Written and directed by Elaine May (who would later end her directing career with Ishtar - which I didn't think was that bad, but I'm getting off topic already…), Mikey And Nicky is a solid, gritty, crime drama that revolves around the two central characters that it is named after.

Nicky (John Cassavetes of The Killers) is hiding out from his former employer, a mafia boss named Resnick (famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner). Since Nicky stole some money, he's pretty sure that Resnick knows about it and has in turn put out a hit on him. He calls up his old pal Mikey (Peter Falk of Columbo) for help and Mikey decides to get him out of town before it all goes down.

Unfortunately for Mikey, Nicky is so paranoid about pretty much everything and everyone that he begins to suspect Mikey of working both sides of the game. After cruising around town for the night and paying some unexpected visits to a few old friends and flames, Mikey finally convinces Nicky to calm down just in time for him to realize that maybe he wasn't being so suspicious after all.

Considering that Elaine May is more often than not associated with her comedic work in film, it's amazing that the same person helmed this film – a dark and gritty crime drama/character study. Taking place over only one night, the movie moves at a quick pace but never feels rusher. The emphasis here isn't on action or suspense (though there are splotches of both those attributes throughout the film) but on the human side of the story. Neither one of the supposed friends fully trust each other but they're all they have at this point in the game and are forced to cooperate in spite of their dubious intentions. It makes for an interesting contrast compared to other crime films, particularly mafia and Yakuza films, where honor is a very important part of the code under which these men operate.

Visually, Mikey And Nicky is an interesting film. The obvious comparisons to Cassavete's style can be made (and aren't without merit) but May's film looks a little tighter and just a tiny bit slicker than his work. She makes great use of Philadelphia's big city settings, creating some very claustrophobic moments that seem nothing short of perfectly appropriate for the story.

The performances in the film are exemplary. Peter Falk is perfect in his role as the 'good guy' trying to help out his old friend who may or may not be slightly off of his rocker. While at times it's hard to disassociate Falk from his best known role, Columbo, here he succeeds in creating a brand new character that, while it shares some similarity with his best known alter ego, branches out on its own to great success. John Cassavetes, best known as a director, proves himself just as apt in front of the camera as behind it. He brings the perfect mix of paranoia and distrust to his role without ever going so over the top that it feels forced or unintentionally humorous. Ned Beatty and Sanford Meisner make the most out of their smaller roles as mobsters, and the rest of the supporting cast does an admirable job as well.

While the almost two hour running time and lack of any real action set pieces may place the film in the realm of unaccessibility for some crime film fans, Mikey And Nicky is an underrated and often overlooked film that will appeal to anyone impressed by solid direction and great acting.

Video:

Home Vision gives the film a gorgeous 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. So much of the film takes place in the dark that it would be a crime to screw up the black levels on the image – thankfully it is a crime of which Home Vision is innocent. The darker scenes remain strong and solid and while there is the odd instance of print damage evident, as well as some moderate grain, for the most part the picture is clean, clear and full of detail. There are no problems with mpeg compression artifacts and only some very slight edge enhancement. Overall, this is another great transfer from Home Vision.