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There are no heroes in ‘Mikey and Nicky’

PHOTO PROVIDED The poster for “Mikey and Nicky” is pictured above.

Soaked in existentialism, “Mikey and Nicky” tells the story involving the friendship of two mobsters struggling with the reality of a dying society over the period of a night.

John Cassavettes shines as the paranoid bookie, Nicky, fearing for his undoing amid stealing from the mob he was once apart of. He calls upon his childhood friend and fellow mobster, Mikey (Peter Falk), to aid him in escaping the smoking barrel of the hit man, Kinney (Ned Beatty), who is dead on his trail.

Mikey follows and takes care of his dear friend elongating what feels like a never ending night before the undoing of Nicky comes to a close — keeping Kinney off Nicky’s back until time is too late. What follows is a night full of twists and reflections of identity; how the past comes to haunt, and the unknowing finality of friendships.

Nicky is a loose cannon that takes his fears and aggressions out on those who are unfortunate to cross his bubble — fighting and threatening anyone who may disagree or question his morals. Mikey stands by to lighten the tension and to keep Nicky within arms reach both for his own safety and sanity, as well as to make a memorable final night for his childhood friend. Mikey is tasked with one of the hardest endeavors anyone could ever be reluctant to commit to, ending the connection with someone so close. Through the night, Nicky continues a paranoid back and forth, galavanting through the streets and buses of Philadelphia, carrying Mikey along with him.

Mikey is put to his wits end, caring for a lost soul, yet one that is detrimental to the well-being of those around them. He is faced with giving up on someone so lost and human, yet one that unfortunately and ultimately benefits to be lost.

From the audience’s perspective, neither of these men are heroes nor are they particularly the rolemodels one should strive to mirror. They are violent, backstabbing, and intrusive. Yet through the eyes of the director/screenwriter, Elaine May, they represent the philosophy of imperfections of couples, relationships, and the struggles of masculinity in men. Her script is a thorough enlightenment of what it is to be human and the challenges that one may face in ending something so close to them.

“Mikey and Nicky” is a rollercoaster ride of events and deep moving conversations that never give the dullest of moments. Each and every word of diologue within May’s acclaimed script is tightly strung together in a realistic exchange between characters. It is what it truly means to be human, and in being human, is to be greatly flawed.

“Mikey and Nicky” is rated R with an IMDB rating of 7.4/10. Viewers can stream “Mikey and Nicky” through Amazon Prime, YouTube, HBO Max, Criterion Channel and Turner Classic Movies.

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Chase Bottorf is a staff writer for The Express.

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