Director Michiel Blanchart’s “Night Call” is a French and Belgian action thriller that manages to endure its own broad-brush messaging to deliver a tense and taut 97-minute experience that will have you glued to your screen. The bulk of the film happens over the course of one fateful night in Brussels and takes a young man on a personal journey that will undoubtedly change his life forever.

Jonathan Feltre plays Mady Bala, a 24/7 locksmith and part-time college student who travels around the city at night taking calls from anyone in need of his services. One such call comes from a young lady named Claire (Natacha Krief) who has locked herself out of her apartment. Mady arrives at the address and is greeted by Claire who ushers him into her building. From there Mady trustingly makes two ill-advised concessions that have serious repercussions.

Mady’s policy is cash up front along with a form of identification. But he’s quick to toss it aside after Claire informs him that her purse is locked inside her apartment. Somehow swept by her charm, our easily duped protagonist agrees to help, only to find himself alone in the apartment while she runs downstairs to the ATM.

Of course Claire doesn’t come back and after a few minutes Mady finally realizes he’s been hoodwinked. But it gets worse with the arrival of the apartment’s real tenant – a neo-Nazi who flies into a rage after seeing a young minority in his place. The man immediately and brutally attacks, and following a violent scrum Mady kills the man in self-defense.

The story is set to the backdrop of escalating protests across the city following the death of a young black man at the hands of the police. That’s certainly rich ground to explore. But here it feels like a convenience that provides Mady with a reason to not call the cops. I don’t doubt that Blanchart and co-writer Gilles Marchand have good intentions. But for much of the movie this racial tension is more of a plot device than something being examined.

Despite that Blanchart deserves credit for keeping his high-energy story moving forward. Things really kick into gear with the introduction of a gangster named Yannick (Romain Duris). We learn the man Mady killed was keeping a stash of cash that belonged to Yannick. All Yannick knows is that the money is gone, the man is dead, and Mady is somehow connected. So he has his henchman pick up Mady and makes him a deal – find the girl and return his money by morning or he’ll be the one to pay.

From there the intensity steadily builds in large part thanks to the film’s crisp pacing, bursts of gritty action, and Feltre’s committed performance. Yet so much of the story demands at least some suspension of disbelief. There are simply too many coincidences and conveniences. And while the journey has enough zest to keep us entertained, it limps across the finish line with an on-the-nose ending that lazily reveals the movie’s biggest villain. It’s one of several missteps that holds this otherwise propulsive movie back. “Night Call” releases in select theaters January 17th.