Featured Audience Ratings

• Mark W

  
  Many films have tried (and failed) to combine the genres of action and comedy. They were particularly popular in the 80's with the most successful being Walter Hill's "48 Hrs" and Michael Ritchie's "Fletch" and four years before this film, director… More
  Many films have tried (and failed) to combine the genres of action and comedy. They were particularly popular in the 80's with the most successful being Walter Hill's "48 Hrs" and Michael Ritchie's "Fletch" and four years before this film, director Martin Brest had already delivered one the decades best in "Beverly Hills Cop". With the studios churning them out to this day, this still stands as one of the finest of it's kind. In order to collect his $100,000 fee, bounty hunter (Robert DeNiro) must find and return bail jumper and former Mafia accountant (Charles Grodin) from New York to Los Angeles. What he doesn't bargain for though, is that the F.B.I., the Mafia and another rival bounty hunter (John Ashton) are also on the trail. As problems arise on the trip back, a strange bond and friendship develop between the disparate duo. How many films can you honestly say deliver on all fronts? Off the top of my head, I can't think of many. This, however, is definitely one of them. It has exciting action set-pieces; perfectly tuned comedy moments; it has pathos; character development from an unlikely pairing of actors and throughout it all, maintains a level of danger. Is there really anymore you can ask for? Working from a marvellous script by George Gallo, director Martin Brest has the perfect balance on this one. He captures all the aforementioned qualities just right and shows a level of skill in his handling of the material. What makes this film work so well though, is the chemistry from it's leads; two complete opposites but still entirely believable. Robert DeNiro is an actor that has never been taken lightly and has, rightly, received acclimations aplenty throughout his illustrious career. However, on occasion, some of his performances are slightly overlooked or maybe overshadowed by his more meatier, well known, roles like Travis Bickle, Vito Corleone or Jake LaMotta, when in fact he has several little gems that slip under the radar. This is one of them. His portrayal of bounty hunter Jack Walsh is absolutely superb, delivering an intimidating presence in his trademark style but also a friendly, lightness of touch which add layers and depth to his character. Playing the fool to DeNiro's straight man is a wonderfully endearing but highly irritating Charles Grodin as embezzling accountant Jonathan Mardukas. His character is obsessive, intelligent and gentle of heart and they both play their roles to absolute, comic-gold, perfection. Very rarely do you get such a dissimilar pair that are so believable and work together as well as this. It's down to these two fitting performances that the blend of comedy and action is so seamless. They're not alone though, the rest of the cast are also given substantial supporting roles, particularly a portentous Dennis Farina as gangster Jimmy Serrano and an unscrupulous Joe Pantoliano as bail-bondsman Eddie Moscone. It's a film that affords the time to a host of great characters and performers. Danny Elfman's excellent and dynamic score also helps in developing and maintaining a particular mood and style, keeping the exciting cross-country adventure from ever getting stale. It's an old formula that plays like a cross between John Hughes' 1987 comedy "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and Stanley Kramer's 1958 jail-break classic "The Defiant Ones" but it's injected with such a poignancy and freshness that make it very hard not to be swept away with it. I wouldn't really say that this is a film that's underrated as any that have seen it, tend to speak highly. It is, however, often forgotten about and has claim to be one of the most enjoyable film's of the 80's.

• Lucas M

  
  Moving! Extremely entertaining, Grodin and De Niro make a idiosyncratic couple, that make the audience loved! Gallo made a extraordinary screenplay and Brest direct the movie very well.

• Jens S

  
  This typical 80s buddy comedy may feel dated 23 years later but is still a lot of fun, mostly thanks to the great chemistry between grumpy DeNiro and whiny Grodin. The cast includes a lot more great names than that and everyone obviously had fun shooting this. While starting out… More
  This typical 80s buddy comedy may feel dated 23 years later but is still a lot of fun, mostly thanks to the great chemistry between grumpy DeNiro and whiny Grodin. The cast includes a lot more great names than that and everyone obviously had fun shooting this. While starting out slowly, soon there is plenty of action, humor and a pretty exciting finale. Of course it's not that hard to predict that the two protagonists will start to like each other, but the way there is fun to witness, especially the setbacks when they are still trying to doublecross each other. They just don't make movies like that anymore.

• Liam G

  
  The chemistry between Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin is comedic gold. Not only is this a hilarious and fun action comedy, but has incredibly likeable characters and never loses your attention.

• Melvin W

  
  Little Kid: You don't look like a criminal. Mardukas: I'm a white-collar criminal. Midnight Run is a very funny and fun comedy from Martin Brest. Robert De Niro is great as ex-cop, bount hunter Jack Walsh; who is on a mission to return Jonathon Mardukas(Charles Grodin)… More
  Little Kid: You don't look like a criminal. Mardukas: I'm a white-collar criminal. Midnight Run is a very funny and fun comedy from Martin Brest. Robert De Niro is great as ex-cop, bount hunter Jack Walsh; who is on a mission to return Jonathon Mardukas(Charles Grodin) to Eddie(Joe Pantoliano) for $100,000. A lot stands in his way though. There's Jimmy Serrano(Dennis Farina) who has a hit out on Mardukas. Also, the FBI wants to get Mardukas to testify against Serrano. There is also Marvin(John Ashton), who is a rival bounty hunter and is looking to return Mardukas himself and collect the money. Basically the movie is a cross country race, as they have to get from New York to LA. This is easily one of De Niro's best comedies. No one can say "fuck" like De Niro.

• Tim S

  
  Fantastic little action comedy. Love this one.

• AJ V

  
  Grodin's charm was growing thin at this point in the 80s, but this movie capitalizes on how annoying he was too. It's a good action comedy, and I enjoyed it.

• KJ P

  
  A fantastically original action comedy that I can watch over and over again! I have only seen it once, but it is one of best dry comedies of the 80's!

• Anthony L

  
  Cult comedy

• Chris G

  
  Midnight Run is a buddy/road picture that is reminiscent of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby films of years gone by. Robert DeNiro makes is first comedic role as foul mouthed bounty hunter Jack Walsh, who is sent after a bail jumper played by Charles Grodin who has taken millions of… More
  Midnight Run is a buddy/road picture that is reminiscent of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby films of years gone by. Robert DeNiro makes is first comedic role as foul mouthed bounty hunter Jack Walsh, who is sent after a bail jumper played by Charles Grodin who has taken millions of dollars from a mobster (Dennis Farina) and given most of the film to charity. The chase is on as the mob, the FBI (led by Yaphet Kotto) and another bounty hunter (John Ashton) pursue the pair from New York City to Los Angeles. Midnight Run is a great action/comedy film. Let's call it what the Cannonball Run tried to be. DeNiro was still in his prime with this film and plays the crusty Jack Walsh with his usual precision (at least twenty years ago). It's the interaction between DeNiro and Grodin that steals the show. These two are the definition of oil and water and most of their conversations end up in hilarity because DeNiro just can't take it anymore. DeNiro and Grodin play off each other nicely. I was surprised by how well this film has aged, other than the fact that DeNiro's character smokes in airports, on buses, etc. Most of the films of this vintage tend to date themselves with obscure '80's references, such as Martin Brest's film prior to this one Beverly Hills Cop. Midnight Run is still as fresh as it was 20 years ago. A great picture that shows how versatile DeNiro could be.

• Cassandra M

  
  To hell with the pretentiousness of a Shyamalan or the increasingly misplaced self-adulation of the Coens, 'Midnight Run' has no other purpose in life other than to use the movie as a medium of entertainment. . . and it does. Oh boy; it does. Badly underrated on release… More
  To hell with the pretentiousness of a Shyamalan or the increasingly misplaced self-adulation of the Coens, 'Midnight Run' has no other purpose in life other than to use the movie as a medium of entertainment. . . and it does. Oh boy; it does. Badly underrated on release and still unfairly under valued even now, 'Midnight Run' is actually class-act film making, the narrative impeccably engineered and the acting uniformly excellent throughout. Faults? Definitely, not the least of 'em being the gratuitous use of profanity: the movie's tone is such that it just doesn't need the endless ear-grating use four letter words -- 'Midnight Run' isn't about reality or anything remotely approaching it, so the insistence on so much gutterspeak is a major error. Set pieces though are gloriously handled, and the helicopter sequence is quite as good as anything in a Bond movie -- a genre that has managed quite well without spraying profanities everywhere because it knows, and we know, none of it's real. 9/10 then for 'Midnight Run', because as an exercise in how to develop a movie, to establish characters and plot trajectories, to bring 'em all together in a final wrap up and still leave space for a minor plot twist, it's of textbook quality. * I happened to see this as a late-night TV re-run, the day after watching the Coen's 'The Man Who Wasn't There'. 'Midnight Run' is everything that the Coen's work is not: it isn't self reverential, it isn't seeking to be a cult, and above all, it knows how to tell a story with speed and with style. RECOMMENDED.

• Lenny M

  
  Tries throw in a lot of twists to hinder the plot but still enjoyable, good script, good acting. Man what happened to Charles Grodin? From this to Beethoven?

• Michael S

  
  One of the finest films of the 80's. De Niro and Grodin are at there best.

• Red L

  
  Charles Grodin plays the annoying part, and Robert De Niro plays the quiet repressed bounty hunter. The interaction between the two is great fodder for a funny movie. A problem though, the movie shows both cops and gangsters as really stupid. Not sure that was necessary.

• Ken S

  
  This movie is a hoot!

• Aaron N

  
  Alonzo Mosely: What should be of paramount importance to you right now is not the phone calls, it's the fact that you're gonna spend ten years for impersonating a federal agent. Jack Walsh: 10 years for impersonating a fed, uh? Alonzo Mosely: 10 years. Jack Walsh: How comes… More
  Alonzo Mosely: What should be of paramount importance to you right now is not the phone calls, it's the fact that you're gonna spend ten years for impersonating a federal agent. Jack Walsh: 10 years for impersonating a fed, uh? Alonzo Mosely: 10 years. Jack Walsh: How comes no one's after you? A fun, overlooked buddy action comedy from back in 1988. The story plays out very well. De Niro and Grodin have great chemistry together. The movie is filled with great character actors. Its a shame its not better known. De Niro stars as Jack Walsh, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter, who decides to do one big job to catch an embezzler played by Charles Grodin, and then retire from the terrible bounty hunter business. Meanwhile, both the FBI and the mob is looking for Grodin's character, The Duke, as well. As I said, the chemistry between the two is great. The story is very well done mixing the action and comedy very well. Director Martin Brest, who had just come off Beverly Hills Cop, knows how to make a buddy comedy work. Then you have supporting work from Dennis Farina, John Ashton, Yaphet Kotto, and Joe Pants, all cursing up a storm and adding to the film. At its core, this is a movie about friendship under hard circumstances, and it really pays off in the end. Jonathan Mardukas: You lied to me first! Jack Walsh: What the - -YOU LIED TO ME FIRST! Jonathan Mardukas: Yes! Yes. But you didn't know I was lying to you when you lied to me down by the river. So as far as you knew, you lied to me first! Jack Walsh: How can I argue with this guy. I don't know what the fuck he's talking about.

• Lady D

  
  Hillarious! An really enjoyable film

• xGary X

  
  Robert DeNiro slums it in a by the numbers chalk and cheese buddy cum road movie. Amusing in places, but it's all a bit too reliant on DeNiro saying the "f" word. A lot.

• Dean M

  
  Hilariously funny as a comedy, this also a tense and exciting thriller with De Niro and Grodin.

• Michael G

  
  The excessive use of the word 'fuck' makes this movie. It's very fun, too.

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