Night Always Comes has now arrived on Netflix and if it's the first time you've heard of the pulsating thriller, then we're here to tell you why it needs to be your weekend watch.
Based on the bestselling novel by Willy Vlautin, the movie follows Lynette over the course of one desperate night that sees her delve into the darkest areas of her past. It's all for a good reason though as if she doesn't get $25,000 by the next morning, she'll lose her house.
If that doesn't convince you enough to watch the urgent thriller, here's three reasons why you need to see Night Always Comes.
1. Vanessa Kirby
We kind of feel all we need to say is that Vanessa Kirby plays Lynette and that should be enough for you to watch. If you need more though, she delivers a terrific performance that's even better than her other notable 2025 role as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
In lesser hands, a character like Lynette – who has a past that includes sex work, anger issues and homelessness – could become a caricature, especially given the lengths she has to go to over the course of the movie. But Kirby makes her a fully-rounded character who, despite the reckless actions she takes, you'll find it easy to empathise with.
She's supported by a talented cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Kelly, Zack Gottsagen and Stephan James, but Night Always Comes is absolutely Kirby's showcase and she's devastatingly good.
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2. It's unpredictable – and relatable
First and foremost, Night Always Comes is a propulsive thriller as Lynette seeks helps from anybody she can think of, finding herself being drawn back into the life she thought she had left behind.
You're never sure how each interaction will pan out and, crucially, how Lynette herself will react to every inevitable setback. She doesn't always do the 'right' thing and that gives every scene a fraught edge that will keep you hooked.
But despite how heightened it can get, the movie is still grounded in very relatable stakes especially in terms of how it explores the housing crisis. It might be set in the US, but could easily be the UK, with the idea that somebody could just be one bad decision or missed paycheque away from getting evicted a horribly realistic one.
It's why that even if you can't always fully side with Lynette and her desperate actions, you can relate to her and have a shared empathy for the situation she finds herself in.
3. The ending
The unpredictability of Night Always Comes continues through to its ending, which manages to be both unexpected and satisfying in the way it wraps up one of the most stressful night of Lynette's life.
It's an emotional ending that packs a quiet punch during a final conversation between Lynette and her mother Doreen (Leigh), with Kirby delivering a heartbreaking realisation for Lynette flawlessly.
Don't worry that it all ends on a downer though as there is hope in the ending beat too, and it's one that will linger once the credits start to roll.
Night Always Comes is now available to watch on Netflix.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
