Night Unto Night

Let's just get the best part of Night Unto Night out in the open: Ronald Reagan looks great in a uniform. He's very handsome, and when he smiles the entire screen lights up, but the movie isn't very good. He plays an epileptic recluse looking for peace and quiet, but when he rents a beach house from Viveca Lindfors, he doesn't find either. Viveca has mental problems and is grieving over her late husband, and her emotional outbursts are cries for attention. She and Ronnie share a romance, but it's difficult because of their own issues, and also because of her flirtatious, manipulative sister.

If you're a particularly big fan of Broderick Crawford, you might want to check this one out. He plays against type, an artistic intellectual who lends a sympathetic and wise ear to Ronnie's plight. I was watching it for the eye candy, and while I wasn't at all disappointed, I'm objective enough to realize any other Ronald Reagan movie could have done the trick. On paper, the plot is very interesting, as it discusses philosophy, mental illness, suicide, and the afterlife. However, Viveca was pretty irritating, as were the supporting characters, save Broderick. If the entire movie was just Ronnie and Brody talking, it would have been very good.