MIDNIGHT SUN is a classic Hard-Boiled Detective Noir in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett, but instead of trench-coats and hats we have a tropical setting. Our main character is Manolo, a scumbag private detective who specializes in cheating husbands and affairs. Now, we may have said that Manolo is kind of a scumbag, but he is more of a lovable scoundrel. Manolo has that "Han Solo" charm to him, he's a silver-tongued devil, a rogue and a charmer, and despite the fact that he plays everyone around him in order to earn a living, he's still very much a likable guy. In other words: he's Humphrey Bogart in "The Big Sleep" if Bogey had retired to Puerto Rico. Which brings us to the detail that despite working as a private detective, Manolo lives the life of a retiree. He lives in a complex along other characters that share something in common, most of them party all night and are veterans of the Iraq war. The opening credits show us Manolo and his twin brother growing up, the bond between them is undeniable, but Manolo's twin (like many other twins) has a bit of the dark side in him. His brother winds up hanging out with the wrong crowd, particularly that of the local kingpin. Throughout the film Manolo remembers the events that lead to the demise of his twin almost as if he had lived them himself. Back to the main plot, Manolo is hired to investigate an affair between former friends, and in true Noir fashion, things are far more complicated than meet the eye. Manolo is not exactly a man of action but is more than capable of handling himself when trouble rears its ugly head. However, it is Manolo's wits and verbal dexterity that are his weapons of choice. Manolo has a hand in manipulating the events around him rather than allowing events to manipulate him. He always tries to stay one step ahead of everyone around him. Even when it may appear that he has been cornered Manolo is quick on his toes and capable of out-witting his persecutors. MIDNIGHT SUN is undeniably a Neo-Noir, but if it had been made in the golden age, black & white
it would stand proud neck-to-neck along other Noir classics like "Double Indemnity" and "The Maltese Falcon". However, as "retro" as it is, it is also undeniably modern. MIDNIGHT SUN does a lot of things that classic Noir would not be able to. It is far more hardcore, and it contains a good doze of sex and violence, which only adds to firmly ground it in reality and its tropical setting. This is another detail; the film is HOT, one can almost feel the hot, moist weather in the air, the sweat and the salty smell of the sea.
MIDNIGHT SUN manages to be an homage to the Noir/detective genre, without ripping-off what came before. We are in an era of remakes and reboots, or "original works" that borrow heavily from what came before, but the strength of MIDNIGHT SUN is that it plays it straight, much like CHINATOWN before it. However, unlike Chinatown's deconstruction of the genre, MIDNIGHT SUN doesn't bother to "reinvent" the wheel, but rather plays by the rules and uses the tropes to its advantage. The voice-over is classic detective internal monologue. Like Sam Spade before him, Manolo narrates the events with the same cynical tone. It was a common trope of Detective fiction to have the protagonist be a WW2 veteran, in this case, Manolo is an Iraq War veteran, the transplant of the trope works beautifully within the context of the story, and makes the homage shine even more. The private detective has been done to death, but there is something about watching these same tropes in modern times, and see how little has changed since post-war times. Manolo earns his living in a dishonest way, but in a world of dishonest people, it would be dumb (and deadly) not to cheat the cheaters and stay ahead of the game. Another detail, and this may appear overlooked, would be that this is, undoubtedly a Spanish-speaking story with Latino characters in them, rather than Los Angeles (the ideal Noir City) or another American city as back-drop. These stories are universal and can happen anywhere, and the film makes great use of its Puerto Rico setting, which only adds to its novelty and narrative.
While MIDNIGHT SUN may be a low-budget independent film, the manufacture and quality are top-notch. A very talented and dedicated crew gave it all to this production. It is carefully constructed, cleverly performed and shot with a meticulous eye. The lead, Pedro Capó has charm and presence in spades. He plays the world-weary, cynical Manolo with roguish charm, and he's positively the secret weapon of the film. At all times we are with him, and he carries the film on his shoulders with confidence and aplomb. And yet, despite following Manolo everywhere, and listening to his thoughts, there's still a lot we have yet to find out about him and his relationship to his brother and that fateful night his twin was murdered. This is above all, a very entertaining film, there's a lot of value in that, a thriller that actually thrills with a roguish lead that we root for throughout, in true Noir Detective fashion, Manolo gets into many dangerous situations, and we constantly fear that he may get way over his head. This is a fantastic hook that keeps us interested throughout as well as the central mystery that unfolds, there is more than meets the eye.
