A Good Night to Die

A Good Night to Die is a down and dirty New York film. It is about a likable hit man named Ronnie, his not so bright protege, August, and an eventful day in their lives.

Michael Rappaport gives the most powerful performance of his career as the dim witted and intense student of the hit man arts. Gary Stretch plays the main character who goes to extreme lengths to protect his protege whom he feels responsible for bringing into their world. I've never heard of Mr. Stretch but I'm sure we all will very soon. He seems to jump off the screen and sit in your lap.

A entirely unrecognizable Ralph Macchio plays a psychotic killer with his partner (you never really know their exact relationship, but whatever it is, it's really weird) played by Ally Sheedy (always a bonus to see Ralph Macchio and Ally Sheedy play a murderous, psychotic duo)

Deborah Harry and Seymour Casell play rival mob bosses but this is more than your standard "the mob is after me" kind of movie.

The movie is filmed mainly in the streets of New York City. You can practically smell the city. One particular rooftop assassination scene really stands out. There was something very disturbing and wrong about how the person was done in.

I highly recommend this movie.

Not bad -- Don't really think it's a clone of Pulp Fiction, it's more a nod to Japanese gangster filmaking with the morality frustrated hitman with his dimwitted protege tying him down. Good acting from all involved, Michael Rappaport annoyed the hell out of me but that was what he was supposed to do, Gary Stretch was impressive first time seeing him, Robin Givens didn't annoy me as usual and the Ralph Macchio/Ally Sheedy assassin team!! They were hot, I could see a sequel concentrating on their bizarre hitman team easily. Good to see Ralph back, I had actually assumed it was somebody else till I traced his acting credits on here. Similar to Japanese filmaking the quick flashbacks/thoughts in the assassin's heads was a nod to that as well as the gritty New York landscape that didn't gloss anything in the grungey city. Kudos to the excellent cinematography The weird cutaway to the claymation scene also was a nod to Japanese films. Albeit could have been cut out it added to the weirdness. (Why would one remember their past in claymation?!) And that was a penthouse where dude had the chickens?? Au' vey! Weird but cool!

Not a bad film but wish the plot could have been tweaked not knowing what the hell was going on most the time. I concentrated on mainly the character development and interaction then cared what the hell they were doing concerning the plot most the time. Would have been an excellent movie they beefed up the storyline. Think, how original can you get these days after thousands of films are available! Good luck to those who can. I'm writing scripts myself and it is no easy task!! As for now, tired of main frame fair @ the local video store try this kooky little gem with no plot and have fun.

this film is a joy after the usual run-of-the-mill indie mediocrities. the story is taut and well written and the director demonstrates the deft touch of an accomplished storyteller. kudos to the director of photography who seems to have unlocked the new york city visuals in such a story-friendly manner. special admiration for the acting of michael rappoport who steals the show. his talents alone are worth the price of admission. this is a sharp little number that can just be enjoyed for its own sake, without all the pretensions of so many films that cry out to be dissected by the "critics". this is the type of film that sundance wishes it could generate.

Much like Pulp Fiction, Singer pulls out great performances from the most unlikely actors (Ralph Macchio & Ally Sheedy in particular). If enough people see the film, it could revive their careers.

Visually intriguing, yet somewhat thin on plot is a way to describe the film. But I found it riveting the first time through.

For people complaining about never seeing anything different, that it's always the same old junk, plot lines, scene set-ups, etc. --- this is a movie to see. If nothing else, it is out of the ordinary.

Without revealing the end, I'd be curious to see what others thought of the end in terms of who ordered which hits? (Be glad to hear from you via e-mail @ howardeber@aol.com).

No it's not a great one, but it is an interesting work from a director who clearly has something to say, and has an unusual way of saying it. Hopefully, we'll be seeing his name on more films in the future. I, for one at least, will be on the lookout for his work.

Ronnie (Gary Stretch) befriends jittery August (Michael Rapaport) and later mentors him to be a hit man. Three years later, August gets into trouble killing the wrong man who turns out to be a made man. Ronnie tries to save August despite the objections of his wife Dana (Robin Givens). He does work for Madison (Debbie Harry) to buy time for August. On the other hand, he's cheating with Ronnie's girlfriend and his ex Paige. Killing couple slash siblings Donnie (Ralph Macchio) and Marie (Ally Sheedy) are working for mobster Guy (Seymour Cassel).

Director Craig Singer is trying way too hard borrowing various styles. He tries to do superfluous funny dialog but it's nowhere as sharp as Tarantino. He uses quick edits, philosophizing, and time flashbacks but it all feels derivative. Sometimes, it gets interesting but the central plot struggles to advance in this meandering flow. Stretch doesn't have enough charisma to lead. Macchio and Sheedy have a great nostalgia factor. Overall, this tries too much and ends up with a bit of a mess.