First of all, lets clear something up. If you are a Linda Hamilton fan who is hunting this flick down in order to catch a glimpse of the lovely lady in an early role - Don't bother. SHE AIN'T IN IT!!! Nonetheless, 'Nightflowers' works just fine without her.
Following the progress of two Vietnam Veterans through the soul desert of 70's New York, the film is little more than a handful of fascinating sequences in search of a plot, but holds the interest through offbeat, quirky characterizations and its one-of-a-kind atmosphere. It intelligently avoids any attempt at wider social commentary or 'message' and achieves a genuine, tragic power through chilly understatement and observation. Especially impressive is Gabriel Walsh, who also wrote the piece, as the most sympathetic of the vets. He's a gentle, simple soul who's overwhelming alienation is pushing him toward total breakdown.
The previous poster mentioned the powerful rape-and-murder sequence. This is in no way exploitative, the mise-en-scene (a shabby apartment observed by a distant, unmoving camera) brilliantly conveying the revulsion and horror of the act, and the ultimate hopelessness of it's perpetrators, with incredible power. Also gripping is 'Dancing Dannys' attempted pick-up of Walsh's character. It's beautifully played, tense and finally shocking.
I have an old, rather tatty VHS copy that I picked up in some back-street dive years ago. The advertising blurb and artwork, which includes photographs of scenes that appear to be from a different film altogether, promise an action-exploitation picture. 'Nightflowers', or 'Nightangels' as the ad-art proclaims it, is a far more personal and interesting work than that.
