Into The Night, the 1985 comedy-thriller starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer is finally making its return in Blu-ray Collector’s Edition. Directed by John Landis, this film is mostly light-hearted, with some darker, sleazier scenes tossed in. Awesome shots showing different famous locations around Los Angeles made this film memorable. Great star performances help Into The Night move along nicely, paired with a ton of cameos, and an awesome soundtrack. While I think a wide variety of audiences would enjoy this film, I got the feeling this movie was truly a film made for more distinguished movie buffs.
In this film we are introduced to Ed Okin (played by Jeff Goldblum), a man who appears to be at somewhat of a crossroad in life. He is in a relationship that has lost its passion, and feels confused and depressed. Ed is a severe insomniac, and doesn’t hide that he hasn’t been sleeping well. After finding that his wife has cheated on him, Ed leaves for the airport.
At the airport Ed encounters Diana (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), who lands on his car and demands a ride away from the area. Four Iranians are following her because, as we come to find, she is a jewel thief. The beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer has played roles in famous movies such as Scarface, Batman Returns, and The Witches of Eastwick, among many others. I thought her performance, as Diana was great in this film. Her attractiveness took Diana’s persuasiveness and wild requests to a new level.
When we learn that Diana has stolen precious jewels from Iran, the men chasing her, including David Bowie, playing a hit man, speed up the chase. As the movie rolls on more drama unfolds. Ed and Diana’s relationship builds, but we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to go. Without telling too much, the ending isn’t mind-blowing or incredibly notable, but there is a bit of a neat surprise.
Overall, I felt like this was an all-around, “cool” movie. Shots of palm-tree lined Los Angeles, with B.B. King playing in the background, late 1970’s style cars… it’s just a cool movie. After reading some other reviews of this film, a common theme was that many felt there were too many guest cameos taking away from the films plot. While I can see how this could be a distraction when the film was first released in 1985, to me, watching in 2017, this just makes the movie more interesting. In fact, I would say this film is underrated. I enjoyed this movie and found it was easy to watch, but still had enough excitement to keep it interesting.
Set for release November 7, 2017, the new Collector’s Edition of Into the Night will be available on Blu-ray for the first time.
Bonus Features include:
– A new restored master
– John Landis: “Back Into The Night”
– Jeff Goldblum: “Requiem For An Insomniac”
– Award-Winning Documentary B.B. King Into The Night
– Original Theatrical Trailer
Digging into the Bonus Features, I recommend watching John Landis’ “Back Into The Night”. Landis was at an interesting time in his career and personal life when this movie was directed. This is definitely worthy of a watch, as well as a web search if you want to learn more about Landis’ interesting career.
The B.B. King Into The Night Documentary is also extremely cool. Having just passed in May of 2015, B.B. King leaves a massive legacy in the world of Blues music. Featuring a ton of B.B. King, plus some Ira Newborn, Patti La Belle, and Marvin Gaye, the soundtrack for this film could be considered a classic.
