Directed and narrated by Khary Saeed Jones, Night Fight documents the thoughts and feelings running through a man’s head when he was followed from a gas station 7 years prior in Canada. Jones describes how he struggles to decipher whether he wants to simply understand why it happened or if he desires revenge. Through a series of interviews with folks from the area it occurred in and a ride along with Jones as he narrates the events that took place, it paints a picture that shows that this is not an uncommon experience. It is an internal battle he faces as he revisits the rural town looking for answers to his many questions as he prepares to share his story with his young son.
Jones makes it clear that everything changed for him that day and wonders how it has shaped him into the person he is now. As scenes shift from showing the exact spots of the gas station he made eye contact with the vigilante to driving down the roads where he was followed for over 25 minutes, the audience is given the tools necessary to be propelled back to the day this all occurred.
One thing that works really well for Night Fight is the fact that Jones doesn’t hold back when it comes to describing every detail to paint the picture for us. He even goes as far as pointing out new buildings that have since been built, proving just how he remembers everything about the scene that ultimately changed his life. The narrating keeps you engaged, but right when Jones is about to detail more about the incident, the scene changes and we are back chatting with two women who run a local artifact museum. They discuss how people often get extremely emotional when visiting as they find the history of their town to be fairly shocking. They recall how some even go as far as skipping over one particular row of glass cases filled with photos and pieces that are too hard to look at.
We then hear from a young mixed Black and white woman who was once pulled over for speeding with her white mother in the car with her. She tells us how the officer brought her to his police cruiser into the front seats and insinuated she perform sexual acts to get out of the ticket. Through the stories in Night Fight, it is clear this small Canada town has yet to incorporate many other races in their community, something the United States is still battles with in some small, primarily white cities.
Jones being brave enough to revisit the place that caused him so much pain and confusion is a commendable act. He isn’t the only one this has happened to and he certainly won’t be the last, but shining light on the situation does help us down the path of being socially aware. Whether Black, Latino, or Asian, we all know someone that has been racially profiled or called slurs.
What has been taught more is that we should pick our battles accordingly and walk away or ignore people trying to get a rise out of you. Road rage is a big problem that causes a lot of deaths over simple misunderstandings or wild drivers and, to be honest, that is where I thought Jones’ story was going to go. What doesn’t work for Night Fight is the slow build up to ultimately be let down. It isn’t until about 38 minutes in where he really begins to dive further into the story to recall the events leading up to him being followed. This served as a problem because there was never any exchange between Jones and the man who followed him.
As we listen to his retelling, we sit waiting for the climax, but it never comes. When things like this happen to us in the Black community, it is extremely upsetting and hurtful because we are so beyond the times of racism, yet it still exists subtly. It is unfortunate what happened to Jones, but as he tells the story, it comes off as a guy that regrets not having the courage to stop and speak up to that guy 7 years ago. It’s almost as if the idea of walking away has been eating at him all this time. It plays like a man with regret, someone that grew tougher over time and wishes he was able to take his frustration out on that vigilante. At one point, he is asked if he has ever considered seeking therapy since he revealed having such dark thoughts, which is a valid question as it could be a great solution.
All in all, Night Fight is a deep retelling of something that is far too common today and needs to be addressed. It gets hard to have these conversations with our children, but the simple fact is doing so could save their lives one day. Teaching the idea of making wise choices is a stand out lesson that Jones touches on, especially with his own son asking him such tough questions. As he embarked on a journey to find people who have had similar experiences, he ultimately discovered that, in his own words, “You can’t inherit strength… you have to recognize you have it.” The film had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW as part of the Documentary Features section of the festival.
Night Fight premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival.