Review of Midnight Run

Introduction

What a gem! This movie was directed by Martin Brest of Beverly Hills Cop Fame, but is by far the better film. The premise is simple; a bounty hunter has five days to transport a suspect from New York to Los Angeles to get $100,000. The same idea has been used ad infinitum by Hollywood, but here a stellar cast and brilliant script elevates this film into classic status.

Jonathon "The Duke" Mardukas, having embezzled $15 million in mob money has jumped bail. Jack Walsh, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter has to get him from New York to LA in five days for a reward, but he has the FBI on his tail who want Mardukas to testify against Mob Boss, Jimmy Serrano. Understandably, Serrano wants the Duke dead, so Walsh also has to duck mob bullets. Also in the chase is fellow bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler, who`ll do anything to relieve Walsh of his charge. If these foes won`t kill the Duke and Walsh, maybe they`ll kill each other.

Video

The film is presented in a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer, and is nothing to write home about. The picture is clear and almost pristine, just what you`d expect from a 1988 movie. The darker moments are a bit murky but these are few and far between.

Audio

Sound is presented in 2.0-surround format in five languages. Again, just what you would expect from a film of this era. There really aren`t many effects for you to test your speakers out on, but the dialogue is always audible so what more do you want? The score by Danny Elfman is lively, almost jaunty and livens up the pace of the film. You will miss those 120 minutes flying by.

Features

Extras, what extras? You can listen to this film in five whole languages and you want extras? O.K this is pretty crummy, but this film was never a major box office hit so, I doubt that extras were on the minds of the publishers putting the disc together. It`s hard to think what they could have come up with besides a trailer.

Conclusion

Robert DeNiro is Jack Walsh, not that it makes a difference, as he`s Robert DeNiro all the way through the movie, which is never a bad thing. Walsh is desperate for this one final job so he can get out of the business, but he has a little conscience niggling at him. Charles Grodin plays the Duke, and plays wonderfully off DeNiro as the accountant who can`t help but rub him up the wrong way. Mardukas takes it upon himself to improve Walsh as a man whether he wants to or not. Yaphet Kotto is the FBI agent Alonso Mosely and plays the character with a world-weary air, made more evident when he loses his FBI ID. John Ashton is the other bounty hunter, Marvin Dorfler, whose stupidity is matched only by his doggedness. He and Walsh have an almost cartoon like relationship, trying to one-up each other. Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) is Eddie Moscone, the sleazy, slimy Bail Bondsmen who hires Walsh to get the Duke, yet is willing to cheat his way to a better deal. Dennis Farina plays to type as the mob boss, Jimmy Serrano but goes overboard in his portrayal. I just love the threats. "I`m gonna stab you through the heart with a `broken` pencil"(BBC dubbed version) or " I`m gonna bury this phone in your head". Special mention must be made of Tony and Joey, the Laurel and Hardy of the mafia, who desperate to assassinate the Duke can`t help but screw it up.

This film is a brilliant, fast paced action comedy, most of it in the observations of the characters and their interactions. The cast is top-notch and watching their performances is a joy. It`s fun watching Grodin and DeNiro trying to infuriate each other, but this does not detract from the excellent supporting cast. No one plays for laughs or irony, which is usually the way in films like these. The comedy is very well observed and natural. The script is tight and there are no plot holes. It`s put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Almost all that you see in the story has a purpose or a consequence, albeit the sunglasses or Walsh`s watch. The director has great eye for the humanity of the piece, for example when Walsh and Mardukas pay a visit to Walsh`s family in Chicago. All this makes this film more than just another comedy.
Anamorphic would have been nice, but for me the film transcends its lacklustre DVD presentation. Warning: there was at least one sequel, avoid like the plague.