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:

Midnight Run

Filming Locations:

Miami, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,506,290, 24 July 1988

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 famous "litmus configuration" scene was mostly improvised.

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Goofs

Mosely's arm on the back of his seat after Jack is put in the car.

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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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Alternate Versions

In the scene for theatrical release, when Dorfler is in his hotel room eating french fries, and Carmine-The-Bail-Jumper, is handcuffed to a pipe in the bathroom, Dorfler addresses Carmine as "Hey Scumbag," and Carmine reassures that his name is not such by replying, "The name's 'Carmine', Fucko!" In the alternate version for TV, his reply is "The name's 'Carmine', Fatso!"

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Dead Pool/Phantasm II/Midnight Run/Boyfriends and Girlfriends/Die Hard (1988)

User Reviews

A Masterpiece

One of the smartest, funniest, and exciting buddy pictures ever made. It has never received the wonderful attention it justly deserves. The performances by the two leads (De Niro and Grodin) are wonderful and they get outstanding support from Joe Pantolino, Dennis Farina, and Yaphet Kotto. But what separates this picture from all the other action / comedies ever made is that the screenplay is so sharp and original. Easily my all time favorite movie - you know how I know that? I must have seen "Midnight Run" at least thirty times and every time I see it, it gets better and better. A true film classic and is getting rereleased on DVD in June of 2003.