“Murder By Death” (1976)
“You are cordially invited to dinner and a murder…” begins the invitation sent out to five of the world’s top sleuths at the opening of murder-mystery satire “Murder By Death.” The respondents are various spoofs of legendary movie detectives: David Niven and Maggie Smith are Dick and Dora Charleston (aka Nick and Nora Charles of “The Thin Man” fame), James Coco plays Poirot stand-in Milo Perrier, andFalk runs away with the picture as Sam Diamond, a spirited parody of Humphrey Bogart’s gumshoe from “The Maltese Falcon,” (but often more reminiscent of Bogart’s character in “Casablanca”). Overall, the comedy in “Murder By Death” is a mixed bag. Some elements have aged to the extent that they are painful to watch (like Peter Sellers’ Charlie Chan parody). Still, Falk’s spot-on Bogart impression is a source of continual delight, especially the twinkly enthusiasm with which he delivers the screenplay’s ridiculous hard-boiled dialogue (“Mr. Diamond, you have a bullet hole in your back” “You should see the other guy!”). Falk’s performance was so lauded and considered the largest contributing factor to the movie’s success at the box office that screenwriter Neil Simon wrote him an enjoyable spin-off sequel: “The Cheap Detective.”
“Mikey And Nicky” (1976)
There are other actors in “Mikey and Nicky,” but for the most part, the film is a two-hander between Cassavetes’ Nicky (as a low-level gangster who knows there’s a hit out on him) and Falk’s Mikey (as Nicky’s old friend, who tries to look after him… sort of). Over one tumultuous night, they reopen old wounds, laugh, carouse, fight, and run for their lives; all the while, Nicky is never quite sure whether he can trust the man who’s been his friend since they were both little kids. In her third feature, writer-director Elaine May makes stellar use of the chemistry between Falk and Cassavetes; it’s tough to imagine anyone else playing the titular characters with such a convincing shared history and gritty, emotional frankness. As always, the men are extraordinary together – rough and tender, jovial and furious – as it is gradually revealed that the whole love-hate feud between them, from which Nicky’s life is in imminent danger, boils down to a pedestrian combination of jealousy and insecurity; the two wound each other in the way that only close friends can. “Mikey and Nicky” marked the last time Falk and Cassavetes acted opposite one another, and it’s a fittingly magnetic capper to their onscreen partnership.
“The In-Laws” (1979)
“The In-Laws” tends to get overlooked in discussions of the all-time great buddy comedies. This frequent exclusion is both underserved and bewildering: Arthur Hiller’s movie, and its effervescent screenplay by “Blazing Saddles” scribe Andrew Bergman, is every bit as funny and endearing as the giants of the genre, like “Midnight Run” and “Lethal Weapon.” Falk plays a renegade CIA agent; Alan Arkin is a Manhattan dentist; the pair would never have met if it weren’t for their children’s impending marriage. A dramatic opening robbery of the US treasury sends them haring wildly around two countries, narrowly avoiding bullets and schmoozing with unhinged dictators, all the while hoping they’ll make it back in time for the wedding. As with all the best buddy comedies, the odd-couple rapport of our leading duo is what powers the movie, and Falk’s cheerful calm in the face of a host of life-threatening situations contrasts hilariously with Arkin’s understandable panic. They would team up again in the 1986 comedy “Big Trouble” (a rare misfire from Cassavetes and the last film he directed), but “The In-Laws” is the best example of the double act at the top of their game.
“The California Dolls” (1981) aka “…All the Marbles“
An underappreciated gem in the filmographies of both Falk and director Robert Aldrich (this was Aldrich’s last movie; he died before he could make the sequel he’d been planning), “The California Dolls” sees Falk as Harry, the manager of the titular tag team of lady wrestlers Iris (Vicki Frederick) and Molly (Laurene Landon). The film follows the three as they drive around America trying to make a name for themselves. Harry was originally written for Paul Newman, but there’s no way that he – still impossibly dignified and handsome in his late middle age – would have ever suited the part as well as Falk, whose air of permanent, lovable dishevelment makes him the perfect fit for a film so devoid of polish. Like many of Falk’s most interesting characters, Harry is morally murky and doesn’t always strike the right balance between helping his team and exploiting them. However, despite his occasional ethical lapses, Harry’s heart is in the right place, and he and Iris and Molly share a warm relationship. The best moments of “The California Dolls” happen in their rickety old car as the three plot potential gimmicks (“We are not getting tattooed Harry!”) and dream about hitting the big time.
“Wings Of Desire” (1987)
In “Wings Of Desire,” angel Damiel (Bruno Ganz) must decide if he wants to sacrifice his immortality in order to live as a human being with the woman he loves (Solveig Dommartin). Wim Wenders’ classic film is leisurely-paced and little concerned with narrative; we spend most of the movie following Damiel and fellow angel Cassiel (Otto Sander) as they drift around Berlin, listening to the citizen’s angst-ridden inner monologues and offering silent solace where they can. Falk plays himself in one of the most enchanting roles of his career (as he walks the streets of a still-divided Berlin, he’s greeted with shouts of ‘Lieutenant!’ ‘Columbo!’), but also – as we find out later – another ex-angel. He’s in Berlin to shoot a movie, but he finds himself drawn to his angelic brethren and vice versa. Wenders uses Falk’s natural affability, the ever-present sparkle in his eye, and the great affection in which so many hold him, and turns it all into something literally ethereal. Indeed, there’s palpable magic to his monologue about the simple pleasures of living, delivered to Damiel (who he can’t see but can sense) outside a coffee kiosk by the Berlin Wall. A moment of pure cinematic transcendence.
“The Princess Bride” (1987)
Although Falk worked consistently all the way up to his eighties (his final screen credit was as a priest in the critically mauled 2009 comedy “American Cowslip”), his lovely performance in “The Princess Bride” would mark his last significant role in a movie widely beloved by critics and audiences alike; in fact, few movies are as widely beloved as Rob Reiner’s romantic-comic-fairytale-fantasy. Falk plays a grandfather (he’s literally credited as ‘The Grandfather’) who arrives at the bedside of his sick grandson (the adorable Fred Savage) to read him a story full of “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, [and] miracles.” Whilst he doesn’t have much screen time overall, Falk’s words both begin and end the central story, and his interactions with Savage, (“She doesn’t get eaten by eels this time.” “What?” “The eel doesn’t get her. I’m explaining to you because you look nervous.”) serve as a charming, grounded meta-commentary on the fantastical action. In Falk’s memoir, “Just One More Thing,” he says of his experience on Reiner’s film, “’The Princess Bride’ was pure joy. Working on that movie wasn’t working. It was just plain fun.” The fun he had is delightfully evident on screen.
Honorable Mentions:
Falk reprises his “Wings Of Desire” role in the sequel, “Faraway, So Close!” It’s a far inferior movie but worth watching for Falk’s eclectic group of co-stars, including Willem Dafoe, Lou Reed, and – if you can believe it – Mikhail Gorbachev. “Vibes” is another Falk film with a ‘how did they think of that?’ cast (he stars alongside Jeff Goldblum and Cyndi Lauper); it’s goofy and often nonsensical, but terrifically entertaining. The madcap wavelength of “Luv” will be too much for many, but if you can get on board, you’ll be rewarded with the manifold pleasures of a Falk – Elaine May – Jack Lemmon love triangle. Although he’s just in the first ten minutes, Falk and May teamed up again in the patchy-but-interesting “In The Spirit” (co-written by May’s daughter Jeannie Berlin) as the brilliantly-named couple Roger and Marianne Flan. Canadian B picture “The Bloody Brood” sees a young Falk mesmerize as a psychopathic philosopher-poet. In the TV movie “Griffin and Phoenix,” Falk and Jill Clayburgh play two terminally ill cancer patients who fall in love in the last months of their lives. That premise sounds schmaltzy but truthful, unvarnished performances from Falk and Clayburgh give the film an emotional weight that feels earned rather than manipulated.