Mikey and Nicky (15) + intro

Elaine May had made her name in the 1950s working on improvisational comedy with Mike Nichols, before going on to direct film comedies with a sharp and bitter edge such as A New Leaf (1971) and The Heartbreak Kid (1972).

However, nothing that had gone before prepared audiences for Mikey and Nicky, a tale of an on the run small-time gangster, which is an emotional dissection of 1970s masculinity and male friendship. The film’s exploration of these issues is anchored by central performances from John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, who both give an improvisatory rawness rarely seen in Hollywood productions.

With her budget escalating, May would have post-production and release trouble with the studio Paramount, who ultimately removed the writer-director’s right to final cut. Whilst praised by some critics at the time, Paramount’s cut of the film was a box-office bomb and Mikey and Nicky quickly faded from view.

Subsequently, and now restored to May’s initial vision, the film has slowly gained a reputation as a major work from one of Hollywood’s most innovative periods and a key film in the career of one of American cinema’s most fascinating voices.