's just a woman trying to survive. Again. And again. And again.
Trailer's Got Grit. And a Goat?
Wait—did I just see a goat in the background of one scene?
No, really. Pause at 0:43. There's a guy in a hoodie, and then… a goat. Just standing there. In Portland.
What the hell is that about?
I'm not saying it's a metaphor. I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying—if you're going to throw a goat into a crime thriller, you better explain it. Otherwise, I'm gonna spend the whole movie wondering if it's a symbol or just some weird set dressing.
Final Thought: I'll Watch It. But I'll Be Mad.
I'll stream it. I'll probably watch it twice. I'll probably argue about it with my buddy who still thinks John Wick is deep. And I'll probably end up mad at myself for caring.
But hey. That's what good cinema does. It makes you feel something. Even if that something is just “why did I spend two hours watching this?”
And if Night Always Comes nails even half of what it's going for? It'll be worth the ride.
Even if there's a goat.
