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Director Martin Brest rocketed to the top of Hollywood's A list with the blockbuster success of
Beverly Hills Cop, and this 1988 follow-up is even better.
Midnight Run is a genuine rarity--an action comedy that's dramatically satisfying--thanks to a sharp script by George Gallo, the superb teaming of Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, and Brest's consummate skill in combining suspense and humor with well-developed characters. De Niro plays a maverick bounty hunter whose latest assignment is Grodin, an accountant accused of embezzling from the Mob. De Niro thinks he's in for an easy job, transporting Grodin (who's afraid to fly) from New York to Los Angeles, but soon discovers that both the FBI and the Mafia are hot on Grodin's trail. Equal parts road trip, action thriller, and a quirky character study,
Midnight Run moves at a breakneck pace but still gives De Niro and Grodin time to create rich, memorable performances as two men who seem to be opposites, but gradually develop mutual respect and admiration. Mainstream entertainment at its best.
--Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin star in this hilarious action-packed blockbuster. Jack Walsh (De Niro) is a cynical ex-cop turned bounty hunter who is offered $100,000 to bring Jonathan "the Duke" Mardukas (Grodin) to justice. Jonathan is a sensitive accountant who embezzled from the mob, gave the money to charity, and jumped bail. Jack begins what he believes will be a relatively standard trip with his prisoner from New York to Los Angeles until he learns that Jonathan owes 15 million dollars to mobster Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), who has put a hit out on the neurotic and wimpy accountant and will stop at nothing to capture the wanted man. To complicate matters, the FBI is also after the accountant to testify against the mob. The two unlikely partners suffer a hysterical trip via plane, train, and car as they attempt to outrun Jonathan's enemies, forced to endure many outrageous twists and turns as a bickering team. MIDNIGHT RUN features great comic timing and fast-pasted banter between Grodin and De Niro as they lead the chase, set to a fabulous soundtrack by Danny Elfman.