Mikey and Nicky

Nicky (Cassavetes), cooped up in a dingy hotel room, dreading lethal reprisals from a mobster he's betrayed, calls upon Mikey (Falk) for help. But as they search the city's backstreets for sanctuary, it becomes clear that his buddy is less saviour than Judas (and that the sacrificial victim is no saint either). May's script simply observes the way old wounds are reopened as the pair reminisce about their past friendship, while allowing her actors ample space to emote with adolescent exuberance and paranoia. The vérité style, complete with itchy focus finger and rambling narrative, often seems less assured than in Cassavetes' own films. But with an imaginative use of locations, carefully controlled atmosphere, and superb performances all round, it's an often impressive, always watchable modern noir thriller, based on credible human motivations.