Into the Night (1985)--3/5

“Into the Night” has one classic scene that elevates the whole film. Minutes after Michelle Pfeiffer enters a criminal’s luxury apartment, Jeff Goldblum follows. Up to now, the movie has been a breathless odyssey, jumping from one setpiece to another like an Earthbound, L.A.-based version of “After Hours.” Little explanation has been given for the action.

Goldblum wanders the empty rooms and the film takes time to breathe. Better yet, the film holds its breath. The only soundtrack to the scene is that of a schlocky vampire movie that is on all of the many TV’s in the place. It creates tension just by clashing with the unexpected serenity. The horrific reveal in the last room and the subsequent struggle (involving David Bowie) release the pressure while ratcheting up the quality of the filmmaking. This is one of those great scenes in average movies that start out nonchalantly. About halfway through, it’s clearly the best thing in the film.

The second-best thing about “Into the Night” is the casting. Most of the supporting roles are played by movie directors. To name a few: David Cronenberg is Golblum’s boss, Jim Henson gets kicked off a phone, Roger Vadim forcefully involves himself in the antics, and Amy Heckerling is a friendly waitress. The familiarity of the directors threatens to upstage the film itself. Luckily, the script is fleet enough and they’re all great actors. Today, the collection of familiar faces in an unfamiliar context has a strong cult appeal.

Jeff Goldblum is watching you watch his movie.