Midnight Run (1988)

An accountant is chased by bounty hunters, the F.B.I., and the Mafia after jumping bail.

Director:

Martin Brest

Writer:

George Gallo

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Jack Walsh
Charles Grodin	...	Jonathan Mardukas
Yaphet Kotto	...	Alonzo Mosely
John Ashton	...	Marvin Dorfler
Dennis Farina	...	Jimmy Serrano
Joe Pantoliano	...	Eddie Moscone
Richard Foronjy	...	Tony Darvo
Robert Miranda	...	Joey
Jack Kehoe	...	Jerry Geisler
Wendy Phillips	...	Gail
Danielle DuClos	...	Denise
Philip Baker Hall	...	Sidney
Tom McCleister	...	Red Wood (as Thom McCleister)
Mary Gillis	...	Bus Ticket Clerk
John Toles-Bey	...	Monroe Bouchet

Storyline

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is sent to find and return bail jumper and former Mafia accountant, Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin). The FBI has had no success in locating The Duke, so when Jack finds him in next to no time, they are a little embarrassed. In order to collect his $100,000 fee, Jack must take The Duke from New York to Los Angeles. However, the Mafia and the FBI have other ideas, as does Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton), a rival bounty hunter. On their long cross-country trip to LA, the two get to know each other and they build up a strange friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | bail jumper | road movie | aerophobia | police corruption | 

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Taglines:

A tough bounty hunter. A sensitive criminal.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fuga a la medianoche

Filming Locations:

Miami, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,506,290, 20 July 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$38,413,606

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$81,613,606

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, City Light Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The boxcar scene where Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) and John Mardukas (Charles Grodin) discuss whether or not they could ever be friends, was almost entirely improvised on-set. As regards Grodin's famous, "You ever had sex with an animal, Jack?" line, he was told by Director Martin Brest to come up with something that was guaranteed to make even Robert De Niro laugh.

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Goofs

Mardukas has three shadows when rescuing Jack from the river.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Jack trying to pick door lock. He drops one of his picks. When he bends over to pick it up, a gun shot is fired through the door, right where his head had been previously]
Jack Walsh: Shit!

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, Robert De Niro's name is spelled Robert DeNiro.

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Connections

Followed by Another Midnight Run (1994)

User Reviews

Great Mix Of Comedy & Crime

Way too much objectionable language is the only fault of this otherwise extremely-entertaining film that is justifiably popular.

Humor is what makes this "crime film" stand out as tough guys Robert De Niro, Joe Pantoliano, John Ashton, Dennis Farina and others provide a lot of laughs as not-so-tough guy Charles Grodin is escorted from New York to Los Angeles to face retribution from a mob boss.

The dialog between Grodin and his bounty hunter captive De Niro, is terrific all the way through. The soundtrack, featuring the guitar of Ry Cooder, also is outstanding and adds to the fun of this film.

The capper to this likable story is the satisfying ending, which almost everyone seems to like.