Midnight Run (1988)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by George Gallo
Original Songs & Music by Danny Elfman
Directed by Martin Brest
Starring Robert DeNiro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano

Features:

• Making-of featurette
  

Jack Walsh (DeNiro) is a bounty hunter who is given a special assignment by a bail bondsman to find Jonthan Mardukas (Grodin). Mardukas is an accountant who embezzled $15 million from a Mafia hitman named Serrano (Farina). It turns out that not only is he wanted by this bail bondsman, he's also wanted by the FBI and Serrano, too. The problem is that Walsh doesn't know about the whole FBI and Serrano angle. So, what is supposed to be a simple midnight run turns out to be an outlandish romp across the country, as Walsh and Mardukas dodge their pursuers.

This is a very funny movie. Grodin and DeNiro are absolutely perfect, the premise is wonderful and there's just enough action to keep the movie interesting. What really makes this movie work is the hilarious dialogue that is given to the two leads. For example, as soon as his character is picked up, Grodin goes delves into DeNiro's life, scrutinizing his smoking, his broken marriage, whatever he can think of. However, as these two guys progress across the country, they begin to find out that they are both being played between the mob and the FBI, and they only way they can get through it is to work together. It's a very believable shared arc for the two of them, which is a bonus.

Speaking of bonuses, although everyone knows this film for the two stars, the supporting cast is a veritable who's who of badassery. Pantoliano plays the bail bondsman in question, you've got Farina as the mob heavy, and Kotto as the FBI agent who wants DeNiro's character to stay out of the whole thing. And John Ashton plays a "colleague" of DeNiro's. Right.

While I'm pleased to see this on DVD finally, my regret is that the DVD was not a little bit more stacked. The only special feature is a vintage making-of featurette. I do think that it would have been good to have Brest done a retrospective commentary track or something, but we don't get anything like that. The featurette that is included is really nothing more than fluff. It has the feel of the type of featurette that is made for cable movie channels, so it really just glosses over everything. That's really all you get.

I'm still recommending this as a purchase only because the movie is so strong. If you're uncertain, at least rent the thing before plonking down your coin, because it shouldn't be missed.