Director Ryan Prows (V/H/S/94, Lowlife) latest film, Night Patrol, is an ambitious tale about vampires vs. community. The story centers around a few main characters: Wazi (RJ Cyler) is a member of the Crips; his brother Carr (Jermaine Fowler) is an LAPD officer and partners with Hawkins (Justin Long). Carr desperately wants to be part of an elite unit known as Night Patrol or any gang task force, Meanwhile, Hawkins gets the call to join the task force. The unit is run by crooked/racist cop played by WWE superstar CM Punk.

After Wazi’s girlfriend is killed by Night Patrol, her brother (played by Freddie Gibbs) is in search of whoever killed his sister and feels the Colonial Courts (where they live) will be next. When Wazi alerts the rival gang that Night Patrol is responsible, both gangs team up and prepare for the coming war with Night Patrol.

The gangs also get help from Wazi’s mother (Nicki Micheaux), and her Zulu practices, to protect the community. On the other side, Hawkins gets his formal induction to Night Patrol that reveals their true vampiric nature.

As a concept, Night Patrol is a 10/10. A nocturnal police unit, tasked with cleaning up the streets, is secretly vampires. It is the perfect cover. When the people they feed on go missing, it would be attributed to gang violence and urban decay. Having the vampires face off against two rival gangs sounds fun. Gangs teaming up to protect their community – similar to the Watts Gang Truce aka Truce of Nine-Deuce after the 1992 after the Rodney King verdict.

Even with a great premise, the plot gets messier as the film goes along. It tries to serve too many characters without providing a foundation. As the plot starts to splinter, the film drags as it leads up to the final battle. After a strong start, the tension between the community and Night Patrol feels less serious once more story gets piled on top.

At the center of the story is Hawkins’s relationship with Carr and Carr’s relationship with his brother Wazi. There is a lot of space for tension, dramatic moments, and even some comedic beats. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t spend enough time with these characters in situations that serve the story. Early on you learn the Bloods are in on all the conspiracies like lizard men, the illuminati, and shape shifters yet the film doesn’t do much with them. Not spending more time with those characters is a waste because Freddie Gibbs provides some of the best laughs in the movie.

The performances were solid and the actors do their best to rise above what’s in the script. The performances left me with a few takeaways – CM Punk should act more, Justin Long should be in more dramatic rolls, and Freddie Gibbs needs to be in a comedy.

As a horror fan, the film could’ve used and extra 20-30 minutes with Night Patrol to explain their origins and what that groups purpose is, A back-story on Night Patrol or seeing them as a threat would’ve helped the movies final battle feel more impactful.

Night Patrol is ambitious but doesn’t reach its full potential. The incredible premise is overstuffed with characters, lore, and backstories that never get fleshed out. If Night Patrol was a mini-series (similar to Midnight Mass) it would’ve been a much better story. The audience would feel more connected to the characters and the story. It would also give Prows & Co more time to dig deeper LAPD’s decades long policing issues, the Zulu ancestral protections, the vampire lore attached to Night Patrol, and examine what it means to be part of a community. Night Patrol is a fun but flawed film that ultimately leaves horror fans wanting more.

Grade: C