Midnight Run (1988)

Director:

Martin Brest

Writer (WGA):

George Gallo (written by)

Release Date:

20 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A tough bounty hunter. A sensitive criminal.

Plot:

An accountant is chased by bounty hunters, the FBI, and the Mafia after jumping bail.

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | FBI | Accountant | Mafia | Cross Country

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Jack Walsh
Charles Grodin	...	Jonathan Mardukas
Yaphet Kotto	...	FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely
John Ashton	...	Marvin Dorfler
Dennis Farina	...	Jimmy Serrano
Joe Pantoliano	...	Eddie Moscone
Richard Foronjy	...	Tony Darvo
Robert Miranda	...	Joey
Jack Kehoe	...	Jerry Geisler
Wendy Phillips	...	Gail
Danielle DuClos	...	Denise Walsh
Philip Baker Hall	...	Sidney
Tom McCleister	...	Bill 'Red' Wood (as Thom McCleister)
Mary Gillis	...	Bus Ticket Clerk
John Toles-Bey	...	Monroe Bouchet

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R | West Germany:12 | UK:15 (original rating) | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Cameron, Arizona, USA

Company:

City Light Films

Trivia:

The boxcar scene where Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) and John Mardukas (Charles Grodin) discuss whether or not they could ever be friends, was almost entirely improvised on set. As regards Grodin's famous "Have you ever had sex with a chicken?" line, he was told by director Martin Brest to come up with something that was guaranteed to make even Robert De Niro laugh.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after leaving his ex-wife's house, Jack makes a collect call to Eddie Moscone. Jerry answers the phone and Jack immediately starts talking and telling him to put Eddie on the line. No one actually accepted the collect call.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Jack trying to pick door lock. He drops one of his picks. When he bends over to pick it up, a gun shot is fired through the door, right where his head had been previously]
Jack Walsh: Shit!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Big Trouble (2002)

A great 1980's action comedy!

Hilarious odd-couple / road movie / cop movie / action comedy packaged together very well. Robert De Niro is Jack Walsh, an ousted former Chicago cop now working as a bounty hunter, who is determined to bring in bail-jumping accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin) who embezzled millions of dollars from nasty Mafioso Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina). Of course, it is not that easy, both the FBI and the Mob are on their trail - and the whole story snowballs into a sorry ordeal along the lines of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" as Walsh and Mardukas are forced to continuously change their mode of transportation.

This was made back when producer / director Martin Brest made GOOD movies - not notorious box office duds like "Gigli". He only makes a movie once every couple of years so he shouldn't have disappointed everybody like that.

Anyway, THIS movie, while rather lengthy, is upbeat, action-packed, and pretty funny, as the swaggering De Niro and the very dry Grodin display perfect odd-couple chemistry. Good supporting cast, too, and lively music score by Danny Elfman. This here is the kind of action comedy that is actually fun to watch, without getting lame or stupid or annoying.

Followed by two made for television movies in which Jack Walsh was played by Christopher McDonald.

"I tell you what, you don't co-operate, you're gonna be suffering from fist-o-phobia."

9/10