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.
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