The Longest Night Review: Good Action-Packed Thriller, With Great Characters And A Story | Die Längste Nacht
Starring: Alberto Ammann, Luis Callejo, Bárbara Goenaga
Creators: Xosé Morais, Víctor Sierra
Streaming Platform: Netflix (click to watch)
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (Three and half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Among the premieres of July 8, 2022, we find a series The Longest Night (Die Längste Nacht) that arrives on Netflix and that, since its announcement, has captured our attention. Once again we are faced with one of those Spanish thrillers with an interesting approach and a cast that will sound familiar to more than one. Now that we have finally been able to see The Longest Night, it’s time to talk about it to find out if it can be -or not- one of the most interesting proposals of this month. After the success of Spanish series such as Money Heist or Sky Rojo, Netflix continues to bet on national productions in which there is no lack of action, adrenaline, and characters with many secrets to hide.
Precisely everything that is The Longest Night, which also has the seal of La Zona, the production company behind series such as Gigantes or Libertad and films such as there will be no peace for the wicked or Eight Basque surnames. A production company that on this occasion has had the collaboration of Víctor Sierra and Xosé Morais as authors of the series and with Óscar Pedraza as its director. Among its cast, performers as interesting as Luis Callejo and Bárbara Goenaga, two of whom have the opportunity to show off with their respective characters from The Longest Night.
The Longest Night Review: The Story
The series tells the story of the Baruch psychiatric prison, which, as in other Netflix series, is very difficult to place on the map, where a new prisoner arrives on Christmas Eve who completely destabilizes his entire system. The said prisoner is Simón Lago, a serial killer who will only be in jail that night since the next morning he will be brought to justice. There is only one opportunity to talk to him inside Baruca and the prison director, Hugo (played by Alberto Amman) is not going to miss it.
He decides to go to the psychiatric center with his children, to talk to the criminal and return home, but his plans are cut short when Baruca is assaulted by some individuals who ask him to hand over Simón, a request that Hugo cannot comply as it would seriously affect his family. Thus begins a long night, in which all the characters in the prison fight to meet their personal goals without taking too much into account the well-being or the feelings of the rest of the people around them.
The characters make their decisions and “play” based on the secrets they hide, many of which are not revealed in this first batch of episodes of The Longest Night, as the series is focused on having more than one season. In other words, the plot is open. A decision of its creators that works a little against its history since, let’s remember, it happens in a single night and it is always difficult to stretch over and over again events that in reality would not exceed 12 hours in length.
Although the format of the series is comfortable since its episodes do not last more than 45 minutes, something unusual in Spanish productions, one wonders if it would have been better to stretch the chapters a little more to be able to tell the story in full. Especially if we take into account that Netflix has not yet announced a second season of The Longest Night. Which could mean two things: that the news is being saved for the time of the series premiere, or that the series could end without an end if the platform does not see that the results are worth it.
The Longest Night Review and Analysis
One of the best qualities of The Longest Night is its characters, as they all seem to fit perfectly within the intricate puzzle of the series. Although not all of them have a leading role, the “main characters” know how to direct very well where the story is going and what their hidden intentions are. In addition, the flashbacks at the beginning of some chapters that serve as an introduction to the inmates locked up in the prison help a lot to feel greater empathy towards them and better understand what their intentions are.
Although it must also be said that, perhaps, these little stories should be a little longer and introduce many more characters, since on many occasions they only tell a small piece of a life that does not give an understanding of how they ended up locked up in Baruca. Of course, the work of the actors also goes a long way and in this sense, we must highlight the work of Luis Callejo, who with just one look makes you tremble with fear, or that of Bárbara Goenaga, who manages to convey all her desperation for trying to remain faithful your partner and your patients at the same time.
In addition to Daniel Albadalejo and his dangerous Cherokee, a character of lights and shadows who manages to convey both tenderness and terror, especially with his relationship with the character of Cecilia Freire, who once again proves that she is one of the best actresses on the Spanish television scene. But in addition to this set of characters, another of the best qualities of The Longest Night is, without a doubt, its ability to handle the action, since both the shots and the explosions are very well measured to fit into the narrative of the story they are telling.
Some scenes are perfectly synchronized and with spectacular moments more typical of American action movies that, in addition, according to what the actors told us during the presentation press conference, were shot with live fire and at the moment, they are not added in post-production. In any case, the script of ‘The longest night’ is taken with tweezers. It is not only because we have seen a general idea before and better in other proposals such as ‘Río Bravo’ or ‘Assault on District 13’, but also because it takes so many turns based on convenient twists and turns that it is frustrating. And all done to stretch their events to exhaustion. Not to mention that it explains things that did not need to be explained and leaves other more important ones in the pipeline, in addition to the fact that it is impossible to empathize with any of the characters.
It doesn’t matter how many relationships are broken and forged throughout the six episodes, or whether or not a character dies. Not even the answers, because in the end, his narrative ends up being so superfluous and ordinary that it just doesn’t matter. On the other hand, in addition to having a good cast headed by a disturbing Luis Callejo, a good part of its virtues are the responsibility of director Oscar Pedraza, who manages to create an atmosphere that rises to the occasion during the few times that the series is not she is worried about being… let’s say too accessible for the general Spanish public. It is a missed opportunity that at least entertains, but is far from being everything it aspires to be…
It is something that draws certain parallelism with a conversation that takes place in the last episode as if the writers were perfectly aware that the development could not have been more forced. If on top of that you finish off the set with such an open ending that it is incomprehensible, especially in these times of easy cancellations, then there are not enough reasons to be satisfied.
The Longest Night Review: The Last Words
In short, The Longest Night is a more than entertaining series with an impeccable visual bill and a cast of actors that shine on their own. That the story is not closed is a point against him, but his first season is more than enjoyable. The Longest Night is a good action-packed thriller, with great characters and a story that works to the millimeter. The best, without a doubt, is its main actors, although the fact that it waits for a second season to end the story makes you stay a little cold. The Longest Night knows how to play very well with its characters and manages to build a very entertaining story full of action and secrets.
