Goldblum, Pfeiffer Go Not-So-Gently Into That Good ‘Night’

“Into the Night” is your chance to indulge the quirky, slightly perverse side of your psyche for a couple of hours.

It is late and pleasantly quiet on the parking ramp. Hapless insomniac engineer (Jeff Goldblum) is contemplating his sleep dilemma. Serendipity intervenes as the witness (Michelle Pfeiffer) of a very recent murder lands on the hood of his car. She pleads non-specifically for assistance. He resists but . . . what the hell? He has nothing better to do. And as her armed pursuers descend upon his car he is abruptly aware that his choice was probably a good one. The reluctant Samaritan and beautiful fugitive screech away.

So begins a night and day of danger and fun that will ultimately cure his insomnia.

The full plot of “Into the Night” gets more complicated: Turns out that Pfeiffer’s character is an Iranian prince’s playmate who has smuggled a few royal family jewels into the United States. This causes Auntie Princess (Irene Papas) to be royally displeased at the both of them, and she unleashes her four bumbling henchmen to retrieve the jewels.

Director John Landis (who also plays the head thug) deftly paces the blend of Goldblum’s talent for wry humor with the henchmen’s slapstick, Keystone Kop-like antics. Subplots and clever humor set this well-scripted romantic action-comedy apart from more formulaic offerings such as the recent “Bird on a Wire.”

Pfeiffer is sweetly convincing as the pseudo-innocent victim. David Bowie is excellent as an aloof hit man. Well acted throughout, the film boasts an all-star supporting cast of Dan Aykroyd, Kathryn Harrold, Clu Gulager, Richard Farnsworth and Vera Miles (also directors Paul Mazursky, Roger Vadim and David Cronenberg). The soundtrack features B.B. King.

“Into the Night” (1984), directed by John Landis. 115 minutes. Rated R. Universal Pictures.