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:

accountant | mafia | bail jumper | road movie | aerophobia | 

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Taglines:

Charles Grodin embezzled 15 million dollars. The mob wants him dead. The F.B.I. wants him alive. Robert De Niro just wants him to shut up.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

After doing Robert De Niro was looking for some lighter material to do next. Initially, he wanted to play the lead in Penny Marshall's Big (1988), but the studio wasn't interested in having De Niro play the role. He was then offered this movie, which he liked and agreed to make.

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Goofs

Why didn't the hit men just shoot the Duke when he gets off the bus. Instead they wait until all the FBI gets there and then start shooting. They would have been able to kill the Duke on the first shot.

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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

Two cuts to remove lock-picking details were made to the UK video version, which was also upgraded from a 15 cinema certificate to an 18 on video. The British DVD release in 2000 restored the cuts made to previous UK versions.

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Connections

Referenced in Toy Story (1995)

User Reviews

Sheer Excellence

They don't come any better than Midnight Run. It has everything except a few Academy Awards and that's a mystery in itself. Dialogue, action, comic timing, stunts and all around fabulous acting ability from everyone involved. If you haven't seen this film yet, dig up a copy from somewhere, get a few beers and prepare to be captivated from beginning to end. To think that only 10,000 or so have voted for this film on IMDb and it's not even in the top 250 is a complete travesty. I know, there are other films just as worthy that are not in the top 250 but this is the one that get's me riled up. There are no weak moments or poor scenes in the whole film and the ending is pure joy. Someone please explain why this didn't clean up when it was released because I can't see anything else that came out in '88 that comes close to Midnight Run.

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 Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1