Mikey And Nicky

Directed by Elaine May
United States
1976
106 mins

Synopsis

A friendship palpably implodes over one night in this gritty, Philadelphia-set mobster tale starring John Cassavetes and Peter Falk and inspired by May’s own upbringing.

Small-time gangster Nicky (Cassavetes) suspects there’s a hit out on him. He calls on his old pal Mikey (Falk) for back-up, and the pair embark on a restless escapade through dive bars, cemeteries and all-night movie theatres, dodging the low-level hitman who is indeed on Nicky’s tail. Veering from tenderness to mutual distrust, they have a love-hate bond that feels set to fracture at any moment. Intense and freewheeling in style, Mikey and Nicky is easily mistaken for an improvisation. In fact, it was precisely scripted by May, who drew on stories she’d heard growing up around mobsters. May clashed with the studio and the film was buried on release, but it’s now ripe for rediscovery in this director’s cut.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

Astonishing. May’s determinedly tawdry, desperate urban universe keeps expanding and growing like crystal in the mind.
Kent Jones, Film Comment
  • Program Strand
  • Year
    1976
  • Classification
    M
  • Country
    USA
  • Language
    In English
  • Director
    Elaine May
  • Producer
    Michael Hausman
  • Cast
    Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Ned Beatty
  • Screenwriter
    Elaine May
  • Cinematographer
    Victor J. Kemper
  • Editor
    John Carter
  • Genre
  • Company Credits
    Rights/Print Source: Jumer Productions
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