Producer-director Brian DeCubellis had done some TV movies and short films before this bigger directorial effort, the neo-noir Manhattan Nights, from 2016. He certainly has talent.The film stars Adrien Brody as Porter Wren, a columnist for a New York newspaper. His wife (Jennifer Beals) is a surgeon, so they are able to have a darling house that is hidden down an alley in Manhattan - something like Patchin Place in the west village. When his newspaper is taken over by a Rupert Murdock type (Steven Berkoff), Porter reluctantly attends a party for him. There he meets the beautiful Caroline (Yvonne Strahovski) whose husband, well-known director Simon Crowley (Campbell Scott) was found dead, buried under the rubble of an imploded building, surrounded by pieces of jade. The two wind up having an affair.It seems Simon was a complete weirdo with an interesting hobby of recording "honest moments" on video cards. Caroline takes Porter to a safety deposit box with dozens of them. She invites him to watch them. But it turns out one of those honest moments is being used to blackmail someone, and the person being blackmailed wants it and begins to terrorize Porter to find it. This leads to Porter uncovering secrets about Simon, Caroline, and person being blackmailed, and learning something about himself.The film is based on an novel called Manhattan Nocturne. I suppose the name was changed because the filmmakers thought not enough people would know what a nocturne is. That's sad. The story is good but unsavory, and, frankly, so are the characters. And it has the usual female nudity.The acting is very good, particularly from Brody and Strahovski - she is gorgeous and reminds me of Sharon Stone when she was younger. Brody has had a so-so career since winning the Oscar. This was a good role for him. Linda Lavin has a cameo, and she's excellent.Overall I can't say I was crazy about "Manhattan Night." It was well done but unpleasant.

Brian DeCubellis's "Manhattan Night" is basically a modern-day film noir. Adrien Brody plays a tabloid journalist who meets a woman who wants him to investigate the death of her husband. The characters very much evoke a 1940s movie, with Brody as the homely detective and Yvonne Strahovski as the blonde who enters his life. An unusual side to this movie is that the detective has a family.I wouldn't call it any sort of great movie. I thought that the real strength was the exchanges between the main character and the other characters. But make no mistake about it, practically every scene adds a new twist (especially during the last twenty or so minutes of the movie). It's an OK movie, not a masterpiece. Good support comes from Jennifer Beals (in a role far removed from her most famous ones) and Campbell Scott (son of George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst).

A different kind of love story. If you want to call this one a love story, because it's obviously more of mystery thriller with a bit of detective work thrown in, almost by accident - which is apt if you think about the breakout case and also the inciting incident. Brody may have been in the Pianist and other movies that can be described to have a higher quality, but he also did one with Argento when he lost his touch.So while this isn't really top notch, it does what it says on the cover. Is that enough for you to watch? Can you feel the temptation and the sparks between the blonde Femme Fatale (you may have seen her prominently in a TV show) and Brody's character? And should he listen to his heart or rather ... I mean Jennifer Beals is waiting at home for him. You can see certain things a mile away, but certain things may just be revealed as the movie flows along. Decent enough

Admittedly I am a fan of film noir and this is a first class example of the genre. Brody is fantastic as the ill-fated journalist who falls for the femme-fatale, wonderfully played by Yvonne Stahovski. I barely recognised Campbell Scott from Royal Pains, who has a juicy role as an enigmatic, if slightly off-kilter, film director.The plot is typically film noir, but there are some enthralling twists and added mysteries as Brody searches for the truth, becoming enmeshed in a web of twisted behaviour and dark secrets.If you've never seen a film noir, watch this. It's classy, well paced, entertaining and gripping. A fine story, well told.