Mikey & Nicky

Elaine May's 1976 odd couple gangster drama is said to have its champions (critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who wrote a lengthy essay that accompanies the DVD, placed it on his list of the 100 greatest films of all time). Mikey & Nicky chronicles a long night's journey into day, as small-time Philadelphia hood Nicky--who made off with some money and may have contract out on him--puts out a desperate call for help to his lifelong friend, Mikey. The film has the jittery, cinema vérité look and palpable improvisational intensity of a John Cassavetes film, and Cassavetes (the father of the American independent film) himself stars as the justifiably paranoid Nicky, while Peter Falk (Columbo) costars as Mikey (with Ned Beatty appearing as a hit man). This revisionist gangster drama is the flip side of The Godfather films: unpolished, meandering, and--at times--over-the-top, but its inevitable conclusion packs a devastating wallop. DVD extras include interviews with the film's producer and cinematographer offering illuminating background into Mikey & Nicky's tumultuous production, including how the studio wrested control of the film from May and originally released a critically-savaged truncated version. Fortunately, this Home Vision release is the restored director's cut of a film poised for rediscovery and reevaluation, a relic of the sadly bygone 'New Hollywood' era when the director ruled. Recommended. (D. Liebenson) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Jan. 29, 2019—Criterion, 106 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1976’s Mikey and Nicky features an excellent transfer with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a 1976 audio interview with costar Peter Falk (46 min.), a new interview with critics Richard Brody and Carrie Rickey (24 min.), a 'making-of' featurette with distributor Julian Schlossberg and costar Joyce Van Patten (15 min.), and an essay by critic Nathan Rabin. Bottom line: May’s fine ‘70s gangster film sparkles on Blu-ray.]