Midnight Run Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1988

Midnight Run is a largely overlooked comic-action gem that was directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop) and features the acting talents of some Hollywood heavyweights such as Robert DeNiro, Charles Grodin and Dennis Farina. While this film is another buddy movie pairing mismatched partners together for a wild adventure, it is not nearly as loud or "in your face" as Eddie Murphy's outing in Brest's most popular work. Midnight Run possesses a smarter, understated approach towards drawing forth laughter from the audience… one that most viewers of this genre will appreciate.

Jack Walsh (Robert DeNiro) is a bounty hunter that would like nothing more than to leave his sleazy job behind and open a coffee shop. When Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano), a bail bondsman that stands to lose half a million dollars on an escaped fugitive, offers Walsh the tidy sum of $100,000 to track down and capture Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), he sees the opportunity to achieve his dream. The catch? Walsh has just five days to bring Mardukas back from New York to California.

Walsh isn't the only party interested in capturing Mardukas. Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), a ruthless mob boss, wants the white collar criminal dead since Mardukas made away with 15 million of his ill-gotten dollars and gave most of it to charity. In addition Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto), an ambitious FBI agent that embraces strong-arm tactics, wants to bust Mardukas himself to further his career rather than allow the city of Los Angeles prosecute him. And to make matters worse, Moscone hires a second bounty hunter and Walsh's greatest rival, Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton), to capture Mardukas as security against Walsh's potential failure.

Mardukas proves to be an easy target for Walsh to locate, but returning him to California is an entirely different matter. Being closely pursued by the bloodthirsty mob, the might of the FBI and the greedy Dorfler are enough to cause anyone some stress, but Mardukas himself proves to be Walsh's greatest source of irritation. You see, Mardukas is an uptight and anal-retentive accountant with a seemingly endless list of phobias; he is the oil to Walsh's water. Yet in spite of himself, Walsh slowly grows to accept, then even like, his quirky bounty.

Comparisons to Beverly Hills Cop, director Martin Brest's other popular buddy movie, are almost inevitable, yet they are two entirely different movies. Whereas Eddie Murphy gave a visually comedic and bombastic performance, DeNiro and Grodin are much more understated subdued. The whole essence of Beverly Hills Cop was over-the-top fun (and it achieved this very well), but Midnight Run was designed from ground up to be a bit more cerebral than visual.

You'll see the twosome travel by plane, train and automobile in a frantic attempt to elude the three forces chasing them, but throughout all the action Midnight Run slows down enough from time to time to give the two lead characters a chance to get on each other's nerves and gradually bond. Unlike other movies of this type, the two don't suddenly accept each other midway through the film… it's a constant process that doesn't fully culminate until the conclusion.

The casting for Midnight Run was inspired. Robert DeNiro's comedic output through the 90's and 2000's is a little spotty, but he nailed the role of Jack Walsh. He doesn't dominate the screen; he allows his partner room to breath, an opportunity Charles Grodin easily takes advantage of. DeNiro and Grodin work together seamlessly, creating many moments of comic magic.

John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano don't fail to impress either, nor does any of the secondary casting. Martin Brest was able to draw strong performances from each of his actors.

Midnight Run is a film that demands the viewer pay attention to fully appreciate its humor. While there is a little bit of blatant physical comedy, most of the hard-hitting laughs are derived from verbal exchanges ("Yeah, well I have two words for you: SHUT THE F**K UP!") or subtle facial expressions.

It seems that Midnight Run often slips under the radar when compared to both Brest and DeNiro's more popular works, but it's a strong offering that any fan of buddy action flicks will want to catch.

Movie rating: 8 stars

If you enjoyed Midnight Run you may also find the following films to be of interest:

Enjoy the Midnight Run experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

VHS

Poster

Midnight Run
Buy this Mini Poster at AllPosters.com

Movie Sitemap

Wondering if the Netflix service is all
it's cracked up to be? Read our
detailed review and find out!