Okay, fellow tape-heads, dim the lights, maybe crack open a Tab if you can find one, and let's journey back to a Los Angeles shimmering with neon promises and lurking dangers. Tonight's feature, pulled from the dusty but beloved archives of VHS Heaven, is John Landis's often overlooked, utterly unique 1985 thriller, Into the Night. This isn't your standard explosive action fare, but trust me, the tension coils tight, and the ride is pure, uncut 80s weirdness.
Remember those nights when sleep just wouldn't come? That's where we find Ed Okin, played with maximum jittery charm by Jeff Goldblum, right in his prime zone of intelligent, slightly neurotic everymen. Ed's got insomnia, a cheating wife, and a soul-crushing aerospace engineering job. His desperate late-night drive to LAX, just anywhere to escape his thoughts, is the catalyst for everything. It’s here, under the airport’s sodium glare, that a stunning, frantic Michelle Pfeiffer (as Diana) literally crashes into his life—and his car—clutching smuggled emeralds and pursued by very dangerous people. What follows is a frantic, often bizarre chase through the nocturnal landscape of mid-80s Los Angeles.
A Different Kind of Chase
While Into the Night isn't wall-to-wall explosions like a typical Cannon Films release, its action feels grounded and desperate. The car chases, particularly the initial escape from the airport parking garage, have that tangible, metal-on-metal feel we loved back then. No slick CGI here; you feel the weight of those land yachts skidding around corners. Landis, who gave us the controlled chaos of The Blues Brothers and the suburban mayhem of Trading Places, captures the sprawling, unpredictable nature of L.A. There's a sense of genuine disorientation as Ed and Diana pinball from one strange encounter to another, the threat always nipping at their heels. Remember how those sudden bursts of violence felt genuinely shocking? A punch lands with a thud, a gunshot echoes with grim finality – it felt real in a way that often gets smoothed over today.
Spot the Director!
One of the absolute joys of revisiting Into the Night is playing the cameo game. John Landis famously packed this film with blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances from fellow filmmakers. It’s almost distracting, but in the best way possible! Keep your eyes peeled for David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, Lawrence Kasdan, Amy Heckerling, Don Siegel, Roger Vadim, and even Jim Henson (yes, that Jim Henson!). It’s a cinematic ‘Where’s Waldo?’ that speaks volumes about Landis's place in the industry at the time. A fun fact: apparently, Landis just called up his director buddies and offered them scale pay for a quick scene, turning the shoot into a kind of rolling party. This adds a layer of meta-fun that feels perfectly suited to a late-night VHS discovery.
Goldblum & Pfeiffer & Bowie? Oh My!
Jeff Goldblum is pitch-perfect as Ed, the ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances. His bewildered reactions and muttered observations ground the escalating absurdity. Michelle Pfeiffer, radiating star power even then, gives Diana a compelling mix of vulnerability and resourcefulness. You believe she's in trouble, but you also believe she might just figure a way out. Their chemistry, built on shared panic and necessity, is surprisingly effective.
But the supporting cast! Beyond the director cameos, we get memorable turns from actors like Richard Farnsworth, Vera Miles, and a hilariously out-of-place Dan Aykroyd as Ed’s engineer friend. And then there’s David Bowie. Yes, Ziggy Stardust himself appears as Colin, a smoothly menacing British hitman. It’s a small role, but Bowie’s inherent charisma makes him instantly unforgettable. Seeing him stride into frame adds another jolt of unexpected cool to the proceedings.
That Midnight Mood
What truly sets Into the Night apart is its atmosphere. Shot almost entirely on location, the film breathes Los Angeles after dark – the smoky bars, the deserted office buildings, the strangely lit mansions in the hills. It feels authentic, capturing a specific moment in time. This is greatly enhanced by the fantastic blues score, largely provided by the legendary B.B. King, who also appears as himself, jamming in a club. His music provides the soulful, melancholic heartbeat to Ed and Diana's desperate flight. It wasn't a box office smash ($7.5 million gross on an estimated $8 million budget – ouch!), and critics were somewhat baffled by its tonal shifts between thriller, comedy, and outright strangeness. But like so many films from the era, it found its audience on home video, becoming a cult favorite for those who appreciated its off-kilter charms.
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VHS Heaven Rating: 7/10
Justification: Into the Night earns a solid 7 for its killer performances from Goldblum and Pfeiffer, its incredibly unique atmosphere, that fantastic B.B. King score, and the sheer delightful audacity of its cameo overload. It loses a few points for a plot that sometimes feels a bit rambling and tonal shifts that, while intentional, might not click for everyone. The pacing can meander slightly between moments of genuine tension.
Final Take: This is prime "found treasure" VHS material – a stylish, quirky, and surprisingly dark neo-noir comedy-thriller that feels like a time capsule of mid-80s L.A. It’s the kind of movie you’d stumble upon late at night on cable and be utterly captivated by its weird energy. Worth seeking out if you missed it back then, or firing up again for a nostalgic trip through a very specific, very cool cinematic night.