Mikey & Nicky
"A gangster film like no other."-LA Weekly
From Elaine May, director of The Heartbreak Kid, comes Mickey & Nicky, a compelling crime thriller with a powerhouse cast, including John Cassavetes (Rosemary's Baby, The Killers), Peter Falk (TVs Columbo) and Ned Beatty (Deliverance, Cookie's Fortune). Nicky (Cassavetes) has embezzled a fortune from the Mafia bosses and is on the run. Nicky's only friend Mickey (Falk) tries to help him escape; or will he lead him into a trap? Shot in gritty, improvisational style, Mickey & Nicky is one of the most original and riveting crime films of the 1970s.
Member Reviews
I just like to show off - Kelly_Man
I loved this movie, just loved it. When I first saw it 2 weeks ago, I gave it 4 stars, but since then, I haven't stopped thinking about it, and gave it the other star. I won't say this movie even comes close to being perfect - a lot of scenes seem stitched together in the editing, a result of the extensive improvisation, and the poor use of ADR in stretches might turn some audiences away altogether.
Despite it's technical flaws, there is something so unique about every scene of this film, so many interesting choices made by the filmmakers, that I really can't hold anything against it. Falk and Cassavetes bristle with energy when they're onscreen together, and it was just divine casting, because they seem willing to go to such extremes, willing to take chances with each other, be intimate and scary and real in ways that never feel forced or shallow. I've never seen anything like it.Overwrought, incompetent - Shawn_in_Montreal
From the opening scene where Cassavetes (Nicky) is chewing up the scenery as a frightened to death mobster with a contract on his head, we're in for rough going.
The film is ostensibly written and directed by Elaine May but she pretty much lets her self-indulgent leads run wild, in what appears to be little more than a series of improvisations by Cassavetes and Falk. Melodramatic and talky, the scenes run the gamut from the histrionic to the downright tedious.
A more skilled director would have entangled us in the intrigue of WHY Mikey has shown up at his pal's hour of peril, using it as a source of mystery and tension. But May tips her hand too early, ruining any suspense. One wonders if she simply had no idea of how to structure a suspense film. Or she was content to just let Casavettes and Falk run amock, ad-libbing, as they so love to do.
May wasn't even competent enough to keep her crew out of shots. I spotted two scenes (there are apparently three) where crew members appear. In one comic example, someone can be seen jumping into the bushes. In another, the boom man is seen standing next to the leads in a bar. Why in heaven's name were these takes printed, let alone used?
Despite this being a "restored" DVD there's an audible background hum as soon as the sound track kicks in on the opening credits.
By the way, in addition to misspelling one the two title characters (!), I'm pretty sure the above zip.ca description from All Movie Guide also errs in Cassavetes being a "Jewish gangster." Mikey's Jewish -- he says the Kaddish at Nicky's mother's grave. But we're told Nicky's mom is buried among Irish Catholics.~ STRANGE TALE OF MOBSTER FRIENDSHIP GONE AWRY IS INTERESTING ~ 3 Stars ~ - SqueakyChair
SNAPSHOT: Slow paced builds into a frenzy. Excellent performances by both Cassavetes and Falk. Riveting for some, boring for others ... it can seem a bit over-the-top. Moody. I enjoyed it as one of the better 3 star oldies I've seen.
MORE THOUGHTS: Zipping allows us to experiment with movies we can watch in the appropriate mood for each kind genre etc. because of the monthly fee -- films we might otherwise not wish to waste money on. This is such for me. Although it was hard for me to get the picture of Peter Falk as Columbo out of my head long enough to watch this.
Might i suggest from ZIP.ca A NEWER MOB MOVIE WITH A DIFFERENCE ALSO:
"BOUND" 5 STARS ~ One Mob Movie you MUST see ~~> http://www.zip.ca/browse/title.aspx?f=titleId(114905)
FINAL WORD: ~ BASIC RAINY DAY FARE ~ or SoSaysSqueakyChair
Member Reviews
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I just like to show off - Kelly_Man
I loved this movie, just loved it. When I first saw it 2 weeks ago, I gave it 4 stars, but since then, I haven't stopped thinking about it, and gave it the other star. I won't say this movie even comes close to being perfect - a lot of scenes seem stitched ...Overwrought, incompetent - Shawn_in_Montreal
From the opening scene where Cassavetes (Nicky) is chewing up the scenery as a frightened to death mobster with a contract on his head, we're in for rough going.
The film is ostensibly written and directed by Elaine May but she pretty much lets her ...~ STRANGE TALE OF MOBSTER FRIENDSHIP GONE AWRY IS INTERESTING ~ 3 Stars ~ - SqueakyChair
SNAPSHOT: Slow paced builds into a frenzy. Excellent performances by both Cassavetes and Falk. Riveting for some, boring for others ... it can seem a bit over-the-top. Moody. I enjoyed it as one of the better 3 star oldies I've seen.
MORE THOUGHTS: ...