Judgment Night (1993)

Its soundtrack is definitely not underrated in some circles, as the album which paired hip-hop artists with rock acts, sold more than half a million copies in the United States alone. Some of these people probably didn’t bother with the film but the film has everything you want from a 90s “wrong place, wrong time” thriller. Packed with action and crime elements, this is one of the true “edge of your seat” thrillers.

The film follows four friends; Frank, or Francis, as our villain keeps calling him in the movie, is played by Emilio Estevez, and since the film starts with him, you get a sense that he’s going to be more “lead” than the rest. The others are his friends Mike (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Ray (Jeremy Piven), and his brother John (Stephen Dorff). One a way to watch a game, they want to take a short road in a dangerous part of Chicago. They happen to witness a murder and the ruthless gang leader (Denis Leary) and his henchmen have one rule: never leave any witness alive.

For a fan of a “cat-and-mouse game” thrillers, “Judgment Night” offers a lot. The performances are solid but it’s mostly Denis Leary shining as a villain. He had a solid run in the 90s cinema before establishing himself on TV with “Rescue Me.” The films like “The Ref” and “Suicide Kings” also used his strengths as an actor well, but “Judgment Night” is probably his most memorable performance, along with “Monument Ave.”

The film is clearly inspired by “Deliverance” because similarly we also have characters that doesn’t know how to deal with the situation or the location they find themselves in, and this film also deals with the theme of the thin line between civilization and chaos. Director Stephen Hopkins brings a great deal of tension here and uses neo-noir lighting effectively. Set pieces are all great, and the film keeps you interested.