Brussels by Night (1983) User Reviews

One of the most impressive starts of a Belgian movie, but than it fails a bit.

[philip_vanderveken · 6/10 · 12 December 2004]

Brussels by Night, starts with a man, sitting upright in his bed, putting a gun in his mouth. He pulls the trigger but nothing happens. This must be one of the most impressive beginnings of a Belgian movie I've ever seen if you ask me. Immediately you know this will be a dark, dramatic movie.

The movie isn't bad, but it's not as convincing and powerful as I hoped it would be at the beginning. From time to time much interesting isn't happening, making me lose almost all interest in the movie. In fact, all the movie shows is a man wandering around in Brussels, meeting some people, talking, drinking and trying to phone someone... Only at the end you'll fully understand why he acts so strange during the entire story, who he is actually calling and why no-one picks up the phone. What I liked best about the movie is the way it shows Brussels in the eighties. It's a concrete desert, full of desperation and loneliness, where not much is happening...

The images in combination with the melancholic sound track (The only problem for the people who are not from here is that it is sung in French and Dutch, so impossible to understand for the most of you), make sure this movie is rather depressing, which as you'll see fits the subject perfectly. Even though the movie had its moments it wasn't a complete success. I give it a 6/10.

Belgian movie with balls

[davewagner · 8/10 · 30 April 2005]

First of all, i am a fan of what people call "depressing movies" (i think they are just realistic), because it can help us to see how our society looks like behind the screens. Didden made "Brussels by night" i think to show some problems ran in our "land of milk and honey" since the late sixties. In the early eighties, a working man "nine to five" called "Max", married with children is so sick of the shallowness of his life that he loses his senses and does something horrible. He's just so depressed he kills his family can you believe it ? Apartment in the big city, loneliness even though he is married, everyday the same way of living... After his desperate act our main character walks into the night life of Brussels,what seems to be a depressing world. He walks into people like Alice and Abdel, without a future, but these characters seem to be happy in their own way, and they hang out, get drunk. Throughout the film, little annoyances come up and Max gets really frustrated about the behavior of Abdel. This is not his world and another killing takes place. Great scenery of our capital. Anyway impressive movie it makes you think about our society. I give it an eight, the film is well made with low-budget.

How Brussels was during the (dark) '80's

[freeriderz · 6/10 · 12 August 2002]

People change, cities too. This Belgian movie gives a good picture of Brussels during the (dark) 80'. It was cold, dark and strange. I've been living in Brussels all my life, but have to be honest I do not recognize Brussels pictured in the movie anymore. Brussels changed a lot the last 10-15 years. But if anyone is interested in experiencing the atmosphere of Brussels in that time, watch the movie and be glad that things do change. The story is quite simple, it's about a few people who spent some days together, with rising tensions and feelings, which finally ends in a rather nasty situation. A psychological drama of a time I was glad I could forget it.

First 20 minutes are great. Rest not so much

[Filmdokter · 6/10 · 11 December 2021]

This depressing and disturbing film starts great. The protagonist is interesting, the soundtrack superb and the overall atmosphere feels desolate. But once the plot focuses on a love triangle and not so much on that interesting protagonist, the film starts to lose itself. A pity because this could have been a great social drama / film noir. At the end we get back to the reason why this man is wondering through nighttime Brussels, but the entire middle section of the film (and the finale as well) makes him a jealous member of a ménage a troi. It is a shame, a focus on his central problem would have been much more interesting.

Brilliant, semi-genius film in first half - but ruined by cheap violent-themed conclusion

[senne-couverte · 6/10 · 29 January 2015]

Borderline brilliant, with witty genius, a cult-worthy near-masterpiece in first 60% of film ... 'Brussels by Night' is then sadly ruined by a devastatingly flawed screenplay ending, introducing some totally un-needed themes of gross violence in a cheap, foolish attempt to be a 'profound and important film'.

But the film in its early parts - about 4 troubled characters in Belgium in the early 1980s - is really extraordinary in many ways, with a very light sophisticated touch. Great film-work and use of music, shows how a smart European on a low-budget can totally outclass Hollywood - for at least part of a film.

Not just a great insight into modern secular European life in 'borderland' regions - really not all that different in Europe today - 'Brussels by Night' initially has a story of marginal and seedy urban characters, who despite some petty failings and 'crime', are not that different from common people in general. The film's brilliance is in a Marcel-Proust-like ability to fascinate us with the meaning of small incidents, in life and in sexual relationships. It is totally compelling viewing, up to a point beyond the first half of the film.

If the film had stayed in that sphere, it might have become one of the great cult classics of European cinema verité, life 'as it really is' on the European streets.

The switch back and forth from Dutch to French, the two main characters being bi-lingual (with a little use of English too), are a nice window into European life, where even uneducated, edgy people speak several languages. This is authentic Brussels (officially bi-lingual) and Belgium (60% Dutch-speaking, the rest mostly French-speaking, including most of Brussels).

But the violent themes that get introduced toward the end, are so utterly soiling, that they make you forget how good the movie was in the early parts. Not that it needed a 'happy' ending, but just some more thought as to what to do with the various troubled people in Brussels who so fascinate the viewer ... characters who deserved better than pointlessly shocking, disconnected conclusion scenes.

The film just needed to stay on its early level, a brilliant movie about the small, hugely intriguing things that can compose real life, versus being transformed un-necessarily into a gratuitous video presentation of psychopathic behaviour and horror. Though the violence is in part suggested rather than shown, it is a betrayal of the viewer's initial eager enjoyment of a genius film about the small but vivid components of petty lives.

Hesitate to recommend it, because of the way 'Brussels by Night' disturbs at the end ... I am left with a sense of tragedy, both to see a semi-genius film collapse so disgustingly before its conclusion ... and to realise that a possibly great young European director, had likely damaged his future prospects, by the cheap, awful ending to his brilliantly-begun 'Brussels by Night'.

DIDDEN BY NIGHT

[Didier-Becu · 6/10 · 25 July 2003]

Marc Didden used to be one of the most famous Belgian directors. Mind you, he is still alive but Belgian movies are rather rare and knowing that Didden only made a second movie ("Istanbul") says enough about the quantity of Belgian movies. But good I saw by coincidence tons of Belgian movies this month and "Brussels by night" happened to be the most dated. The subject is paranoia and racism.... The uncontrollable outbursts from Max (François Beukelaers) are finely acted but the second subject (racism) is based on too many clichés. They all might have been true in 1983 but they're not current (sadly enough racism is still current though) as they're too much based on cynical jokes we heard too much and that's exactly the platform of this whole movie. Being a Belgian myself, I can only tell that the title suits the film : Brussels by night, and we all know there is nothing to do.... Watching this film isn't a waste of time but it absolutely does not deserve its cultstatus.

Hugely underrated after hours trip

[Clercx · 10/10 · 29 January 2004]

Brussels by Night is a dark powerfull human condition movie which focuses on the travellings of the main male character thru the grey streets of Brussels. A frustrated men in his thirties, early fourties seams to want to escape, especially himself.

In his searchings he encounters with a couple of underclass characters, full of never to be reached dreams.

This movie grabbed me by the throath from the very beginning on, due to the enormous actingperformance of De Beuckelaere and the straight in your face confrontation with the solitude of anonymous citylife.

I can't act like I understand it, but it's something

[randidmain · 8/10 · 1 January 2024]

The movies atmosphere is BRILLIANT I can't stress enough how much of a "vibe" this movie has.

There is definitely symbolism all around the movie, I hate how I notice it but can't think of what it seems but it's there and if you'll probably get it at some point and get a divine revelation.

The characters aren't likeable but they are very interesting. I don't understand why Max does a lot of the stuff he does but it all just makes sense without making sense in my eyes.

I didn't quite catch the ending to be honest, I saw what happened but don't know if he did it, he probably did but can I be sure? If yes, why did he call? Was it just hope? But unlike other reviewers I could definitely see at least a little of it coming and was just surprised of the contents of the scene, not that it occurred.

Overall OK movie, it isn't too long either so there isn't much reason not to watch it!

Movie about a nutter

[chrislawuk · 8/10 · 11 December 2023]

This is kinda pre-mental health, when mental health wasn't really on the table, and when the issue did come up it was overplayed to some extreme. The lead character is showing pretty accurate signs you would expect to see in his behaviour patterns.

Unlike other reviewers, the end threw me. To be honest I seen it in him all along, but you just kind of ignore it, and pretend that element of his personality isn't there. The violent and suicidal tendencies etc, but when I realised what he had done I was still shocked. The shock is really because, despite him being a unlikeable character, this all comes out of left field at the end of the movie. Its the hiding in plain sight sort of thing. You knew the signs were there, but you were too naïve to realise it. As a viewer you can't help but to feel fooled, in a manner of speaking.

It reminded me a bit of British director Mike Leighs movie Naked in some respects, which came out 10 years later to much acclaim.