Directed by:
Martin BrestScreenplay:
George GalloCinematography:
Donald E. ThorinComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Foronjy, Robert Miranda, Jack Kehoe, Wendy Phillips (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) has got a new assignment, one that could set him up for retirement. He's just got to get bail-jumping accountant Jonathan 'The Duke' Mardukas (Charles Grodin) back to L.A. by midnight on Friday. But he's not the only one on his trail. The Duke's just embezzled $15 million from the mob who want him dead, trying to get to him first are the FBI who want him to testify, five minutes in his company and Jack just wants him to shut up. It's going to be a long journey from New York to L.A.! (Second Sight)
(more)Reviews (2)
A decent crime comedy from the late 80s, with a somewhat dragged-out runtime that results in duller moments throughout the film. The screenplay is fairly simple, but Robert De Niro's acting saves it to a certain extent. Overall impression: 70%.
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I like films about seemingly unimaginable friendships, even though Hollywood has produced many of them and will surely produce many more. Midnight Run, on top of that, has a huge advantage in the cast: De Niro is one of the best actors ever and Grodin fits his role to a tee; and then there is the director, Brest, who already proved with Beverly Hills Cop that he has no problem combining humour and action. It's not a perfect piece of work, I didn't shed tears of laughter and I didn't swallow every sentence, but it's a torrent of smart, unobtrusive and straightforward entertainment, the kind that you can hardly find anywhere nowadays. And if I remember correctly, the female character was only given space in one single scene, which is a rarely seen, but absolutely brilliant move that had a big impact on the final result.
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