Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: Night Patrol

RJ Cyler and Ryan Prows deliver a raw, genre-blending vision of Los Angeles in Night Patrol.

After the gut-punch of Lowlife, filmmaker Ryan Prows returns with Night Patrol, a brutal, genre-bending reflection on power, policing, and the ghosts that haunt the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles. Premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025 before heading to Beyond Fest, the film takes aim at both the institutional and supernatural forces that terrorize marginalized communities.

At its core, Night Patrol is about the collision between two notorious forces — the Los Angeles Police Department and the world of Bloods and Crips. Prows flips the narrative, positioning both as mirrors of violence, survival, and control. His “Night Patrol” unit — an off-the-books police task force — becomes an embodiment of unchecked power, a reflection of the same fear and mythos surrounding gang life itself.

The story follows Wazi (played by RJ Cyler), a young man trying to find his place in a city where survival often depends on who claims the block. He’s not a caricature of the streets — he’s thoughtful, funny, and searching for something bigger than the boundaries around him. Cyler captures that duality beautifully, representing a generation raised between chaos and consciousness, where identity is constantly questioned.

Prows surrounds him with an ensemble that feels ripped from multiple worlds: Justin Long and Jermaine Fowler as LAPD partners, CM Punk, Mike Ferguson, Freddie Gibbs, Zuri Reed, Dermot Mulroney, and Flying Lotus in a scene-stealing role. YG not only appears but executive produces, lending the film an unmistakable authenticity. The slang, the silence, the architecture, and the tension — it’s all real.

Where Night Patrol lands its biggest blows is in how it uses horror to confront systemic violence. The LAPD here isn’t exaggerated — it’s institutional. Prows builds an atmosphere of dread that mirrors real-world brutality while introducing a supernatural threat that feels born from that same cycle of fear. It’s clever and deeply resonant — a myth rooted in the streets, not detached from them.

The film’s tone recalls 1990s classics like Menace II Society and South Central, filtered through the surreal carnage of Tales from the Hood. There’s humor, too — that sharp, absurd bite Prows is known for — but it never overshadows the film’s cultural weight.

If Lowlife was his calling card, Night Patrol is his arrival — bold, layered, and painfully honest. The final act runs a little long, but the message lands hard. This is a story about representation, reclamation, and survival — about people who never stopped existing even when the world stopped looking.

For those who grew up in these communities, Night Patrol feels personal. It’s a reminder that the hood doesn’t need vampires or zombies to be haunted. The monsters are already here — and some wear badges.

Verdict: A visceral, blood-soaked reflection on race, power, and myth in modern America. One of the most essential horror films of 2025.

Score: 4.5 / 5