Retrospective: Midnight Run (1988)
Steve Kong
MIDNIGHT RUN (1988)
A film review by Steve Kong
Copyright 1997 Steve Kong
Midnight Run shows how a simple formula film can be more than just another
road-movie or action-film. George Gallo populates his script with colorful
and memorable characters. All of the characters are thoughtful and
dimensional. The two leads are even more so than the minor characters, but
all are well rounded.
Jack Walsh is a bounty hunter, working for a sleazy lying bondsman, Eddie.
Walsh was not always a bounty hunter though, he used to be a Chicago cop,
but a mobster, Jimmy Serrano, ran him out of Chicago. The bondsman, Eddie,
has a problem on his hands; he bailed out a white-collar criminal, Jonathan
Mardukas on a very large bail, and that money means a lot to Eddie.
Mardukas, or the Duke, has embezzled a large chunk of money from the
mobster Serrano. The FBI, led by Alonzo Mosley is on the hunt for the Duke
and so is Serrano. The FBI wants the Duke to testify against Serrano,
Serrano just wants him dead. There is also a second bounty hunter looking
for the Duke, Marvin. Marvin is a clumsy and dim-witted bounty hunter.
Walsh just wants to find the Duke for the $100,000 bounty.
Walsh finds the Duke in New York and has five days to bring him to Los
Angeles, to collect his bounty, which he plans to open a coffee shop with.
Sounds easy, but not so. The movie goes from here as a cross-country road
trip with Walsh and the Duke. All of the time is trying to outrun the mob,
FBI, and Marvin.
The characters and the interaction between them are intricate, but not so
large that the audience gets lost. Action flies between airplanes, trains,
buses, cars, trains, and a few other vehicles. But, with all of this
action, the story is not lost. The director, Martin Brest (Beverly Hills
Cop), makes the movie very balanced. Just when the action is too intense,
he throws in some humor. And when the action or humor get in the way, he
stops and puts in a scene to develop character. Brest does a good job of
moving between these three.
Robert DeNiro gives a great performance as Jack Walsh. He is gives a
humorous, yet serious, portrayal of Walsh. And when he is funny, he is
funny. He gets his laughs, not by going all out for them, but by letting
his character do funny things but not know it. Charles Grodin gives an
equally great performance as the Duke. On screen they are the perfect
odd-couple. It is the chemistry of the two leads that carry the story along
the casting director should be congratulated for casting such a perfect pair.
Along side the leads are the good performances by the supporting cast.
Dennis Farina looks as if he's having a great time as the mobster Serrano.
He is mean and very scary on screen. Yaphet Kotto is also mean and scary on
screen, as the FBI agent, Alonzo Mosley, who is looking for Walsh and the
Duke. Joe Pantoliano is the wild, and potty mouthed, Eddie, the bail
bondsman. But, the most memorable supporting cast would be Wendy Phillips
as Jack Walsh's ex-wife.
The music, by Danny Elfman, is worth mentioning. Instead of orchestrating
the music for the film, the music is done by a small band. The music is
jazzy when the action kicks in, but slow and moody when there is a
character development scene. The music, like all other Elfman scores, fits
in so well with the film that at times you don't notice it.
Midnight Run is an example of the perfect smart and funny action film.
Characters that are dimensional and likeable populate it. Midnight Run is
on my list of most favorite movies, and after you see it, it'll be on yours
too. Don't miss this film.
"You two are the worst bounty hunters I have ever seen! You couldn't even
deliver a bottle of milk!" - the Duke
--
steve kong
boi...@earthlink.net
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