Série noire pour une nuit blanche

In Los Angeles, the insomniac aerospace engineer Ed Okin (Jeff Goldblum) has a boring job and a cold relationship with his wife. One afternoon, Ed leaves his job earlier to rest and discovers that his wife Ellen (Stacey Pickren) is cheating him with her colleague Stan (Carmen Argenziano). During the night, Ed can not sleep and he decides to drive to the airport to kill time. When he parks in the parking lot of the airport, he sees a beautiful woman, Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer), chased by four Iranians. He helps her and drives away to her place. Sooner he discovers that Diana has smuggled six emeralds from Iran and now she is chased by the gang of Shaheen Parvici (Irene Papas) and by the dangerous British killer Colin Morris (David Bowie) that works for the French Monsieur Melville (Roger Vadim). Ed Okin has an unforgettable night with Diana.

"Into the Night" is one of my favorite movies of the 80's. I have just watched this film at least for the sixth time and Michelle Feiffer is stunningly gorgeous. The engaging story is funny and one attraction is to identify the cameo of directors and other personalities, such as David Cronenberg, John Landis, Don Siegel, Jonathan Demme, and Lawrence Kasdan working with names like Vera Miles, Irene Papas, David Bowie and Dan Aykroyd among others. The awesome music of B.B. King gives a touch of class to this wonderful film. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Um Romance Muito Perigoso" ("A Very Dangerous Romance")

Note: On 14 April 2019, I saw this film again.

Jeff Goldblum plays a man with a boring job, a cheating wife, and insomnia. One night beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer enters his life on the run from trouble of her own. The two have a wild night ahead of them as they run from irate Iranians. That makes more sense than it sounds, trust me. Lots of cameos from directors such as David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, and Don Siegel. Also a fun cameo by David Bowie. Goldblum and Pfeiffer are great. A solid comedy from John Landis; good escapist fun. Great soundtrack including the title song from B.B. King. Also worth checking out for a very rare (but brief) Pfeiffer nude scene.

This movie is a lighthearted romp! It is filled with laughs, some brilliant physical humor (who knew John Landis was a comic-action actor?), sudden surprises and a phenomenal cast.

And, as a little teaser to make you rent the theatrical version, Michelle Pfeiffer's only known nude scene! TSK, TSK, where she hid those gems!

Jeff Goldblum gives a deadpan performance that is perfect. It fits this movie, it fits his style, and at times it is just hilarious. Probably his best role ever.

The amazingly diverse cast includes Dan Aykroyd, David Bowie, Jim Henson, Paul Bartel, Carl Perkins, Bruce McGill (as Elvis!), Irene Papas, Vera Miles, Richard Farnsworth, Kathryn Harrold, Jake Steinfeld (Body By Jake) and even Clu Gulager! WOW!

But there's added richness for the film buff. Landis cast no fewer than 15 Hollywood directors in this film, plus himself! You can spot Lawrence Kasdan, Jonathan Demme, Paul Mazurski, Amy Heckerling, David Cronenberg, Roger Vadim, Jonathan Lynn, Jack Arnold, Don Siegel, Andrew Marton, Richard Franklin, Colin Higgins, Jonathan Kaufer and Carl Gottlieb.

Director Daniel Petrie even plays the director of a film-within-the-film, with the assistant director of this film, David Sosna, playing the assistant director of that film. There are cinematographers, writers and make-up artists, too, including Rick Baker, the first make-up artist ever to win an Oscar for his craft.

Too few people know about this sleeper. It's fast paced, funny and beautifully filmed. Rent it. You'll love it.

'Into the Night' stands as one of my favourite films of the '80's. In fact it stands as one of my most favourite films ever. Why? To be quite honest, I'm not sure why. It wasn't the best concept or script, the performances are okay -(with the exception of Goldblum who is outstanding)- and even John Landis' direction was at times on cruise control.

But what it did in 1985, was to reflect so much of what was going on. The ruthless drive for efficiency that makes Okin's aerospace company so demanding, the 'me' approach to relationships that results in Ed's wife's adulterous behaviour, the worship of fortune that dominates Diana's life and drives her so relentlessly - until Ed brings her something a little more worthwhile.

It had the right look, the right feel and the right cast to make you smile and go along with the goodtimes and the in-jokes between peers of the movie establishment. Here was a collection of successful players in Hollywood showing just how slick movie-making could be.

The screenings must have had the feel of a home movie with most of the cast sitting in the theatre enjoying their various cameos. Bowie, Cronenberg, Kasden and of course Landis himself, all doing it for their own.

I loved it when I first saw it and I'll be buying the DVD in Sept '03 when it finally appears. Is 'Into the Night' a great film? Probably not, but it makes me feel great everytime I take that ride to LAX in the little white Fiat...You had to be there.

A man's depression and insomnia drive him "Into the Night" and a lot of trouble in this enjoyable 1985 film. Goldblum is Ed Okin, an LA aerospace engineer whose sleep problems are causing him difficulty on his demanding job. His friend (Dan Ackroyd) suggests that the next time he has insomnia, he head for Las Vegas where no one sleeps. After he sees his wife cheating on him, that's just what he does. Then Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer) jumps into his car and his night turns into a dangerous adventure. Pfeiffer has smuggled perfect emeralds into the country for a promised fee, except that everybody is now after her and willing to kill to get them.

There are some great, quirky moments in this film, and one of my favorites occurs when Ed and Diana walk into the apartment of her brother (Bruce McGill) which is wall to wall Elvis. Then her brother walks in - he's an Elvis impersonator. Priceless. Diana and Ed take his car which has the words THE KING LIVES painted across it. One faction looking for the emeralds come off like the Middle Eastern version of the Stooges, particularly in a beach house scene where, trying to get out of a door, one of them keeps hitting himself in the face with it.

The unique thing is that director John Landis has cast many of his fellow directors: Lawrence Kasdan, Jonathan Demme, Paul Mazurski, Amy Heckerling, David Cronenberg, Roger Vadim, Jonathan Lynn, Jack Arnold, Don Siegel, Andrew Marton, Richard Franklin, Colin Higgins, Jonathan Kaufer and Carl Gottlieb - that's a partial list. They're all good, too.

The always terrific Jeff Goldblum gives us a shell-shocked Ed who seems to take each moment as it comes with what is either calm or numbness - it's unclear which, but it works in the role. Pfeiffer is a young beauty in this - she has a very brief, distant nude scene - and is certainly the type of gal a man would go out of his way to help. She's very appealing. Old-timer Clu Gulager also makes an appearance toward the end, and David Bowie has a menacing role as one of the people after the emeralds. There are some fun shots of Los Angeles like Hollywood Boulevard in front of Frederick's of Hollywood that are a real kick.

"Into the Night" is offbeat and fun with enough violence to make it somewhat edgy. A real find.