PHOTO BY ALLYSON RIGGS / NETFLIX

Were it not for a quirk of perspective, “Night Always Comes” would be a standard, if well-acted, crime thriller. A desperate but good-hearted woman finds herself in need of lots of money; she lies, cheats and steals to get it over the course of a violent night.

Perfectly serviceable, if not at all novel, stuff. But it’s the setting of this film, based on a book of the same name by Willy Vlautin, that makes it distinct: “Night Always Comes” is set right now, in a rapidly gentrifying Portland.

That may not seem like a remarkable choice; plenty of films are modern. But, at least recently, most mainstream American films — particularly in the crime genre — ignore the nation’s current economic reality. Lynette (Vanessa Kirby), the deeply flawed protagonist of “Night Always Comes,” needs the money so she can go in with her mother on a loan that will allow her to keep their home. Even if she gets it, she’ll still have collectors of many stripes calling; if she doesn’t, she knows her checkered past (not to mention her poor credit score) will likely lead to homelessness.

Such is life in America today. And we rarely, if ever, see it in film.

Lynette lives with her mother, Doreen (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and her older brother, Kenny (Zack Gottasagen), who has Down Syndrome and requires near-constant care. Lynette needs Doreen’s signature — and money — to get the loan she needs to save the family home. Doreen, however, doesn’t really want the house at all and blows the money on a car.

Thus begins a desperate, one-night odyssey that will take Lynette from high (the posh apartment of a Senator, who’s carrying on an affair with an old friend of Lynette’s) to low (the chop shop where she takes the safe she stole from said apartment). New friends and old will let her down; violence will be a constant threat.

Kirby, an Oscar nominee for “Pieces of a Woman” and star of the current hit “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” shows her depth of feeling and fury — until she is outmatched, in an unforgettable scene, by Leigh. A strong supporting cast, including Stephan James, Michael Kelly, Julia Fox and Eli Roth, gives texture to the array of figures floating in and out of Lynette’s very bad evening.

At all times, there are glimpses of social reality too often missing from drama. These moments make “Night Always Comes” a queasily memorable tale; the blow-by-blow of its story may dabble in cliche, but there’s ample reality in its world.

As Lynette and her coworker Cody (James) carry the disguised safe onto an elevator, a neighbor hops in the door. “You guys moving out?” the stranger asks.

“Yeah,” Cody answers. “Gentrification.”

“It’s the worst,” the stranger says, blissfully unaware that he’s the one doing the gentrifying.

My Rating: 7/10

“Night Always Comes” is now streaming on Netflix.