150 Word Review: ‘Mikey And Nicky’ (1976)
150 Word Review: ‘Mikey And Nicky’ (1976)
John Cassavetes and Peter Falk are small-time crooks in Elaine May’s grimy classic
Writer/director Elaine May understands the complexities of male friendships better than most men. In her 1976 masterpiece Mikey And Nicky, she explores the platonic love affair between two low-level gangsters over the course of one hot night — macho Nicky is paranoid a hitman is out to kill him so he turns to his childhood chum and fellow hood, Mikey for help.
The movie stars two acting giants at the height of their powers, real-life besties John Cassavetes and Peter Falk. As Nicky, Cassavetes is a rattlesnake having a panic attack, and Falk’s Mikey is a mothering wiseguy, with an emphasis on wise. Their bond is passionate but poisoned.
May’s gritty, improvisational two-hander is a look at men consumed by fears and resentments, who then turn on each other like hungry dogs. The movie is an intense tour of the lower depths of sweaty late-night Los Angeles in the 1970s.
If those two actors were supposed to be real friends in a low level mob, then the definition of true enemies escapes me.
Two excellent actors, nonetheless.
(I watched this after you wrote the review.)