Weekend Buff

Midnight Run (1988)

Midnight Run (1988)

As far as comedies go, Midnight Run is top notch.  It is in a niche by itself as far as cop comedy/action films go.  A step up from slapstick comedy and a step below witty.  A perfect combination of the two with some action scenes (some of them a little too real) to boot. 

Robert De Niro stars as Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter hired to capture a Chicago mobster’s boss’s accountant.  The accountant is Jonathan Mardukas, played by Charles Grodin.  Walsh finds Mardukas hiding out in New York City and has to bring him into court in Los Angeles.  Walsh has competition though, the FBI, Chicago mobster Jimmy Serrano, other bounty hunters, and mother nature are all out to stop Walsh from his mission.  To top it off, the manipulative Mardukas has convinced Walsh that he cannot fly. The pair get thrown of the plane.  It will be a cross-country adventure to bring him in. 

De Niro is very good as the bitter and angry former cop.  Grodin, however, steals the show.  This might be his best performance.  He is hysterical – biting, subtle and dry, he delivers classic line after classic line.  The two show some real chemistry and it is a shame they never hooked up on another film.     

The pair are backed up by a well casted ensemble.  Director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop, Scent of a Woman) manages to pick some great character actors who can also get some laughs.  Dennis Farina is gangster Jimmy Farina, John Ashton as bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler, Joe Pantoliano as bail bondsman Eddie Moscone, and Yaphet Kotto who gives an excellent performance as the stuffy FBI boss, Alonzo Mosely.  

The duo starts their tour of the United States from NYC to LA.  The trip is harrowing physically.  All that can go wrong does go wrong.  But the trip is more than an adventure.  Walsh and Mardukas get to know each other and develop a friendship.  The issue – Mardukas knows that if he makes it to LA County Jail, he is a dead man.  Serrano will have him killed.  He has to escape. 

In the meantime, they are engaged in shootouts with gunman firing from helicopters, wild river rapids (where De Niro actually almost drowned) and mad dashes, with Mardukas in handcuffs the whole way (Grodin actually had permanent scars from the cuffs).

Midnight Run was nominated for Best Picture, and De Niro was nominated for Best Actor (although I thought Grodin was better).  It didn’t win either, but this is a great film.  It is not often considered in the run of “Must Watch” comedies, but it certainly belongs there.  It stands the test of time.     

Midnight Run gives the audience two hours of solid entertainment.  If you aren’t laughing, you are on the edge of your seat.  You can catch it for free with a Netflix or AppleTV subscription, or pay the usual $4 anywhere else.  This movie is worth a second look if you haven’t checked it out in a while.  It had me laughing out loud and wondering why I haven’t watched it since the 90’s.  Enjoy a nice American journey.

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