What does an insomniac, Iranian gangsters, an Elvis enthusiast and a thief have in common? The answer, aside from John Landis’ Into the Night, is emeralds. This very bizarre black comedy plays out more like a misguided thriller. Questioning where are the laughs only to be assaulted by something on screen to realise that was the joke. But despite the off kilter tone of the film, the story definitely keeps you on your toes and unlike Jeff Goldblum’s character, you won’t be needing sleep.
When insomniac Ed decides to go for a late-night drive to try and take his mind of his sorrowful situation, he ends up getting caught up with Diana and a group of Iranian gangsters. Having smuggled priceless emeralds into the country, Diana ends up being chased all over town, with Ed somewhat reluctantly in tow. Along their journey to find safety they meet a host of weird and unfriendly characters.
Getting its Blu-ray debut from 101 Films, Into the Night literally screeches in from the past. Not a well known or much talked about from 1985 and in all honesty, it's no surprise why. While there are merits to this story, the film really doesn’t know what direction or tone it wants to be. Ever shifting from gangster crime thriller to impossible romance with a twist. Taking place over two nights, a hell of a lot happens to our partners in literal crime Ed and Diana. They are naturally closer by the chaos and trauma but you wouldn’t believe it from Jeff Goldblum’s deadpan acting. He is a delight as always playing the character that drags us into the action while Michelle Pfeiffer’s Diana, named after Princess Diana she tells us, is the damsel in distress even though she is the one who put herself in that distress. Though the jokes are dark as the night Ed and Diana step into, there are some random unexplained moments such as Diana’s brother’s apartment which is covered floor to ceiling in Elvis memorabilia. Just the expression on Ed’s face is brilliant enough.
There are so many cameos in the film but the stand is the most bizarre, John Landis himself playing of the Iranian gangsters on the trail of the emeralds. Their role becomes more clearer towards the end when the plot ties together, yet still feel overly complicated. David Bowie, always a delight, plays a rather sadistic hitman for another interested party in the jewels and even had rather bloody fight scene. But as I mentioned, its always a delight to see Bowie on screen.
A very odd and randomly structured story that covers the city of LA in two nights, someone how the film works but don’t go expecting cult status here.