In 1988 Universal released MIDNIGHT RUN, a high-profile action
comedy. It contained several elements that were unusual for a film of
its type. For starters, Robert De Niro was the lead. The idea of this
brooding method actor playing it light was virtually unthinkable at the
time, with ANALYZE THIS a decade away. He appeared alongside Charles
Grodin, hardly a stellar name. The men improvised some of their
dialogue. Danny Elfman delivered a score about as far removed from his
usual style as it was possible to get. It found success at the box
office, though perhaps it’s inevitable the result ended up as more of a
cult offering, never quite getting the critical attention it deserved.
As it rolls into town on Blu-ray, there’s never been a better time to
reappraise the production as one of the most underrated buddy movies of
all time.
De Niro plays Jack Walsh, a cop-turned-bounty hunter, who is given a
easy assignment, the “midnight run” of the title – escorting former mob
accountant Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas across country after he skipped a
sizeable bail. Mardukas ran off with millions belonging to the fearsome
Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), giving the money to charity and becoming
a national hero of sorts in the process. A smooth operation goes
pear-shaped when Mardukas tells De Niro he can’t fly, and from there on
in everything that can go wrong does go wrong, leading to an epic road
trip packed with pitfalls such as raging rivers, a rival bondsman and
bullet-spewing helicopters. Everyone it seems wants The Duke captured
or whacked before Walsh can turn him in and collect his own reward.
The main thing to say about the movie is that despite the high octane
antics it has an easy-going likeability other films would kill for.
This is down to the offbeat chemistry between De Niro and Grodin, a
masterstroke of casting from director Martin Brest and his team. Walsh’s
tough guy exterior gets the slow burn treatment from a laconic but
mischevious Mardukas, and gradually he’s worn down until the pair become
friends. The other factor is George Gallo’s excellent script, which
bursts at the seams with memorable lines – “Is this Moron No.1? Put
Moron No.2 on the phone?” is a particular favourite. Every character
talks like a screwball comedian, but under Brest there’s a grit and an
intimacy that makes it all seem natural.
Because you have De Niro and Farina in the frame, it also means the
serious scenes carry a mighty punch. The scene where Walsh is briefly
reunited with his wife and daughter (who he lost contact with following a
bribery scandal at his former job) is beautifully-played and Serrano
and The Duke’s fleeting scene together is a sliver of ice among the
pratfalls. The biggest surprise is perhaps Yaphet Kotto as Alonzo
Mosely, an FBI agent who falls foul of Walsh early on, enduring
humiliation after humiliation. This is a great film about hard men
losing their dignity, from Serrano’s exasperation over his lackeys’
incompetence to the stripping of Walsh’s rough-house shell by Mardukas.
Elfman’s
rock-blues soundtrack is an absolute triumph and a shock if all you’ve
ever heard from him are thundering strings for Tim Burton movies.
There’s a bit of distortion on the opening music for this hi-def
transfer, but this is a minor quibble, as is the fact you could argue
the running time is slightly too long. We’re talking an embarrassment of
riches rather than something that outstays its welcome. On Blu-ray the
dusty vistas of life on the road (which took in a location shoot in New
Zealand for some reason!) and the neon of Las Vegas look crisper than a
lettuce on top of an igloo.
Bonus features-wise, there are a few new interviews. De Niro and
Brest aren’t present, but are around for the ‘Making Of’ vintage
featurette. The key contributor is Grodin, who isn’t a million miles
from The Duke himself, and whose unabashed approach to the work made him
as fearless as the Italian American legend he wound up playing against.
Who else would dare ask De Niro if he wanted to have sex with a chicken
off the cuff on camera? As Joe Pantoliano (Eddie Moscone) remarks, he
was the comedy glue that held the heavyweight show together.
Maybe the biggest compliment you can pay is that when it’s time for
the journey to end, you feel genuinely sad these guys have to part. The
door was open for a sequel, and TV follow-ups were made without De Niro
and Grodin being involved. But it’s probably best this remained a
one-off. Think Eighties movies about mismatched buddies are old hat?
Stick this in your player and prepare to be amazed.
This review appeared on The Hollywood News.
These days anyone can have an opinion on the use of military
intelligence and the way governments use that information in conflict.
Social media is awash with conspiracy theories, so it’s refreshing to
see a show that takes everyone back to the American War of Indpendence,
when the US was also a political chess board, but when things were
supposedly simpler. The emergence of spycraft as a key element of battle
in the late eighteenth century forms the backbone of TURN, a dense,
frustrating yet ultimately thrilling narrative based on the book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose.
As you’d expect the thrust of the series has multiple strands. At the
heart you have Jamie Bell’s Abe Woodhull, a young farmer with an
illustrious past. Living in the crisp coastal community of Setauket, his
father is local magistrate Richard Woodhull (Kevin R. McNally) and it
transpires the quick-witted Bell has a background in law. Though he’s
settled with a young wife (Meegan Warner) and baby, he maintains a
complex relationship with ex-flame Anna Strong (Heather Lind). That love
apparently ended when their clashing convictions drove them apart.
However when Bell is approached by fellow Setaukian and solider for
George Washington Benjamin Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) to operate as a spy
against the British Army who control their home turf, old feelings are
reawakened as Abe discovers a new and dangerous lease of life. With me
so far? I hope so.
After a pilot episode that has to do a bit too much in one go, Bell
becomes a fully-fledged proto-spook, entering into his task with unusual
gusto. The plot is as dense as any John le Carré
novel, and while this is necessary to do justice to the history, it
also works against TURN initially. Producers AMC have made something
that requires plenty of foreknowledge about the war from the viewer. You
could view this as treating its audience with respect – however, I feel
it’s more to do with the Amercian company targeting its core audience,
much of which would be au fait with the scenario from school.
Episode recaps at least would have helped to follow the basics of story
and context. As it stands, you’re on your own when it comes to the
bigger picture. For example, one of the most famous events of the
conflict, the crossing of the Delaware, is bafflingly handled, as
Tallmadge blacks out and hears about it vaguely in retrospect. Its
strategic significance sadly got lost here. I watched the season with a
relative who taught American history at a high level and even she was
confused! Some meaty documentary material could have provided the
perfect complement to the action, but instead we have a couple of
somewhat scant featurettes. At least The History of Turn gives an insight into Rose’s truly exhaustive labours in compiling the source material.
I’m pleased to say the show hits its stride around the halfway mark
as everything dovetails around Setauket and showrunner Craig Silverstein
draws the elements in for a tense showdown between red coats and blue.
The spies and their associates all grew up together, which naturally
forms a strong centre to the human drama. Perhaps the greatest strength
of TURN is its use of little details, culled from Rose’s tome.
Hard-boiled eggs carry secret messages and squirrel brains are stuffed
into gunshot wounds. These aspects really sustain the interest when the
mind becomes too boggled.
Out of the performances, Bell and Lind make quite an aggravating
couple, fierce in their beliefs but also stubborn and self-righteous.
McNally is a solid presence as he navigates the role of father,
facilitator of the British and placater of the local community – his
dilemma in Eternity How Long as he is charged with selecting
local gravestones for use as shielding against enemy fire is typical of
the unusual and rewarding narratives the show offers up. I liked Samuel
Roukin as Simcoe, though I’m not sure like is the right word for this
truly hissable redcoat villain. With his hawk-like features and ethereal
voice he makes an impression early on and his rivalry with Bell is one
of the standout features of the run. It’s always a pleasure to see Boardwalk Empire‘s
Stephen Root, this time as Washington’s master tactician and I’m happy
to see his role has been bumped up considerably for the second season.
On the flipside, Burn Gorman hams it up slightly as Major Hewlett,
the uptight and reviled military commander who blows in the wind like a
white flag. And Angus Macfadyen has fun with Robert Rogers, the
rambunctious but steely boss of the Queen’s Trackers (a group of
mercenaries who lurk in the woods hunting down patriots), even though
he’s like something out of Rab C Nesbitt. The fringe characters
who are caught between the two sides, of which Rogers is one,
illustrate how fragmented the war was, with supposedly loyal fighters
turning on their uniformed “superiors” to protect their own self
interest.
With its odd, growly theme music and Lemony Snicket-esque
title sequence, TURN is a difficult show to love. But if you stick with
it, and allow yourself to get caught up in a fascinating and turbulent
part of the chronicle of the Land of the Free, you’ll find your patience
rewarded. At the satisfying climax of ten frequently head-scratching
episodes, I felt ready to go back to the field for more.
This review appeared on The Hollywood News.
Veep: The Complete Third Season has landed in the UK,
somewhat appropriately in the midst of our General Election. Adapted
from Armando Iannucci’s Westminster comedy The Thick Of It, the
HBO series stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer and
follows her transition from calamity-stricken has-been to premier power
player.
Who better to chew the fat with over the political carcasses than
Matt Walsh, who plays Selina’s long term ally and downtrodden Director
of Communications Mike McLintock. Matt kindly gave us his time this week
to field some questions about the show, his character and the state of
our nations…
If Mike was to meet current PM David Cameron, how would he introduce himself?
I think Mike would try and fist bump the Prime Minister.
What does Season 3 hold in store for him?
I think it’s the beginning of Mike’s aspiration to be happy. I think
Wendy (his wife, played by Kathy Najimy) captures his heart, and he more
than anyone has a happy personal life, more than anyone on our show. So
Mike has discovered happiness, and it challenges what he’s believed in
for the past fifteen years, being around Selina. It’s an upbeat season
for Mike, but challenging because his job doesn’t give him the happiness
his personal life does, so it raises questions about where he’s headed.
Tell us a bit about how you make the show, as like The Thick Of It there seems to be a lot of improvisation.
We do most of the improvising in rehearsal. They write sixty or
seventy page scripts for a thirty minute show, so there’s really no time
on the day for exploration and discovery. We do a ton in the rehearsals
and they take notes. Sometimes whole scenes are thrown away because
they don’t work on their feet, or brand new scenes are discovered, then
the next draft of the script reflects a lot of those discoveries.
So by the time you get in front of the camera it’s a well-oiled machine?
It’s pretty locked down. I mean, they’re not precious about the work.
There’s also room for moments if there’s a funny bit you want to do or a
prop you want to use. There’s always room for that stuff but in general
you’re trying to capture what’s on the page.
Who would you rather see in the White House, Selina Meyer or Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
I’d never want Selina Meyer to get near the White House. I would be
very happy if Julia got it. She would probably age instantly, because
it’s such a stressful job! I’m sure she’d never want to do it, but she’s
as good as anyone. She’s definitely smart and has charisma and I happen
to agree with her politics, so yeah I would love her.
That answer was very nicely-handled.
It was very Mike of me.
As a spin doctor, what advice do you think Mike would have for the leaders trying to win our General Election?
I think Mike sees the value in interaction with the common people.
Anything from kissing a baby to downing a pint of beer has real value at
the polls.
Or both at the same time.
Drinking a baby and kissing a beer, maybe that would be a winner.
(Laughs) So he believes in that old school “pressing the flesh”. And
don’t go into a discussion where you can’t win… when in doubt, deny.
There’s nothing wrong with sticking to silence.
Satire has fallen out of favour here in the UK. There’s a
view our politicians are a bit boring and all the same, whereas in the
States you have a healthy culture of satire via things like Veep and The Daily Show. Why do you think that is?
I have to say I admire British politics because it should be boring!
It shouldn’t be celebrity-driven, it shouldn’t be sexy or on television
all the time. The people I trust, the public administrators and the
Presidents, were a little dull and normal. That’s what I want in a
politician. I don’t need a movie star running my country, so it’s
unfortunate that people are losing interest in satire but I sort of
admire that about your politics.
So you think we’ve got the right idea keeping satire in the background?
Well I think you’ve been poisoned by the American media circus! If
there’s not enough distraction and insanity in the race, it’s become
boring… is that what you’re saying?
To be honest I think I’m causing an international incident,
inadvertently. (Laughs) Going by the recent TV debates here we do seem
to be headed in more of an American-type direction. You’d say that’s a
bad way to go?
It’s wishing for a more innocent time, which of course isn’t going to
happen. But I’m a big fan of accidental Presidents like Harry Truman.
He was a back-room politician, not a charmer, but he did a very good
job. The skill of getting elected has become more important than being a
good politician.
This interview appeared on The Hollywood News.
