Midnight Run


Starring: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, Wendy Phillips, Phillip Baker Hall
Directed by: Martin Brest
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A bounty hunter (Robert De Niro) struggles to bring in a mob accountant (Charles Grodin) as he faces off against a rival bounty hunter, the mob who wants him dead, and the FBI who want him in custody.

Review:

Tim: One of the things that helps set Midnight Run apart is its R rating. Profanity alone never makes a movie worthwhile, but the language here certainly helped make this movie memorable. It takes a straightforward premise and spices it up. Hearing Robert De Niro yell the "F" word at Charles Grodin repeatedly throughout the film just gave this film an adult, mature feel to it. The profanity is never unnecessary- it feels perfectly authentic to who these characters are. It helps that around this, Martin Brest directs a very good movie.

The biggest attraction here is seeing Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin interact. These are two strong actors playing characters that couldn't be more dissimilar. They obviously have no love lost for each other, which is great fun to see on screen. This movie works because of two very different yet equally strong performances. De Niro headlines the cast and didn't have an easy job. We need to identify with his character and care about him, even when he acts selfishly. De Niro manages to tow this line beautifully. I always cared about his character, even when I strongly disagreed with his actions. His performance felt authentic and real. Grodin is a bit different- his performance is meant to be annoying, to show how he could get under De Niro's character's skin. Grodin is superb at this. His performance is remarkable because you can see what he's doing, but he does it with this faux innocence. It was great fun to see how he manipulated his captor. These two both give strong performances and remain the highlight of the film.

The story is entertaining and there's a lot thrown in. We have a mob accountant being chased by multiple bounty hunters, the mob themselves, the FBI, various police forces across the country. Our protagonists travel by commercial plane, prop plane, car, train, and bus. There's explosions, betrayals, twists and turns. And yet, throughout the whole thing, the story presents the events with tongue firmly in cheek. The comedy aspects of the film serve the story well. It does get to be a bit ridiculous, but that's okay because this is an action comedy. It does translate into an entertaining, fun movie.

Another strength of the film is that we actually get to know the main characters on a deeper level. This is where so many action movie falter. As the two main characters get to know each other, we get to know them, too. The time spent on character development helps us understand and identify with them at a much deeper level than the average film. It's enjoyable to watch two completely different characters interact and begrudgingly bond as they embark on this crazy, dangerous trip across the country. The film has some very funny moments as well. One of the highlights is the bizarre conversation about chickens on the train, but there are quite a few other moments as well.

Midnight Run isn't a perfect movie and certainly could have been executed better. Still, there's a lot to like here. It's a buddy movie with two people who can't stand each other. It features good action sequences, some very funny moments, and a few unexpected thrills and twists. I had a great time watching this and would consider it a very strong movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: 48 Hrs.