Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Today I had the pleasure of watching Into The Night a luscious, dark, comedy/action thriller from 1985. Directed by John Landis, and starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer, this is a terrific movie, one which I think most people will enjoy.

Basic Plot

Poor Ed (Goldblum). His life is spinning out of control. His marriage has become boring, he has terrible insomnia, and he's messing up at work. Unable to vocalize exactly what's wrong, he just knows that something's "missing". When he finds his wife in bed with another man, that's the last straw for Ed. At the advice of his buddy (a very small role for Dan Aykroyd), Ed drives himself to the airport one night, intent on walking away from it all. But he doesn't get very far. While sitting in his car, contemplating his options, a murder happens right in front of his eyes. Beautiful Diana (Pfeiffer) jumps into Ed's car, and begs him to drive away, as she's being chased by the murderers. That's the beginning of the adventure. Ed and Diana embark upon a night of capers, murder, lies, and deception. For once, Ed's life isn't boring!

The Good Stuff

There's plenty of action in this movie. In fact, Diana and Ed's adventure is non-stop. They get out of one jam, just to find themselves in the next one. Along the way, little by little, Ed's starting to understand what Diana's done, and why these people are chasing her. And despite knowing that he should really turn her over to the police, and just go home, he can't bring himself to leave her. Thus he stays with her, and finds himself more and more tangled in her mess. And every time he thinks they're at a "stopping point", something else happens, and they're running again.

There's also some good humor. Mostly in the form of Ed trying to act "cool" in front of all these really tough bad guys. In fact Ed's just a simple, nerdy guy, but as his sleeplessness catches up to him, he gets more and more bold. Some of the things that come out of his mouth are just a riot. Even Ed can't believe some of the things he says, he's actually amazed at his own reactions. But hey, after not sleeping for several nights, and spending the night on the run, I guess the guy's entitled to be a bit "loopy". There's a scene where he's so tired, and he's trying to convince someone that he can be trusted, and he just says one ridiculously silly thing after another. In the end, the person he's talking to is so confused, she no longer knows what to do, and almost in exasperation, agrees to go along with his plan.

David Bowie! Yes, that's right! David Bowie plays Colin Morris, one of the bad guys. Though only a very small role, he's hysterical! The dialogue between him and Ed, when they first meet is truly delightful. One of the funnier moments in the film.

Finally, there are a ton of cute casting ploys. Most of these, I have to admit, were completely lost on me, but others will take great joy in trying to spot them. First off, there's John Landis, himself, playing one of the bad guys. There's Michelle's real-life sister Deedee in a quick role (before she ever became an actress in her own right). In addition, 15 other Hollywood directors have cameos. (Paul Mazursky and Jonathan Demme are two of them). To add to the fun, since the movie takes place in Hollywood, part of it takes place on a movie set, where a movie (called Kalijak) is being made. The crew on the film-within-the-film is the actual crew from this film. Did that sentence make sense? What I'm trying to say is that when you see the crew working on Kalijak, the actors you're watching are the real writers, assistant director, cinematographers, grip, and make-up artist from the movie. Not that you'd probably recognize any of them, but it's just a fun bit of trivia to know. And it must have been great fun for the crew of Into The Night to be invited to act in the movie, too!

That all sounds great - what's not to like?

I only have two complaints about this movie. The first is the character of Diana. She's not developed well at all. We have no idea who she really is, why she does what she does. We know nothing about her childhood, her family, nothing to explain what brings her to the point in her life where she's mixed up with these thugs. I mean, she's beautiful, and smart. So exactly how did she get mixed up in these illegal shenanigans?

Another complaint is that it's a bit too long, and drags a bit in the middle. 115 minutes long, 15 could have easily been deleted. Certain scenes just seemed to drag on for too long, without furthering the plot.


Overall

This is a fun movie. Rated R for language, nudity, and violence, this isn't for kids. But I think most adults would enjoy it.


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age