Night Patrol (2025 film)

Night Patrol is a 2025 American horror thriller film starring Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, Freddie Gibbs, RJ Cyler, YG, Nicki Micheaux, Flying Lotus, Phil Brooks, and Dermot Mulroney. Directed and co-written by Ryan Prows, the film is about an L.A. cop who must put aside his differences after finding a task force who harbor a secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects he grew up in.

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 garnered mixed reception from critics.

Xavier Carr, a Black LAPD officer and former Crip, navigates the tension of policing the "Colonial Courts" housing projects 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 true nature of the unit is revealed when Xavier's brother Wazi witnesses a Night Patrol officer brutally murdering his girlfriend. Wazi discovers that the task force is actually a group of vampires who use their authority to feed on marginalized residents, framing 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 utilizes ancient Zulu magic and ancestral lore to protect the community. In the film's climax, Xavier and Wazi unite rival Crips and Bloods gangs to defend their neighborhood. They engage in a supernatural showdown against the vampiric officers, using a combination of heavy weaponry and African mysticism to repel the Night Patrol's "cleansing" of the projects. The film ends on a cliffhanger, suggesting the conspiracy within the LAPD runs deeper than just one unit.

• Jermaine Fowler as Xavier Carr
• Justin Long as Ethan Hawkins
• Freddie Gibbs as Bornelius
• RJ Cyler as Wazi Carr
• YG as Tripp
• Nicki Micheaux as Ayanda Carr
• Flying Lotus as Three Deuce
• CM Punk as Deputy
• Dermot Mulroney as Sarge
• Jon Oswald as Rivette

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.^[4]

In October 2024, Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, and RJ Cyler were cast in starring roles.^[4] Dermot Mulroney, CM Punk, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Flying Lotus, Jon Oswald, Nicki Micheaux, and RJ Cyler were also cast in the film.^[4][5]

Principal photography wrapped in Los Angeles on October 2024.^[4] Pepijn Caudron composed the score for the film.^[6]

In August 2025, RLJE Films and Shudder acquired the distribution rights to Night Patrol.^[5] The film had its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2025.^[1] It also premiered at the Beyond Fest on September 28.^[7] The film was released in the United States on January 16, 2026.^[8] The film was originally scheduled to be released in 2025.^[4]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 54% of 48 critics' reviews are positive. 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."^[9] 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.^[10]

• Official website
• Night Patrol at IMDb