Passeport pour une nuit blanche

It's pretty bad, that's for sure. At one point, the lead character runs from the cops, jumps on the back of a motorcycle and points a gun at the rider and tells him to get us out of here, and the guy instantly does, and helps him elude the cops. And then they bond!

This movie is practically a parody of 80s action movies, with Anthony Michael Hall's presence being the icing on the cake. However, Hall does do a fine job with the material he's given.

The movie tries to balance the main character's folksy farm upbringing charm with a zany LA revenge/caper plot and it doesn't work.

It doesn't look cheap at all, it looks like they dropped some bucks on this, with some complex stunts, lots of speaking roles, quite ample extras and a lavish appearance. But at the same time, it looks they trimmed this to bone in editing, probably thinking they had a turkey.

Crazy and unlikely as it may sound, there might be a more interesting cut that could have happened. It makes you wonder why they even bothered with the Iowa scenes, setting up Daryl's mother and father. Even Daryl's brother seems barely worth setting up, considering they talk briefly then he's dead.

It does have striking music I'd never heard before, particularly Cities in Dust. And they did succeed in the goal of showing LA in a different way than other films.

Farm boy Daryl Cafe leaves behind a life on the farm with his feuding parents, for one in The Big City with his brother, expecting a better life, things instantly go wrong when he picks up the wrong bag at the airport.

First off, credit to the film's pacing, it doesn't give you a slow, tedious buildup, it's essentially straight into the action, it's a fast paced, man on the run, in strange surroundings film.

The script isn't great, some of the dialogue is flat, some of the situations are absolutely crazy, you'll be scratching your head wondering if it's reality or not, if you're aware that you're watching a crazy thriller, you may just get some enjoyment from it.

The acting is actually really good, Anthony Michael Hall is great as Daryl, one thing he will do, is put you on edge, I think you get a sense of the character's stress levels. I adored Jenny Wright, she was a bundle of fun.

7/10.

I always liked this film because it showed that Hall was not just some goofy nerd all the time. In this film he is faced by drug dealers and murderers and more real to life situations than that of other movies, such as the "Pretty in Pink" genre 80's movie. I don't see that it ever got released on DVD like some others from that time, why is that? Hall proves himself in a dramatic, thoughtful role as a simple teen who is able to develop survivor instincts under pressure. I have seen it many times and like it much more than the "Breakfast Club" or even "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" where the comedy pales after a few times of watching. I do not think it got the press it deserved. Many of my friends have never seen it. The film barely gets a mention anywhere, I think because it is not a comedy and is R-Rated for showing violence. I think people needed to see Hall do more dramatic acting than just stuck doing continual comedic roles. I think this movie shows part of the man who became one to play in the "Dead Zone."

Predictable '80s actioner. Everything is set up as if it's underlined. We see Anthony Michael Hall practicing with his knife, so we know it'll come into play. Jeff Kober is good as the guy pursuing Hall. HIS motivations and actions are the only ones that make any sense, and he's the bad guy! Somebody gave me the video as a birthday present because I'm a huge Kober fan. If you are too, go watch AUTOMATIC (1994) or your box set of KINDRED instead.

Anthony Michael Hall leaves the farm to visit his brother in Los Angeles; his parents are going through a bust-up. When he gets off the plane, he picks up the wrong bag, one full of drugs. When he wakes in the morning, he finds his brother and sister-in-law dead and im on the run. His only help is Jenny Wright, a woman he met on the plane, and who came on to him.

There are some nice bits of writing here, simple solutions to obvious problems. Why doesn't he call his parents? Because his father is traveling and his mother is visiting in Kansas..... and he wrote down the wrong phone number! But while Hall, who was trying to break out his his 'nerdy teen' phase, is very good in the early scenes as an unsure farmboy, after one day in the city he moves through a punk club with an air of assurance. In addition, there's little to interrupt the increasing level of apprehension throughout. A few breaks, a la Hitchcock, would have been nice.

Miss Wright has a far more nuanced and interesting performance to give that would seem to foretell a longer career. Alas, a dozen years later, she made her last film. It's mildly surprising. She's what makes this movie watchable.