somewhere between big-budget action films and small-budget morality tales exists judgement night , a constantly exciting , always tense urban thriller about kids on the run . and no matter how you feel about foot-chase movies , or shoot-out movies ( or even movies that seldom show you the light of day ) , * this * movie is never less than engaging at any time . we first meet frank wyatt , a family man whose wife thinks he should stop hanging out with the guys who " have the hormones of teenagers " and start being around adults more . but frank hasn't been out of the house in a long while and he thinks he needs a breather . so , he tells his wife he loves her , kisses his baby's head ( just like any devoted father and husband should ) , and is off with his best friends for a night out . next , are mike , ray , and frank's brother ( whom he never , ever gets along with ) john . they all congregate in a van/bus , and are off to watch boxing in downtown chicago . wouldn't you know , traffic's too damn slow , and ray decides to get off the main highway for a short detour . and wouldn't you know , they find themselves in a part of town none of them has ever seen before . ray is determined to get them to the boxing match on time , but then a funny thing happens-- he hits some guy on the run from bad guys . the guys try to help out this stranger they've nearly killed , but before you know it the bad guys show up and retrieve the strange man . enter fallon ( played by denis leary ) , a drug kingpin/mobster/whatever who pulls a gun and murders the man in cold blood . " rule number one : do not steal from me , " fallon states to his band of henchmen . " rule number two , no witnesses . " and so it goes , as this action-adventure is set into nonstop motion . given the amount of time this film in on the screen , and the number of long encounters which take place , not much time is allowed for much character development . so , there isn't any ( except if you count a whiner/wimp who only shows his true colors when it's too late ) . then again , developing characters who provide the grounds for a story that just about leaves you breathless , and nothing more , would be a waste of time , especially when the action is as good as it is here . we get fights in the sewers , on and off trains , in low-rent apartment buildings , and even ( the finale ) in a small shopping mall downtown . and each sequence has a distinct feel to it , and each is inventive enough to make you feel as though you haven't seen any of this before . the script , by lewis colick , is extremely derivative in its ways of executing action and suspense , and the score , by alan silvestri , ( when it can be heard through all the fantastic rap music ) sets a nice tone for what you see . director stephen hopkins , of predator ii fame , does what he couldn't do in that film with this one : make it credible enough for us to want to continue watching . true , this isn't a classical piece of cinema , but it does just what it needs to : stay on the screen as long as it needs to be there ( no longer , and no less ) , and excite us while we watch . 
