Night Patrol is an American horror thriller film directed and co-written by Ryan Prows. The film stars Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, Freddie Gibbs, RJ Cyler, Keenon Jackson, Nicki Micheaux, Flying Lotus, Phil Brooks, and Dermot Mulroney. It follows an L.A. police officer who must put aside his differences after discovering a task force harboring a secret that endangers the residents of the housing project where he grew up.
The film performed poorly at the box office and received generally negative reviews from critics and viewers, holding a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 3.2/10 on IMDb. Many viewers found the film lacking despite the high-profile cast.
Produced by Phantom Four Films, it had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2025, before releasing in the United States on January 16, 2026, by RLJE Films and Shudder. Night Patrol received generally unfavorable reviews from critics.
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Plot
Xavier Carr, a Black LAPD officer and former Crip, patrols the Colonial Courts housing projects in Los Angeles, where he grew up. His partner, Ethan Hawkins—the son of a legendary but deceased sergeant—is desperate to join the Night Patrol, an elite, secretive task force that operates exclusively after dark.
The unit's true nature is revealed when Xavier's brother, Wazi, witnesses a Night Patrol officer brutally murder his girlfriend. Wazi discovers that the task force is composed of vampires who use their authority to feed on the projects' marginalized residents, disguising the deaths as gang violence. The unit is led by the mysterious Sarge and his brutal enforcer, Deputy.
As the Night Patrol targets Wazi to ensure his silence, Xavier is forced to choose between his "blue blood" loyalty and his biological family. He aligns with his mother, Ayanda, a local mystic who uses ancient Zulu magic and ancestral lore to protect the community. In the climax, Ayanda and Wazi unite the rival Crips and Bloods to defend their neighborhood, repelling the Night Patrol's "cleansing" of the projects—a scheme to harvest residents' blood and store it for future feeding—with a combination of heavy weaponry and African mysticism. The film ends on a somber note as a badly wounded Wazi faces a room full of LAPD officers, suggesting that the conspiracy within the department runs deeper than a single unit.
Production
Ryan Prows co-wrote Night Patrol with Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, and Shaye Ogbonna, while also serving as director. David S. Goyer and Keith Levine produced the film under the Phantom Four Films production company, as well as Josh Goldbloom and James Harris. XYZ Films executive produced and managed world sales, while financing was provided by Bondit Media Capital.
In October 2024, Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, and RJ Cyler were cast in starring roles. Dermot Mulroney, CM Punk, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Flying Lotus, Jon Oswald, Nicki Micheaux, and RJ Cyler were also cast in the film.
Principal photography wrapped in Los Angeles in October 2024. Pepijn Caudron composed the score for the film.
Release
In August 2025, RLJE Films and Shudder acquired the distribution rights to Night Patrol. The film had its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2025. It also premiered at the Beyond Fest on September 28. The film was released in the United States on January 16, 2026. The film was originally scheduled to be released in 2025.
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Night Patrol boasts a killer premise and committed performances, but Ryan Prows' scattershot direction and an overstuffed screenplay undercut its cinematic prowess." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.